A pair of 1-yard touchdown runs by quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, a former Owensboro High School star, helped lift Rutgers to a 31-24 win over Miami on Thursday in the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights secured their first winning season since 2014.
Rutgers took the lead on the opening possession when Wimsatt’s first touchdown capped a 75-yard, 13-play drive.
After a missed field goal on their next possession, the Scarlet Knights responded with their first takeaway of the afternoon. Linebacker Adam Wright picked off Miami’s Jacurri Brown, and a few plays later running back Kyle Monangai scored on a 7-yard run to put the Scarlet Knights up 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
The Hurricanes answered with a touchdown and then added a field goal as time expired to cut Rutgers’ lead to 14-10 at the half.
Miami started the second half with an 8-play, 69-yard drive for a touchdown to go up 17-14.
Rutgers took the lead for good when they blocked a punt on the Miami 1-yard line, recovering the ball in the end zone to take a 21-17 lead.
Wimsatt added his second rushing touchdown of the game — and 11th of the season — early in the fourth quarter.
The Scarlet Knights pushed the lead to as much as 31-17 with a field goal before a late Miami touchdown. Down 31-24, Hurricanes recovered an onside kick for a chance with 25 seconds to play but they turned it over on downs to end the comeback attempt.
Wimsatt finished the game with 9 rushes for 9 yards. He completed 7 of 15 pass attempts for 84 yards.
The Scarlet Knights started this season 6-2 but lost four consecutive conference games by an average of 20 points prior to the bowl game. They finished the season at 7-6, their first winning campaign since 2014, when they went 8-4 in their first year in the Big Ten.
Some information was gathered from Rutgers Athletics and the Associated Press.
