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.
2. Kyle Monangai might be the Big Ten's best in 2024
It's not often you see a strong running back return for their senior season, especially when the shelf life at that position at the next level is so short, but Kyle Monangai announced a couple of weeks ago that he'd be back with Rutgers in 2024.
It was somewhat surprising to hear that and that he would play in a "meaningless" bowl game against Miami, but he is a competitor and wanted to prove himself.
And he did just that against the Hurricanes to the tune of 163 yards and a touchdown on 6.5 yards per carry. He was the best player on the field for Rutgers and he continued to make Miami pay for not closing those running lanes. His 40-yard run down inside the 5-yard-line in the fourth quarter essentially put the game away as the Scarlet Knights would go on to score the game-winning touchdown on a Gavin Wimsatt tush-push a couple of plays later.
Returning in 2024, there's a good chance the 1,000-yard rusher for Rutgers will be the best running back in the Big Ten. He's got the potential to be for sure, he just needs to build on this season.
I can see Monangai pushing for Doak Walker in 2024.
1. Greg Schiano has once again proven he's the right man for the job
When Greg Schiano was hired a second time at Rutgers in 2020, there was a lot of excitement from the fanbase. He was the last coach to truly have success in Piscataway and everyone truly believed that he'd be the one to return Rutgers back to relevance in the Big Ten.
However, he went just 3-6 in a COVID-19-shortened first year, 5-8 with a Gator Bowl loss in year two, and then 4-8 with a 1-8 record in Big Ten play in year three. It felt like things were trending in the wrong direction. So when 2023 started, it felt like a make-or-break year for Schiano.
All he did was respond with six regular-season wins and a berth in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Outside of the 2021 season when Rutgers was invited to a bowl by default after finishing the season 5-7, the 2023 season marked the first time in which the Scarlet Knights made a bowl after reaching legitimate eligibility. And for the first time since 2011, Rutgers has won a bowl game. Who coached that last bowl win? That's right, it was Schiano.
Once again, Schiano has silenced all doubters and has taken this program back into the positive side of the win column. Although 7-6 isn't anything to write home about, it's enough to get fans to buy back in.
Schiano is the right man for the job and he proved it this year.