Taylor rushes for 205 yards in Wisconsin’s Pinstripe victory
NEW YORK — Jonathan Taylor ran for 205 yards and a touchdown and topped the 2,000-yard season mark to help Wisconsin rout Miami 35-3 in a chilly Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday night.
Taylor, just a sophomore, ripped off runs of 39 and 41 yards and was sensational at Yankee Stadium and combined with a defense that forced five turnovers to help a Wisconsin (8-5) team ranked fourth in the first AP Top 25 poll salvage its fifth straight bowl victory.
Miami’s Malik Rosier threw three interceptions before he was replaced late in the third quarter; Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone whiffed on two field goals.
The Badgers, certainly used to the cold, came out swinging for the fences — they scored two touchdowns just 3.5 minutes into the game and seemingly knocked the will out of Miami. Jack Coan made the most of his start for injured Alex Hornibrook (concussion) and hit Kendric Taylor for a 35-yard TD on the first drive. Rosier’s first pass of the game was intercepted and Taylor capitalized with a 7-yard score to make it 14-0 before some fans even hit their seats with a hot drink.
Coan is a Long Island native and needed nearly 50 tickets for friends and family. He ran right for a 7-yard touchdown in the fourth for a 28-3 lead that made it worth the trip for the thousands of fans in red — an unseemly sight in June at Yankee Stadium — that stuck it out to the end. Coan made his fifth appearance this season and burned his eligibility to take a redshirt year.
Taylor had 117 yards rushing at halftime and finished with his fifth 200yard game this season, not bad for a running back that averaged 165.8 yards per game. He joined Ron Dayne and Melvin Gordon as Wisconsin’s 2,000-yard rushers.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
DUKE 56, TEMPLE 27: Daniel Jones threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns, T.J. Rahming caught 12 passes for 240 yards and two scores, and Duke blew past Temple in the Independence Bowl. Duke (8-5) snapped a two-game losing streak, scoring touchdowns on seven straight drives. The Blue Devils flipped a 27-14 deficit in the second quarter to a 56-27 lead by midway through the fourth. Jones set Independence Bowl records with the five touchdown passes and 423 yards passing, and Duke also had the most points in the event’s history. Coach David Cutcliffe won his fourth Independence Bowl. He led Ole Miss to victories in Shreveport in 1998, 1999 and 2002 and is already enshrined in the bowl’s Hall of Honor. Anthony Russo passed for 228 yards and a score for Temple (8-5).