NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Monangai rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries to help give Rutgers a 31-24 win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl. The victory gives the Scarlet Knights their first winning season since 2014, when they went 8-4 in their inaugural Big Ten season. The Scarlet Knights opened this season 6-2 but stumbled in November, losing four straight conference games by an average of 20 points. Miami has dropped five straight bowl games after the loss Thursday. The Hurricanes had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter but turned the ball over on downs with seven seconds remaining.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter did plenty of self reflection on the plane ride back from Arizona after Michigan lost a 51-45 shootout to TCU in last year’s Fiesta Bowl CFP semifinal. Minter saw his Wolverines defense allow nearly 500 total yards and an average of 7 yards per play in their worst performance of the season. While he was disappointed, Minter also knew that he had an experienced unit returning that knew the scheme. It was now a matter of making his players understand what they needed to do. Enter Minter’s emphasis on the four pillars of his defense that have led the Wolverines back to the playoff.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Devin Brown is about to become the first Ohio State quarterback to make his first career start in a bowl game. The sophomore starts Friday night against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. He hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 21, but takes over after Kyle McCord left the seventh-ranked Buckeyes earlier this season for Syracuse. Ninth-ranked Missouri has All-American running back Cody Schrader, two-year starting quarterback Brady Cook and playmaking receiver Luther Burden III. The Tigers have a three-game winning streak since opening November with a 30-21 loss at then-No. 1 Georgia.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alabama is covering every angle when it comes to preparing for Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Michigan at the Rose Bowl. That includes making sure their equipment and films do not get hacked in the wake of the Wolverines’ sign-stealing allegations from earlier this season. Wide receiver Isaiah Bond and running back Jase McClellan say watching film has been restricted to only as a group and with coaches at team facilities. McLellan also says that players are not receiving practice film directly on their iPads, and that only coaches are receiving it.
UNDATED (AP) — If unbeaten ACC champion Florida State beats Georgia in the Orange Bowl, is there a chance the Seminoles could be voted No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 of the season? While voters say they would be open to it, the current state of college football’s postseason all but renders the conversation moot. With so many players deciding not to play and coaches changing jobs, many bowl games feature teams that look nothing like they did during the season. The more relevant question is how much consideration should poll voters give postseason games outside the playoff at all?
UNDATED (AP) — Illinois has suspended basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. after he was charged with rape for an alleged incident that happened when the football team played at Kansas in September. The school suspended Shannon from “all team activities, effective immediately,” a day after the Douglas (Kansas) County District Attorney issued a warrant for his arrest. Chicago-area attorney Mark Sutter says Shannon is “innocent.” Prosecutors in Douglas County charged Shannon on Dec. 5 with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. The complaint says the accuser was born in 2005. The alleged incident happened when Shannon attended Illinois’ football game at Kansas on Sept. 8.
ATLANTA (AP) — The marquee matchup in Saturday’s Peach Bowl is No. 10 Penn State’s top-ranked defense against No. 11 Mississippi’s up-tempo offense. Penn State’s proud defense led the nation in fewest yards and first downs and collected the most sacks. The Nittany Lions know those rankings will be tested by a Rebels offense led by quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Ole Miss attack is about more than balance. The Rebels rely on their up-tempo style to wear down defenses. A key could be the ability of Penn State’s defense to adjust to the tempo, which makes it difficult to send in fresh players.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked Michigan has shown during its journey to the College Football Playoffs that whatever obstacles are put in its way, it ends up galvanizing the team. That included two suspensions to coach Jim Harbaugh that ended up being a total of six games. The unbeaten Wolverines face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday. Even though Harbaugh’s suspensions have ended, questions about his future at his alma mater remain. When asked if he would entertain offers from the NFL during the offseason, including one from the Los Angeles Chargers after they fired Brandon Staley on Dec. 14, Harbaugh deflected both questions and said his singular focus is on the upcoming game.
