Rutgers football: 3 takeaways from Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami

After an up-and-down 2023 season, Rutgers football went into the Pinstripe Bowl with the hopes of finishing the season above .500 for the first time in the second stint of Greg Schiano.

This has been Schiano's best team since re-taking over and it was his first earned bowl appearance as the Scarlet Knights' head coach since his first stint -- he went to the Gator Bowl in 2021 with a 5-7 record because there was a need for more bowl eligible teams.

And his Scarlet Knights put the hurt on Mario Cristobal and Miami on Thursday afternoon in New York.

What did we learn from the Scarlet Knights' Pinstripe Bowl win?

3. Rutgers' offensive line was dominant

Watching this game, one thing was clear: Rutgers' offensive line was dominant.

The Scarlet Knights bullied the Hurricanes up front during a game that was ugly, rainy, and didn't see a ton of passing from Rutgers' side of things. Miami knew what was coming most of the time and it just couldn't stop it because Rutgers just exterted its muscle up front to pave the way.

Rutgers finished the game with 45 rushes for 211 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, two by way of the tush-push. The other was behind the legs of Kyle Monangai (we'll get to him later).

The major difference in this win for Rutgers was that offensive line and it deserves all the praise it can get. These guys deserve to be the collective MVP of the Pinstripe Bowl.