WATCH: Rutgers announces it will take Texas A&M's spot in the Gator Bowl
Rutgers is going bowling. After a 5-7 season originally kept Greg Schiano and company out of bowl season, the Scarlet Knights are officially replacing Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl.
In an announcement on Twitter, the program announced the news in style.
“Better late than never,” tweeted the program. “The Scarlet Knights are going bowling!”
Originally, the Gator Bowl was scheduled to be played between the Aggies and Wake Forest. But after halting team activities late last week after multiple positive COVID-19 cases, Texas A&M revealed Wednesday they would be opting out of the opportunity. Now, the Demon Deacons will face Rutgers.
On the season, Rutgers started off strong — racing out to a 3-0 start to the season. However, as their schedule picked up, their play began to fall off. Still, the Scarlet Knights were able to defeat the other team vying for their Gator Bowl spot — the Illinois Fighting Illini.
After news broke that a 5-7 team may not accept an invitation, Bret Bielema threw his team’s name in the ring. However, it seems as if his squad will have to wait for another potential opportunity — if one comes about.
Rutgers hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2014. That season, the Scarlet Knights defeated North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl. Now, they’ll look to shock another ACC foe in the Gator Bowl.
2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
In 2021, one of the main goals for Rutgers was to go to a bowl game. While they didn’t achieve it the usual way, the unorthodox method won’t matter if they leave the Gator Bowl victorious.
While Rutgers started their season with wins over Temple, Syracuse and Delaware, they would only find two more victories over their remaining games. During the stretch, the Scarlet Knoghts took care of business on the road on two separate occasions — defeating Illinois and Indiana.
Perhaps the best performance of their season came in a loss, when Rutgers gave Michigan one of their biggest tests of 2021. In late September, Schiano’s team brought their grit into Ann Arbor, where they hung around with the Wolverines. However, it wasn’t enough — their mistakes piled up into a 20-13 loss.
The future is bright for Rutgers, as quarterback recruit Gavin Wimsatt is poised to takeover the position for the future. The four-star, dual-threat recruit is nothing like the Scarlet Knights have ever had at the position, and they’re hoping he can turn the tides of their program.
Rutgers didn’t expect to have an opportunity at a bowl game, but the Scarlet Knights have an exciting opportunity that they couldn’t pass up.