In the ninth edition of the Pinstripe Bowl, the Wisconsin Badgers made quick work of the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium.
It’s hard to envision a team clad in red coming in and out of the first base dugout at Yankee Stadium. In Thursday’s Pinstripe Bowl, however, the Wisconsin Badgers made themselves at home.
Running back Jonathan Taylor earned 205 yards and a touchdown, while his defense complemented with four interceptions. Their efforts allowed the Badgers to earn a 35-3 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the ninth annual postseason college football showcase in The Bronx.
The Badgers (8-5) needed just seven plays to earn a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. A six-play, 65-yard drive on their opening possession concluded with a 36-yard scoring hookup between Kendrick Pryor and quarterback Jack Coan to earn the first points. Miami’s first play set the pace for the evening, as a Malik Rosier pass was intercepted by Eric Burrell. The 30-yard return set Wisconsin up just seven yards away from the goal line, and Taylor responded with his score.
The Hurricanes (7-6) were provided plenty of opportunities to get back into the game, but were stifled by a stout defensive effort. Each of Wisconsin’s first four drives ventured into Hurricane territory, but the latter two were punctuated by errors. A Coan interception to Jaquan Johnson, as well as a showstopping 62-yard run from Rosier, led to Miami’s only points of the game, a 33-yard field goal from Bubba Baxa. Momentum seemed to fully toward to Miami after two missed Badger field goals, but more self-inflicted silliness sealed their fate.
Another interception from Rosier, as well as a fumble lost by Travis Homer, allowed Wisconsin to survive first-half mistakes. After the third Miami turnover through the air, linebacker TJ Edwards earning the honors, the Badgers began to pull away with a four-play, 59-yard drive. Taylor earned all but two yards on the trek, as Alec Ingold capped things off in the red zone.
Wisconsin would finish off the Hurricanes with two fourth quarter scores, both on the ground. A seven-yard run from Coan was set up by yet another Miami interception, though this one came from the arm of N’Kosi Perry, who relieved Rosier in the fourth. Cornerback Caesar Williams was the one who set the Badgers up in Hurricane territory. The Badgers would kill a good majority of the clock with a 53-yard drive that ended with Taiwan Deal’s single-yard run.
That prosperous run ended a 333-yard day for Wisconsin rushers. Taylor, already the nation’s leading rusher and winner of the Doak Walker Award, earned one more accolade at the end of the night, presented the game’s MVP award by NFL Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly. Previous Pinstripe Bowl MVP’s include Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in 2014 and Northwestern running back Justin Jackson in 2016.
With the win, Wisconsin has won each of their last four bowl appearances. Since the Pinstripe Bowl transitioned to a Big Ten vs. ACC format, the former conference holds a 4-1 advantage after Thursday. Miami is now 1-8 in their past eight postseason games, including separate losses to the Badgers in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl and last season’s Orange Bowl.
