Greg Schiano, Rutgers Praised for Breakthrough with Pinstripe Bowl Win over Miami

Rutgers defeated Miami 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday, as head coach Greg Schiano's program won a bowl game for the first time since the 2014 season.

The Scarlet Knights leaned heavily on the ground game, as running back Kyle Monangai continued his stellar 2023 campaign by repeatedly dominating the Hurricanes' front seven. The Big Ten's leading rusher totaled 163 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, adding 17 more yards as a receiver.

Rutgers' defense also played a large role in the victory despite some early issues with penalties, stifling a Miami offense that entered the contest averaging 32.1 points per game. This was punctuated by an interception in the second quarter, setting the Scarlet Knights up to score a touchdown and take an early 14-0 lead.

When Miami recovered a late onside kick with a chance to tie the game at 31, Rutgers was able to force an immediate turnover on downs to seal the win. College football fans praised the Scarlet Nights for the victory in addition to Schiano for turning around a team that went 2-10 before his first season back to the school in 2020.

For Miami, backup quarterback Jacurri Brown took the field after Tyler Van Dyke entered the transfer portal in Nov. and Emory Williams suffered a season-ending arm injury against Florida State in Week 11.

Brown struggled to find consistency through the air, passing for 181 yards and a touchdown to go along with the aforementioned interception. He was only able to muster 57 yards on his 15 rush attempts, although he scored two more touchdowns on the ground.

Rutgers has now made two bowl games in the past three seasons after going six straight years without appearing in one.