It was certainly an eye-opening performance from Rutgers football in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Beating Miami, a brand name in college football, saw Rutgers take a step forward in terms of the overall perception of the program’s rebuild.
For Rutgers, the Pinstripe Bowl win was their first postseason since 2014.
Miami had a number of opt-outs (transfer portal and the NFL draft) but still fielded a very solid team in the Pinstripe Bowl. Arguably, up and down the roster, it could be said that Miami had more overall star talent than Rutgers.
Rutgers, down in the third quarter, rolled back for a 31-24 win over the ACC program. The bowl win gives Rutgers a 7-6 record to close out the season.
Kyle Monangai rushed for 163 yards to be named the game’s MVP.
“It was a solid win and I think it’s very fair and it is valid to say that because of who it was against and the athletes that are on that team – for Rutgers to beat that team,” Luginbill told Rutgers Wire.
“And I know it’s not the full Miami team and that’s fine, but they’ve got great athletes and they probably got lots of athletes that Rutgers would take right now on their two-deep and they beat them.”
The win is one that is being seen as a perception-changer for Rutgers. Since head coach Greg Schiano returned to the program in 2020, the rebuild has pragmatically moved along.
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But what Rutgers has lacked in these past four seasons is a signature win. This game against Miami, arguably, is the biggest win for Rutgers in Schiano 2.0.
“And I think it says something about their preparation because I’m now more than ever convinced that bowl games are not necessarily about who’s the best team, it’s not necessarily about, you know, the layoff and were you prepared for it,” Luginbill said.
“It’s about whether you want to be there. Like do you care? You know, and I thought Rutgers did a great job of kids showing up and performing.”
Scroll down and check out the best photos from Rutgers football’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami!