Pinstripe Bowl Power: Rutgers football wins first bowl game since 2014
The Rutgers football team defeated Miami 31-24 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. The Scarlet Knights (7-6, 3-6) earned their 7th bowl game win in program history, their 6th under head coach Greg Schiano and their first-ever win against the Hurricanes (7-6, 3-4).
Here are four takeaways from the big Rutgers win.
Strong, but undisciplined first half
The Knights got things going in their first offensive possession after junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt scored a "Tush Push" touchdown from the 1-yard line to put Rutgers up 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, freshman linebacker Abram Wright intercepted Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown.
A few minutes after the Knights' pick, junior running back Kyle Monangai followed a nice block from senior wide receiver Christian Dremel to score a 7-yard touchdown.
Things soon went awry for Rutgers, though, as the Hurricanes went down the field for 75 yards, culminating in a Brown touchdown run to make the score 14-7.
On that touchdown drive against the Knights, junior defensive lineman Aaron Lewis was penalized for a facemask penalty and a roughing the passer penalty on back-to-back plays, giving Miami a free 30 yards.
On the following drive, Rutgers punted, and with 45 seconds left, the Hurricanes moved the ball quickly down the field and kicked a field goal to make the score 14-10 heading into halftime. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty committed by junior defensive lineman Wesley Bailey gave Miami another free 15 yards on its 3-point drive.
Special teams come up clutch
It seemed like momentum was in favor of the Hurricanes after Brown found wide receiver Xavier Restrepo for a 30-yard touchdown near the back corner of the endzone to put Miami up 17-14 early in the third quarter.
After the Knights were forced to punt again, the Hurricanes had the ball at their own 7-yard line, but the Rutgers defense held them to a three-and-out.
On Dylan Joyce's ensuing punt, junior defensive back Trevor Yeboah-Kodie made his mark by blocking the punt and junior defensive back Timmy Ward was right there in the endzone to recover the loose ball and give the Knights a 21-17 lead.
After the game, Schiano spoke about Yeboah-Kodie and Ward's impact on the team, as well as their big play.
"Those two guys are kind of very symbolic of who we are," Schiano said. "Just a hard-working group who believe in chopping and doing your work. Preparation gives you a chance when the opportunity presents, so I couldn't be more happy for two guys that deserve it."
Kyle Monangai: The Closer
Monangai has been Rutgers' most valuable player on offense, and it showed in the second half against Miami.
With the Knights up 21-17, Monangai broke loose for a 40-yard gain that put Rutgers at the 1-yard line to set up another Wimsatt goal-line touchdown. The score put the Knights up 28-17 and would be crucial in their 31-24 victory.
The junior earned the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl MVP award for his 163-yard, one-touchdown performance. Monangai credited his teammates for his award.
"It's just a testament to the guys that I play with on offense," Monangai said. "I think I played a great game, but I think the guys up front played an even better game, honestly. They set the tone from the first drive. (Wimsatt) played well, the receivers were blocking well on the perimeter, and I was able to just follow their lead."
Big step for the program
Schiano believes that this season and this bowl win are huge mile markers for this team.
"You develop, you have fun, you learn a lot," Schiano said. "We learned a lot in this trip together. And then to win, that's what makes it special."
Monangai emphasized the impact of a winning season.
"To finish over .500 is definitely a big step for this program," Monangai said. "Recruiting-wise, I think that's something to show the high school guys, like, 'Hey these guys know how to win and they're taking steps in the right direction so it's somewhere I want to come play.'"
Wimsatt spoke on the locker room atmosphere after the game.
"When we win, we dance," Wimsatt said. "Just guys excited. It's a big step for the program … It was the first bowl we've won in a while and we worked so hard for this in the offseason."
For more updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Josh Meyers' work, follow @JoshCMeyers on X.
