The Rutgers Scarlet Knights rushed out to a big lead in the first half and coasted to a huge 40-21 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Quick Lane Bowl. The Scarlet Knights' running game powered them to the easy win, going for 340 yards and averaging 8.1 yards per rush as a team.
Quick Lane Bowl 2014 final score: Rutgers rolls North Carolina, 40-21
The Scarlet Knights dominated from the opening whistle in Detroit and finish 8-5, and it could be a long offseason in Chapel Hill after a 6-7 season.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
It was a quick start for the Scarlet Knights, as they opened the scoring a little more than two minutes into the game on a 34 yard touchdown pass from Gary Nova to Andre Patton. They would roll up another 16 points in the first half, carrying a 23-0 lead into halftime. North Carolina was able to move the ball, but their first drive chart tells a tale of woe. In six first half drives, the Heels ended with two fumbles, two punts, a turnover on downs, and a missed field goal.
The second half wasn't much better for North Carolina. They broke through and scored a touchdown on their first drive of the third quarter courtesy of a Marquise Williams touchdown run, but less than three minutes later the defense surrendered another touchdown to Rutgers, this time on a 34 yard pass from Nova to Andrew Turzilli. The Scarlet Knights stretched their lead all the way out to 40-7 with 10:04 remaining, but North Carolina narrowed the margin with a pair of late fourth quarter touchdowns. The outcome was never in doubt, though.
Gary Nova had a nice game for Rutgers, going 9-20 for 184 yards and two touchdowns, and perhaps most importantly, zero interceptions. Josh Hicks rushed for 202 yards and a score, and Robert Martin rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Patton was the leading receiver with 67 yards and a touchdown.
For North Carolina, the stat sheet is not so kind. Marquise Williams went 25-37 for 198 yards and a touchdown, and had 35 yards on the ground. T.J Logan was the leading rusher with 110 yards, and Ryan Switzer was the leading receiver with 54 yards on six catches. Mitch Trubisky came on for Williams midway through the fourht quarter, and threw a touchdown pass to Kendrick Singleton.
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