New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Iowa State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (8-4); Fri. December 30th

• Game time: 2:20
• TV: ESPN
• Sirius Channel: 84
• The Spread: Iowa State +1.5

The Lowdown:

Rutgers returns to Yankees Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl after playing at the same locale for their November 12th victory over Army.  On the season, Rutgers finished 8-4 and had a chance at the Big East Championship until the season's final week when they were upset by UConn, 40-22.  That is the same UConn team that Iowa State beat in Storrs earlier this season, 24-20.

The Cyclones are coming in on a two game losing streak but those losses came against Oklahoma and Kansas State after the huge upset of Oklahoma State.  Iowa State has steadied the ship on offense after the move to Jared Barnett at quarterback in the seventh game of the season.  Barnett is only hitting on 50% of his passes, but has been a true dual threat QB Iowa State was looking for and has also taken better care of the football than Iowa State was getting from Steele Jantz.

Iowa State's offense has played relatively well over the last half of the season but they'll have their work cut out for them against a very good Rutgers defense that led the Big East giving up only 18.1 points per game.

The Scarlet Knight defense is led by number 20, Khaseem Green, and he will be a hard guy to miss at Yankee Stadium.  He led Rutgers with 127 tackles earning honorable mention All-American honors.

If there is a weakness in Rutgers defense it may be their fun defense.  They gave up 143 yards per game which is a respectable number, but it was good for a last place ranking in the Big East.  That should play into the Cyclones strength with running back James White expected back to full health complementing Jeff Woody and Barnett's running ability out of the pocket.

Rutgers, Keys to Victory:

1. Win the turnover battle.  Rutgers' defense forced 31 turnovers this season.  Iowa State turned the ball over 32 times, a problem that plagued them a good portion of the season.  If the Scarlet Knights can  continue with the ball hawking defense, ISU is likely to cough it up.

2. Get the ball to Mohamed Sanu.  No real surprise here.  That was in Rutgers' game plan before they even drew it up.  Sanu set the Big East record with 109 catches this season for 1,144 yards.  The more he sees the ball, the better for  Rutgers.

3. Rutgers is playing close to home.  That could potentially be a good thing, or it could also prove to be more of a distraction than Iowa State is dealing with.  Will it be a factor on Friday?  It's hard to say.  Predicting these bowl games can be a tricky proposition because of the small details like this.

Iowa State, Keys to Victory:

1. Not to take the easy way out, but just as the turnover battle is important for Rutgers, the same can be said for Iowa State.  Turnovers have killed the Cyclones way too many times this season and they need to keep it from happening against a good Rutgers defense.

2. There's no doubt Rutgers is going to throw the ball to Sanu.  That much is a given.  How Iowa State defends him will be key. Leonard Johnson has seen some of the best wide receiver's in the country playing in the Big 12 so he'll know what's ahead, but with no other serious threats in the passing game, ISU can probably afford to give him some extra help.

3.  Sack the quarterback.  Rutgers still hasn't named a started at QB yet, but their offensive line has given up 30 sacks on the season.  ISU only has 17 on the year, but one way or another, Wally Burnham needs to find a way to get some pressure on the young Rutgers' QB's.

Final Prediction:

This is about as evenly matched as you can get.  Rutgers is a slight favorite going in, but I  can't help but think Iowa State leaves the Big Apple with the Pinstripe Trophy in hand.  The Cyclones are a team few gave a chance to even get to a bowl game and they won't take this opportunity for granted.  Iowa State's linebackers (A.J. Klein and Jake Knott) will cause problems for Rutgers offense and Barnett will get another victory as the Cyclones starting quarterback in offensive coordinator, Tom Herman's, final game with ISU.  Iowa State 27 Rutgers 20.