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BOWL HISTORY 1978 GARDEN STATE BOWL
EAST RUTHERFORD - In its first postseason action in program history, Rutgers faced Arizona State at Giants Stadium in the inaugural Garden State Bowl in 1978. The Scarlet Knights pulled ahead in the first half on a touchdown by David Dorn and field goal from Kennan Startzell to take a 10-0 lead. However, the Sun Devils closed the gap just before the end of the first half when Mark Malone found Bob Weathers in the end zone. In the third quarter, Arizona State claimed the lead with two Malone touchdown passes and in the final quarter added another score with a rushing TD to make the score 2810. Ted Blackwell brought the Scarlet Knights to within 10 points with his five-yard rushing touchdown and successful two-point conversion. Rutgers had a final chance to take over the game when an offside kick came bouncing its way, but an offside flag on the kickoff erased the Scarlet Knights good fortune. Arizona State tacked on two touchdowns to secure the 34-18 victory.
2005 INSIGHT BOWL
PHOENIX - Rutgers and Arizona State met for the second time in a bowl game, this time at Phoenix's Chase Field. The Scarlet Knights came up just short in the contest, losing 45-40 to the Sun Devils. RU scored the game's first touchdown on a pass from Ryan Hart to Clark Harris, but ASU quickly responded with a TD of its own, evening the game at 7-7. Both teams traded a number of scores but back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter helped ASU to a 45-33 lead and the eventual victory. Rutgers engineered a 63-yard TD drive in the final 51 seconds, but it was not enough as the Sun Devils held on for the 45-40 win.
2006 TEXAS BOWL
HOUSTON - Rutgers' most memorable season ended with the program's biggest milestone - the first bowl victory in the history of Scarlet Knight football. Ray Rice rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown, while Tim Brown hauled in two TD passes as the 16th-ranked Scarlet Knights defeated Kansas State 37-10. Rice eventually went on to be named the Texas Bowl's Most Valuable Player. In the first quarter, Mike Teel hit Brown in the end zone on a 14-yard touchdown pass and the pair later connected, this time with a 49-yard strike to give Rutgers a 14-0 lead. Jeremy Ito sent a 37-yard field goal through the uprights with less than a minute remaining in the first half to take a 17-10 lead at halftime. In the opening minute of the third quarter, Rutgers extended its lead on an interception returned for a touchdown by Quintero Frierson. The Scarlet Knights scored the final 23 points of the game as Rice added a 46-yard touchdown run and Ito converted a pair of field goals to give RU the 37-10 victory.
2008 INTERNATIONAL BOWL
TORONTO - In its third-consecutive bowl game, Rutgers pulled off another program milestone with its second-straight postseason victory as the Scarlet Knights defeated Ball State 52-30. Ray Rice had one of the finest individual outings in college football history, rushing for a career-high 280 yards and four touchdowns en route to being named the International Bowl's Most Valuable Player, his second-consecutive MVP honor in a bowl game. Rice's 280 yards were the third-most rushing yards in NCAA Bowl history. He entered the game with 1,732 yards on the ground and ended his season with 2,012 yards rushing to become the 13th player in NCAA history to amass more than 2,000 yards. The rushing total also set a BIG EAST and school single-season record. The 52 points scored were the most in Rutgers' bowl history. Including both individual and team marks, RU set a total of nine bowl records at the International Bowl.
2008 PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Fitting that Rutgers would end the 2008 season with a come-from-behind win. After winning only one of their first six games, Mike Teel and the Scarlet Knights erased an 11-point second half deficit to defeat North Carolina State 29-23 in the Papajohns.com Bowl. Leading the comeback -- as he did all season -- was Teel, who passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yard scoring toss to Kenny Britt to give the Scarlet Knights (8 -5) the lead for good in the fourth quarter. Teel's pass to Britt with 8:30 to play proved to be the winning touchdown. Britt, a third-team All-American, made a juggling catch as he crossed the goal line and finished with six catches for 119 yards. Teel, a senior, was the game's most valuable player. He ended his career on a sevengame winning streak after being booed at home when he was struggling earlier in the season. NC State (6-7) held a 17-6 halftime edge, led by quarterback Russell Wilson who was 11-for-23 for 186 yards and a score. But Wilson left the game with a strained knee late in the first half and did not return. The Scarlet Knights scored 10 consecutive points in the third quarter on a 31-yard field goal by San San Te and an 11-yard pass from Teel to Tiquan Underwood. Rutgers took a 19-17 lead with 13:31 to play on a 28-yard field by Te after a 10-play 70-yard drive. The Wolfpack came right back as reserve quarterback Daniel Evans drove them 64 yards in eight plays and hit Anthony Hill with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give NC State a 23-19 lead. But it was only two plays later when Teel hit Britt for the go-ahead score.