Last week against Pitt the Orange almost came up with a second half comeback before falling to the Panthers 20-17 at Heinz Field.

The defense provided some bright spots in that comeback attempt led by junior linebacker Jake Flaherty, who paced the team in tackles and recorded a sack.

"I tried to provide a spark in the Pitt game," Flaherty said. "That's part of my job on this team, providing a spark by stopping offensive guys on the opposing team."

Flaherty has been one of the defensive leaders all season. He ranks second on the team with 69 tackles and is tied for third on the team in sacks.

"I really think the coaching staff have put me in schemes where I can make a play or at least have some kind of involvement in what's going on in a game," he said. "With every game that goes by, I just want to build on them so we can work our way up."

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