Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Match Player Stats On Dec 28, 2013

Notre Dame 29, Rutgers 16: Tommy Rees threw for 319 yards and wide receiver TJ Jones ran for a score in his final college game as the Fighting Irish held off the Scarlet Knights in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Tarean Folston ran for 73 yards and a touchdown while Cam McDaniel added 80 yards on the ground for Notre Dame (9-4), which picked up its first bowl win since 2010. Kyle Brindza kicked five field goals and the Irish dominated defensively in the second half to put the game away.

Chas Dodd struggled to 10-of-28 passing for 156 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for Rutgers (6-7), which totaled 66 yards after the break. Senior wide receiver Brandon Coleman caught a touchdown pass for the Scarlet Knights.

Notre Dame took the lead when Jones took a handoff and dove across the line for an 8-yard score. Dodd found Coleman for a 14-yard TD on the ensuing drive and the teams traded field goals in the second to knot it at 13 before Rutgers found itself in the red zone and decided to let freshman running back Justin Goodwin throw a pass that was intercepted at the goal line, leaving the game even at the break.

The Fighting Irish went to the ground in the second half and ate up nearly 14 minutes on two field-goal drives to take a 19-13 lead. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 47-yard field goal but Notre Dame came right back with another long drive and found the end zone with Folston’s 3-yard burst that stretched the lead to 26-16.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Jones left the game after his touchdown with an apparent shoulder injury but returned in the second half and finished with 82 total yards. … Coleman hit the ground hard diving to attempt a catch on Rutgers’ final drive and left the game. … The Scarlet Knights were playing their final game as a member of the American Athletic Conference before moving to the Big Ten next season.