Rutgers football (7-6) defeats Miami (7-6), 31-24, at the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

BRONX, N.Y. (Dec. 28, 2023) – Rutgers football (7-6) defeated Miami (7-6), 31-24, on Thursday at the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. It marked the program’s seventh bowl championship, sixth under head coach Greg Schiano and second victory in the Pinstripe Bowl, as the Scarlet Knights secured their first winning season since 2014.

Down 17-14 with just over 10 minutes left in the third quarter, RU scored 17 unanswered points to secure the win over the Hurricanes. DB Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked a punt at Miami’s one-yard line, which was recovered by DB Timmy Ward in the end zone for a touchdown, while QB Gavin Wimsatt’s second rushing score of the day and a 35-yard field goal from PK Jai Patel helped Rutgers to the come-from-behind win.

RB Kyle Monangai earned the game’s MVP trophy after he finished with 25 carries for 163 yards and a touchdown. It was the seventh 100-yard rushing game for Monangai, who finished the season with 1,262 yards on the ground.

LB Deion Jennings led the defense with nine tackles and one for loss, LB Mohamed Toure added eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack, while freshman LB Abram Wright recorded his first career interception.

NOTES

• Rutgers finishes the season 7-6 to clinch a winning season for the first time since 2014.
• Rutgers improved to 7-5 all-time and 6-2 under head coach Greg Schiano in bowl games.
• Rutgers secured its second win in the Pinstripe Bowl, also securing the 2011 championship with a 27-13 win over Iowa State. It is the first bowl the Scarlet Knights have won multiple times.
• Rutgers defeated Miami for the first time in 12 meetings. The series was previously played as part of Big East action from 1993-2003. The 31 points were the most scored in a game by RU against UM.
• Rutgers won its seventh straight non-conference game and improved to 50-20 overall in non-conference games under Schiano. The Scarlet Knights are now 3-1 against ACC opponents since 2021.
• Rutgers moved the Big Ten’s winning streak in the Pinstripe Bowl to seven straight, as the conference is now 8-1 overall in the game.
• Rutgers improved to 13-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover in a game.

• RB Kyle Monangai recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing yard game of the season, finishing with 163 yards on 25 carries.
• QB Gavin Wimsatt recorded two rushing touchdowns to make it 11 on the season, ninth-most in a season in program history.
• Rutgers blocked a kick for the 70^th time under Schiano and scored off a blocked punt for the 14^th time and second time this year. The punt was blocked by DB Trevor Yeboah-Kodie and recovered in the end zone by DB Timmy Ward, his second career such score.