Rutgers shuffles QBs to Pinstripe Bowl win

The suspense about Rutgers' starting quarterback for its Pinstripe Bowl matchup against Iowa State on Friday at Yankee Stadium didn't end when Chas Dodd took the first snap for the Scarlet Knights. Coach Greg Schiano played musical chairs with Dodd and Gary Nova, looking for a spark in a game that was a struggle for both offenses.

Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads took a different tack in Rutgers' 27-13 victory, benching freshman starter Jared Barnett after a fumble deep in his own territory set up a field goal that gave Rutgers a 10-6 second-quarter lead. Steele Jantz took over and, in the fourth quarter, hit two passes to Josh Lenz for 53 yards to set up a 20-yard touchdown run by Jeff Woody that cut the Scarlet Knights' lead to 20-13 with 10 minutes left.

When Nova went three-and-out on Rutgers' next possession, Schiano went back to Dodd for the third time when the Scarlet Knights got the ball at their 13 with 6:40 left. "Just gut feel," he said. "I can't tell you that there was a rhyme or reason to it. Just got to do what you think."

It turned out to be good thinking. On second down from the 14, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti called for the bomb. Dodd had veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu on the right and redshirt freshman Brandon Coleman on the left. He liked the look of the 6-6 Coleman going against 5-7 Iowa State cornerback Jeremy Reeves.

Smart choice. Dodd dropped back and heaved a pass about 45 yards in the air. Coleman pulled it in over Reeves at the Iowa State 48 and finished an 86-yard touchdown that clinched the victory for Rutgers. It was the Scarlet Knights' fifth straight bowl win, the longest active streak in the country, and gave them a 9-4 record.

"That was a gutsy call by Frank with the game where it was," Schiano said. "That's a huge turning point in the game."

Iowa State (6-7) got out of the gate in the first quarter, taking a 6-0 lead on field goals of 40 and 46 yards by Zach Guyer. But Rutgers got going in the second quarter when Dodd, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 176 yards, found Sanu four times for 66 yards to set up a 1-yard TD run by Jawan Jamison for a 7-6 lead.

The Cyclones' Barnett then fumbled when he was sacked, and Rutgers defensive tackle Scott Vallone of Central Islip scooped and went 13 yards to the ISU 4-yard line. "I was just trying to be part of the pile when the ball came out," Vallone said. "I thought I was going to score, but somebody clipped me from behind."

Dodd threw three incompletions, and the Scarlet Knights settled for the first of two field goals by San San Te for a 10-6 lead. That's when Schiano switched to Nova, who led a drive for a 12-yard TD run by Jamison, who rushed for 131 yards on 27 carries, to give Rutgers a 17-6 halftime lead.

Nova started the second half, Dodd got a series, and Schiano went back to Nova before giving Dodd another shot in the fourth quarter. When the call came in for the deep ball, Dodd knew what to do.

"I liked that matchup," Dodd said. "With his height advantage, it's easy to throw it up and let him make the play."

For a second, it looked as though Reeves might make the interception, but he couldn't wrestle it from his 6-6 opponent. "He did have a chance," Coleman said. "I didn't play the ball at the highest point. He got a hand on it and tipped it, but I was able to finish the play."