New York – Like a star player on a baseball team who usually calls the Bronx home, Kyle Monangai headed toward the center field wall at Yankee Stadium and launched his body toward his target as he approached the warning track.
It was at the end of a 40-yard drive in the Pinstripe Bowl, and while the Rutgers running back was ruled out of bounds before hitting the pylon for a touchdown, he once again threw the Crimson Knights on his back. They would score on the next play to take a double-digit lead over Miami, their first win with the ball in nine years but in the bag.
The MVP was no surprise. It was Monangai, of course, who capped a season in which he led the Big Ten in rushing with his best performance in the Scarlet Knights' 31-24 win. It was Monangai, of course, who once again provided Rutgers with a heavy dose of toughness as he rushed for 163 yards on 25 carries.
In an era where star players are opting out of bowls to protect their NFL futures, Munangai made it clear he wouldn't miss this game for anything. “I've been waiting to play in a bowl game here forever, so to miss out would be crazy,” he said after becoming just the eighth Rutgers player to rush for 1,000 yards.
It hasn't always been good for Rutgers offensively, in this game, or all season. Against Miami, the passing game was almost non-existent again, as quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 7 of 15 attempts for just 84 yards.
Rutgers needed a big day from Monangai to beat the Hurricanes, and he delivered. The best part of the Greg Schiano show? With his announcement earlier this month that he would be back for another season, he ensured the Scarlet Knights would have the focal point of their offense in place for what could be a promising 2024.
Under Don Bosco, Monangai was the first player to commit to Schiano when the coach returned to his old job in 2019. Schiano gambled on the young running back when Bosco coach Dan Sabella told him he would “stand at the table.” For this man,” a decision he will never regret.
“A lot of people told me, ‘Don’t do it. He’s too young.’ He can’t do it,” Schiano said.
Monangai has proven, time and time again, that he can do this at the highest level. He did just that at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon, ensuring that the Crimson Knights would bring the Pinstripe Bowl trophy home across the Hudson River.
What will he do next season in order to emerge?
Here are five notes from Pinstripe Bowl:
1. Forbidden perfection
A former Ivy League lacrosse player and cancer survivor combined to make one of the biggest plays of the season for Rutgers. As is often the case for Rutgers during the Schiano era, it came via a blocked kick.
Trevor Yeboah Cody, who played lacrosse at Brown before joining the Scarlet Knights this season, broke free untouched by Miami's Dylan Joyce. That's when Timmy Ward, the former equipment manager who overcame a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma in high school, pounced on the loose ball in the end zone.
The play couldn't be more timely. Rutgers' defense had given up 17 points on Miami's previous three possessions, but Rutgers' 69th blocked punt under Schiano returned all the momentum to the Scarlet Knights.
2. Neon Dune
It was understandable why Mario Cristobal decided to roll the dice on fourth-and-2 from Miami's 45-yard line with less than 10 minutes left in the game. The Hurricanes trailed by 11 points, with the Scarlet Knights grabbing all the momentum. Miami needed a big play to change the game.
Instead, it was Rutgers linebacker Dion Jennings who stole the moment. He stabbed through the Miami line to tackle running back Henry Parrish Jr. for a two-yard loss. In the final game of a stellar career, Jennings came up with a huge defensive play to help the ice win the ball.
3. Receive tone adjustment
Perhaps, in future seasons, it will be harder to convince players to “sign up” for a cold-weather midweek game at the baseball field. However, for now, it was clear that the Scarlet Knights were eager to bring home the Cup — and some of their early strength came from an unexpected source.
Christian Dremel, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound receiver, carried several Miami defenders an additional five yards after initial contact on a 23-yard second-quarter reception. The play set up the touchdown, as Kyle Monangai drove inside the pylon to give Rutgers an early 14-0 lead.
Rutgers was the more physical team early in this game, and it wasn't just Monangai and linebacker Mohamed Toure who were scoring big.
4. Expensive penalties
Rutgers appeared to be headed toward an easy win when a series of foolish fouls allowed Miami to score 10 points in the second quarter.
First, defensive end Aaron Lewis was called for back-to-back personal punts to help Miami drive down the field for touchdowns. Then, it was fellow defensive lineman Wesley Bailey who was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for apparently stepping on an offensive lineman, as those crucial 15 yards helped bring Miami closer to the field goal that ended the first half.
Late in the game, two pass interference penalties in the end zone helped Miami score a late goal, making the final minutes much more exciting than they should have been.
The Scarlet Knights were, for the most part, a disciplined team in 2023, ranking 33rd nationally with 5.1 penalties per game. But they had their share of unforgivable mistakes, including several drive-by kill penalties in a road loss to Iowa. Schiano will have a lot to clean up this offseason.
5. About that “easier” 2024 schedule…
Some other thoughts from the Pinstripe Bowl and around the Big Ten:
a. It may be time to put an end to the talk of Rutgers having an “easier” 2024 schedule. Based on the results achieved in the ball games so far, the list of opponents for next season suddenly looks very strong.
B. Southern Cal won't have Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, but his potential replacement, Miller Moss, threw a Holiday Bowl record six touchdown passes in his first college start to lead the Trojans over No. 16 Louisville. Rutgers travels to Los Angeles for the first time for Big Ten action on Oct. 26, with plenty of pressure on USC coach Lincoln Riley to make a playoff berth.
C. Longtime rival USC didn't look too shabby either. UCLA, which travels to SHI Stadium on Oct. 19, beat Boise State in the Los Angeles Bowl. Chip Kelly, who has survived (so far) a series of mediocre seasons, gets a momentum-building win.
Dr.. It was hard to envision Virginia Tech making a bowl, let alone winning one against a tough opponent, after the Scarlet Knights' win over the Hokies in September. They dominated Tulane in the Military Appreciation Bowl with quarterback Kieron Drones drawing comparisons to Michael Vick — and the Drones will return in 2024 when the Scarlet Knights travel to Blacksburg on Sept. 21.
H. Even 5-7 Minnesota won the Quick Lane Bowl with a win over Bowling Green. With three more of Rutgers' 24 opponents — Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington — left to play, they could finish the year with an 8-0 record and, if the Huskies pull off a pair of upsets in the four-team playoff, a national championship. Hey, who knows?
F. It was clear why the Yankees were excited to see the Scarlet Knights sitting there at 6-6 when it came time to pick their option for the game. There were about 20,000 Rutgers fans at the game, significantly outnumbering their Miami counterparts.
g. Tackle of the Day: Davon Feuse, destroys Miami's kickoff comeback.
H. Schiano clearly has confidence in his young player, but sending Jay Patel on a 53-yard attempt in the Bronx cold was a bit of a stretch. His attempt came up short.
I. Rutgers used the drive twice from the one-yard line in the first quarter, then faked a drive for the first time in the third quarter. If only Rutgers' offense had this much creativity than other lineups.
Y. Yankee Stadium ran out of beer. Bad job Yankees.
More from Steve Politi:
The untold story of how Rutgers crushed the Big Ten
How a former Rutgers University athlete ended up charged with murder in Tijuana
I was a menace to Little League, and it was time for me to come clean
Searching for Luther Wright, once New Jersey's greatest talent
I played Augusta National and had a meltdown in my Masters
Ranking of the 99 greatest athletes in New Jersey history
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