FINAL: Notre Dame defeats Rutgers in Pinstripe Bowl, 29-16
By Evan Reller
Dec 28, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees (11) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame capped off the season with a big win in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Fighting Irish defeated Rutgers 29-16 Saturday afternoon.
The Irish struggled to get separation in the first half and had a lot of missed opportunities, especially on offense. Notre Dame went into halftime tied 13-13 with Rutgers. The Irish then dominated time of possession in the second half and scored 13 unanswered points.
The red zone woes continued for the Irish, but the foot of Kyle Brindza kept putting up points as he was 5-for-6 on field goal attempts.
Tommy Rees notched the seventh 300-plus yard game of his career. He finished the game 27-of-47 for 319 yards. He didn’t find the end zone, but Rees also didn’t turn the ball over.
Against one of the best run defenses in the country, the Irish managed to pile up 175 rushing yards. Cam McDaniel and Tarean Folston split the carries, with 17 for each player. McDaniel had 80 yards rushing. Folston finished the day with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver TJ Jones also got in on the rushing attack with four carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. Jones also had five receptions for 66 yards.
Tight end Troy Niklas had four receptions for 76 yards.
Defensively, the Irish largely shut down the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers managed just 236 total yards and were just 3-for-12 on third down conversions. Notre Dame also forced four turnovers, all interceptions.
Defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt finished his career at Notre Dame with a sack in the final seconds of the game.
Notre Dame managed to dominate time of possession, holding the ball for over 38 minutes of play.
After an up and down season, the Irish will finish with a 9-4 record. Notre Dame is going to have a much different team next season with players like Rees and Tuitt graduating.
We’ll take a look back at the season in the coming weeks.
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