Rutgers Ends Season With Pinstripe Bowl Victory

Rutgers had to wait 34 days for a chance at redemption, but their New Era Pinstripe Bowl Victory was special because it was in front of their hometown crowd.

Eric LeGrand cheers on his team on the big screen at Yankee Stadium after his Rutgers teammates secured a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

NEW YORK—Losing a game is never a good thing, but every once in a while, it works out. Rutgers’ season ending loss to UConn on Nov. 26 was a crushing blow, eliminating them from a share of the Big East title.

“Every loss affects me pretty badly. I’m not a good loser. But that one kind of hit me bad because we didn’t have another game to play,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said on Friday night at the Yankee Stadium.

The UConn loss gave his team extra motivation to finish their season on a high note—a mission they accomplished with a 27-13 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Iowa State on Friday evening at Yankee Stadium.