Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano
Opening Statement
GREG SCHIANO: I'm proud of our team. Miami is a great football team. Coach Cristobal is a really elite coach. I'm just really happy for our team. They stuck with it. Kind of had all the emotions like a game like this could bring. Ran out early and then lost the lead and had the resiliency to keep fighting, keep chopping, as we say, and certainly it starts with the seniors. When we got here, there was a group of guys that we didn't recruit, guys that decided that they were going to buy into what we were talking about and what we were suggesting they do, and they built the foundation of something. So I'm excited. I think they've laid the foundation, and see if we keep chopping where we can go with this thing. We're in a great league. I think the best league in college football. There's a lot of things going on right now in college football. You have to navigate that landscape, but I'm sure glad I'm doing it at Rutgers where I'm supposed to be. My hat goes off it our fans. It was incredible. All week. Not just today. All week, every activity we went to, 600,000 living alumni of Rutgers University, and it felt like almost all of them were right here in New York this week. We saw more people. Our players felt more accepted and energized by our alums and fans. And for them to turn out the way they did en masse today, it really felt like a home game. To the Yankees and Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe, we're very grateful. The week was awesome. First class, everything they did. They're friends. We've known them for a long time now. This is, heck, 15 years probably. Just really good people. First class. I'm glad that Miami and Rutgers could put on a good game for them because bowl games I think are still critically important. I don't buy that they go away. If you were in that locker room seeing those kids celebrate, bowl games are really important, and that will be a memory for those guys. Most guys don't go play after college. There will be a bunch of them that will never play another snap, and that will be their last memory of football in college. It couldn't end any better. Again, my hat's off to Miami. Tremendous opponent right down to the wire, but I'm proud of our guys.
Q. Hey, Coach, just carrying this momentum, you got a lot of guys coming back that made announcements to come back, win a bowl game. Do you feel a lot of momentum for this program right now?
GREG SCHIANO: I do, yeah. I do. I think a win here is very important. It's eight months now or nine months that we get to live with that vibe, if that's what you call it. I am really, really excited about where we're headed. Now, it's a day-to-day thing, man. In this day and age of college football, you've got to work your tail off every second. It won't be much of a break right now. We'll have transfer portal visitors next week. I'm looking forward to relaxing a little tonight, get back to New Jersey tomorrow, and then setting up everything, recruiting, personnel, everything we have to do. It sure is a lot more fun coming off a bowl championship.
Q. Can you talk about the special teams punt block? I know you put so much into it. It seemed fitting that that switched momentum. Talk about what that did for you guys on the sideline and how it kind of changed the trajectory of the game.
GREG SCHIANO: I thought our special teams did a great job up until that last play, or that last special teams play; right? You know, football is a game of momentum, and anybody who tells you it's not really I think they're living in a dream world. We certainly jumped out and grabbed the momentum early, but then it kind of was getting away from us, and we had an opportunity there with the block. Trevor Yeboah-Kodie is a classic example of chop, followed by Timmy Ward, who is even a more classic. So the story behind Trevor Yeboah-Kodie, I coached his dad and his uncle at a different school in Pennsylvania that's in our league. His dad reached out to me and said, My son has another year of eligibility. He was a Lacrosse player at Brown. Really good Lacrosse player. I said, Yeah, let me look at his tape. All he had was his high school tape. I looked at it and said, Oh, I wish I had gotten him out of high school. He is a really good player. He came, and he was really a special teams specialist. He was on almost every -- I think he was on every special team. You could see the joy that he got by playing football because he hadn't played it for four years. Last time he played it he was a senior in high school. Every practice, every game, and for him to block it, and then the guy that recovered it, Timmy Ward, you local guys know the story, but Timmy Ward, high school kid, gets cancer, beats cancer, comes to Rutgers, and wants to play football at Rutgers. So he starts as an equipment manager. He is an equipment manager for like a year and a half. He goes to the walk-on try-outs, and my guys who run the walk-on try-outs come to me and say, Hey, look, the equipment manager, he can run. He is a good athlete. We ought to give him a chance. I said, Yeah, let's give him a chance. He is the brains of the outfit now. He runs the punt block team. He makes all the checks. For him to recover that and score the touchdown, those two guys are kind of very symbolic of who we are. Just a hard-working group. We believe in chopping and doing your work, and preparation gives you a chance when the opportunity presents. I couldn't be more happy for two guys that deserve it.
Q. What can you say about Kyle Monangai's 163-yard performance tonight?
GREG SCHIANO: He is special. Kyle, I think he had 160-something yards today. It's his seventh 100-yard-plus game. I believe I'm right. Seventh. But he just runs so hard. I mean, you can see it. And I love -- when he starts the games breaking tackles like that, you know he's on. He's got it. I was really proud of Sam too. Sam kind of gave him a breather, and Sam ran like the Sam that I have seen before. I'm real excited about Sam. He put that one ball on the ground. I'm sure that haunts him, but he's going to be a great player too. Again, I think Benji, Benji didn't get in much. He got a few plays, but I was really happy for Kyle because to win the MVP and to come back the way he has decided to do, I think we're going to have I areal good running back -- I know we are. We're going to have a real good running back room. Coach Shaw has done a good job developing those guys. I'm excited to see where they can go.
Q. So obviously you guys have been one of the best rushing teams in the nation, but I was wondering, did you see something in your film work that you thought you could exploit in Miami's defense?
GREG SCHIANO: No, we really didn't. I'll tell you, I thought their defense getting ready for them -- they do a lot of movement. They jump in and out of fronts. They really are very multiple. So it took every bit of our preparation just to kind of be in the right area. There are some plays today, you saw they had some TFLs. They're going to the way that they play defense. They're very aggressive. But I think it's a testament to our O-line. Coach Flaherty and the offensive staff, they got the O-line to really play with great discipline today. All season really, but today was really special because the amount of challenge that was on their plate was huge. Tight ends included. I think Sean did a great job. I mean, that's not an easy -- against that defense to play tight end and have to block and cut off all those back side runs, he did a great job. Without seeing the tape, I don't know, but I know when Kyle runs like that, some of those runs by Kyle were insane; right? He came out of nowhere and popped it out. That was really good stuff. I'm excited for him.
Q. After a long journey coming back to Rutgers, what did it mean to stand on that stage as a bowl champion?
GREG SCHIANO: It meant a lot, yeah. I mean, we did it before, but that doesn't mean you can do it again. And the "it" has changed; right? Just going to bowl games and winning bowl games, that isn't the "it." This is a step. As I said to everybody when we were bowl eligible and then we lost four straight, I said when we became bowl eligible, it's literally a mile marker on the road to where we're going. It's not the exit. This is exciting. This is the start. It's not only the end of the '23 season, but it's the beginning of the '24 season. Especially in this day and age. I think this will be great to fuel us in the wintertime and in the springtime to get ready for 2024. We better be. Because, as I said, we play in the best league in the country.
Q. This was obviously just another solid defensive performance. What have you seen from that unit all year long, and the fact that you have so many guys coming back, just the foundation that that sets going into next year.
GREG SCHIANO: I'm excited about our defense. We were able to keep Coach Harasymiak here. He had a lot of attention, a lot of opportunities to leave. He decided to stick around with us, which is huge. He's a great coach, has a great staff. Coach Hetherman really did a great job, Coach Orphey, you go down the staff, Coach Lascari. You're talking about really good football coaches that are getting a lot out of these guys. I tell you what, the players, they believe in them. They believe in what they're being taught. Miami has some explosive athletes. You look at some of their receivers, and it was a shame what happened to 22 early in the game. He's a really good running back. Big, big and strong. I'm not sure what happened, but he wasn't able to play anymore. Yeah, my hat's off. I ought to do this before I forget to do it. The coaches did an incredible job in this preparation. You end the season in whatever it was, November 26th, and they don't get a day off. They've been going straight through recruiting, flying back in to do as much work on the Miami preparation as they can. Coach the young guys in developmental practices and fly back out. Literally did not have a day off. I'm grateful to them. We have a great staff. Really, really worked hard for this, and I hope that they can take all of about four or five days off and then have transfer portal come in next week.
Q. You talked about the coaching staff. I wanted to ask you about Pat Flaherty, how he did preparing these guys for today, and really the whole season rebuilding that offensive line room?
GREG SCHIANO: Flats, as you know, I go way back with Flats. He is an excellent line coach. I think the kids -- I know the kids love him. I mean, he is a quintessential line coach. He lives in that room with them. Everything he does is for them. His wife, Lynn, they're a football family, and they really, really have been a super addition to our staff. Again, to all the wives, right, because if your husband is away -- he is working every day from the end of the season until today. That's a sacrifice that the wives and families make for our program, and it's not unrecognized by me. That's for sure. I thank them for that.
Q. For you personally, Coach, you are very close to the Miami program. What does that mean for you for the program for Rutgers to get your program's first win against Miami?
GREG SCHIANO: I've been on the other end of those too many times. I was at Miami and really had a great experience there. Loved coaching at University of Miami. Really shaped a lot of my philosophies when I worked for Coach Davis and got to meet so many South Florida kids. We became -- that became a huge part of our recruiting at Rutgers, and still is. You look at all the Florida kids on our roster and the ones coming next year. Miami has had a big impact on me. I've been on the other end. My wife was laughing. We were just in the locker room. We were laughing. She said, Remember that first one? We played in the second game of my tenure here. Steve would remember. 61-0. Yeah, it was quite a humbling experience. To finally get one against a storied program like University of Miami, it does feel good. Mario is building it the right way. They're going to be -- you just look at the accumulation of talent that they're getting there and they work so darn hard. That program is going to go through the roof. Today it was great to get a victory against them.
Q. You talked about being on the road to where you're going here with this program and this being an important step. Can you take the next step without getting more from the quarterback position, or are you satisfied with what you got from that today?
GREG SCHIANO: What we did today is we took care of the football. We knew that if we could take it away -- I count punt blocks as a take-away, where it was a pick six or fumble six when you block a punt. We knew if we could win the turnover margin that we felt very confident we would win the game. Did we play a little tight to the vest? Sure, we did, because we felt that was the kind of game we had to play. We'll develop. Like at every position, we'll continue to develop, including the quarterback position. We'll just keep getting better. Like you said, that's part of the -- today I thought a developmental program was on display. You look at some of the young guys. Famah Toure, who you haven't seen all year. I love the rule that you can play with guys in the bowl game, and it doesn't count towards their eligibility in postseason. Bo Mascoe, finally able to play, and he did a great job. Abram Wright with the interception. No one has seen much of Abram. Zaire Angoy, who has been here a little longer, but he has really come on to the scene the last four or five weeks of the season and now in the bowl game. Moses Walker, a guy who I thought he is going to be a great player and played some linebacker and showed exactly why he was such a highly recruited guy. Yeah, the developmental part of the program, the pipeline that I speak about, I'm thrilled. Can't wait. I love bowl games as a program developer because we had seven practices were strictly developmental. That's half of spring ball, right, seven practices that we got to develop those young guys. They got all our coaching. They were the ones on the video. Not the older players and not the guys that have played. To be able to coach them off of those tapes and to have them all winter, we can make cut-ups for them. It's huge. That's why winning begets winning at this level. When you win and get to go to bowl games, it pushes it forward. To answer your question, yes, we need to get better at everything, but I don't think it's -- anymore every position has to get better. We need to improve as a program. But I love doing it with another trophy in the case.
Q. You spoke to it right now just a little bit, but consistently throughout the season you have said "yet." We're not there "yet." How does today factor into "yet," and eventually turning the "yet" into what you want to see this program?
GREG SCHIANO: Miami is one of those programs that whether they're there right this second, I don't know, it's not my place to judge that, but they're a traditional blue blood program. We had an opportunity to win a game against them today. We're not there yet, no. But this is a big mile marker because I think we do a good job in bowl games. I learned from the best. Coach Paterno was the best at preparing his teams for bowl games. You just look at his record. We do it the same way. We work really hard when we work, and when we don't, it's a lot of fun. You develop. You have fun. You learn a lot. We learned a lot in this trip together. Then to win, that's what makes it special. Thrilled.
DL Wesley Bailey
Q. When you are celebrating this win, do you allow yourself to look around the room and realize that most of you will be back here next year with another opportunity to build on it, and does that make this even more exciting in a way?
WESLEY BAILEY: That's a great question. At the end of the day that's always in the back of my mind, but right now we're just thinking about being 1-0 at the end of this season. Now that we're 1-0 at the end of this season, we've got to build, and it's great that we have a lot of guys coming back. Robert Longerbeam, Mo Toure, Flip Dixon, all those great guys coming back. We look forward to just keep building off of this win.
Q. Wesley, we talked to Mo about coming back, but what went into your guys' decision to return for another year?
WESLEY BAILEY: At the end of the day just looking around the room. We have a great coaching staff, defense, special teams, all the way through trainers, all that.
Q. Wes, what's the whole journey like for you, just being here at Yankee Stadium this whole experience and getting this win today with your teammates?
WESLEY BAILEY: It was amazing. I see it as a blessing from God. Whether we won this game or not, I just wanted to just go all out. I know everyone did. I know I can definitely say that the guys that played beside me with the same color jerseys on definitely went all out. Just being able to be part of this moment with these guys is amazing.
DB Robert Longerbeam
Q. Robert, what do you feel like this defense kind of proved and then showed all season long?
ROBERT LONGERBEAM: We just wanted to prove as a defense that we're a tough group. We play hard. We play physical, and we're going to be violent. That's what we wanted to prove. I think throughout the course of the year we proved that, so we're doing what we want to do. It's just the foundation. We're going to keep building.
Q. Robert, facing a guy like Xavier Restrepo for pretty much the whole day, what was it like facing him? What made him so tough?
ROBERT LONGERBEAM: He's a crafty receiver. He's a good receiver. It was a real competitive battle. He is a great receiver. I have all the respect to him. He gets me better, so you have to watch film, but it was all good.
Q. Robert, we talked to Mo about coming back, but what went into your guys' decision to return for another year?
ROBERT LONGERBEAM: I feel like it was unfinished business really. All my brothers coming back. I knew this is something I wanted to be a part of from the start. So having all them back, having our defensive staff back, it's a blessing. So I know we're going to be ready to work next year.
Q. Robert, did it mean anything more to beat a program like Miami, a blue blood program, national champion, big name? Did it mean anything more to have a bowl game win against a team like that?
ROBERT LONGERBEAM: Really any opponent we faced was going to be a big game. This is a stepping stone in building our program, win the bowl game. You have to do that in order to compete for bigger games.
RB Kyle Monangai
Q. The MVP trophy, go ahead.
KYLE MONANGAI: It's a testament to the guys that I play with on offense. I think I played a great game, but I think the guys up front played an even better game honestly, and they set the tone from the first drive, receivers were blocking well in the perimeter, and I was able to follow their lead.
Q. Kyle, obviously you're the story right now, but I mean, your defense, the guy to your side right here forcing that big tackle. Deion Jennings delivers the huge tackle. The defense just balled out completely. Just speak to them and the impact they had playing complementary football and allowing you to be you?
KYLE MONANGAI: You have to play complementary football to win games, and the defense played great. They just put us in great opportunities to go put points on the board. They held them when we needed to in big-time moments. And like some instances, to name it a few, like Deion making a play there, a couple of other guys made some plays. Mo played great. Like I said, it's complementary football, and just allowing the offense to do what they have to do and defense handling business.
Q. Kyle, how do you kind of sum up the season that you have had, and how do you put it in perspective? Obviously capping it off the way you did today and what you showed all season and how will it carry you into next season?
KYLE MONANGAI: Yeah, now I guess we can finally look back. I think I was able to build on a lot of things. I think I set out a lot of goals for myself and I was able to accomplish them. Not all of them, but some. It was great to be in a role that a lot of guys look to me in leadership, being a captain for the first time. A lot of guys, like I said, leaning on me just to make a play or even just for that boost to just be a leader. It's something to build off of going into this offseason and for next year. But I think I did some things well, but like I said, it's stuff to build off of.
Q. Kyle, I wanted to ask, with the return of key players like yourself and just other seniors and stuff, I wanted to ask, what do you think the impact of how big this win is and just how do you think overall this will affect recruiting and just the overall impact of just the team moving forward for Rutgers?
KYLE MONANGAI: The win today I think is a huge impact. Being able to go 7-6, that's not the goal we set for ourselves in the beginning of the season, but to finish over .500 is a big step for this program. To win the last game of the season is definitely something positive to build off going into the offseason. Recruiting-wise, like you mentioned, I think that is something to show the high school guys, like, hey, these guys know how to win, they're taking steps in the right direction, so it's somewhere I want to come play. Like I said all the time to the guys, it's not easy to play here. It's definitely a hard place to play. But that's just because Coach Schiano demands of us, and he knows what it takes to win. We have to be willing to step up to the plate and do the day in and day out. It's a huge impact, this win.
Q. On being from New Jersey
KYLE MONANGAI: I think it's just interesting -- I love the fact that I can say I'm from Jersey, I go to school in Jersey, I was raised here, grew up here, and I was able to do things well in my home state. And now getting this win at Yankee Stadium, I know it's New York, but it's like it feels like home still, just across the water. Yeah, to answer your question.
Q. For Kyle and Gavin, you both recently announced you would be sticking with Rutgers in 2024. What went behind those decisions, and what are your expectations now for the upcoming season?
KYLE MONANGAI: What went into my decision was I just felt like there was more left to be done. When guys make that step to go to the next level and whatever they want to do, not come back, whatever it may be, I feel like that's them saying they've done everything they can, and they're ready to move on. I just feel like there's more to be done. Seeing everyone else coming back, like Mo and Flip, and Rob and Reem and everybody else that decided to come back, how can you not get excited to have one more go-around with your guys going back to go achieve something greater? That's all that went into my decision. Yeah, I'm excited for what the future holds.
Q. Kyle, do you have any plans on where you're going to put the trophy?
KYLE MONANGAI: I don't. I was actually going to give it to my mom, but it's a little wobbly right here, so I didn't want her to break it or something. So I'm going to keep a hold on it for a little bit, and then I'll decide what I want to do.
LB Mohamed Toure
Q. Mohamed, we'll start with you. Just your thoughts about the way this defense attacked against Miami. You guys set the tone early. You got some stops. You got some sacks. Just your thoughts about the defense's overall effort?
MOHAMED TOURE: I feel like the defense played very well. Finished our last game before this with a bad taste in our mouth, and we wanted to come out and play how we play. Play violent, play physical, and play fast, and that's exactly what we did.
Q. Mo, you talked about coming in, and you came in before Schiano was here and the losing and how to deal with it. To go out and play so well in this game, to win with your brother on the team as well, what's that mean to you?
MOHAMED TOURE: It means a lot. It's a blessing, honestly. Being able to come back for another year and just help him grow. Come in here freshman year, it was tough going 2-10. I wasn't used to that. All we did was work. Since Coach Schiano got here, all we did was work. We brought in guys like these guys, and they've become my best friends. Just a blessing to have them and also have my brother, you know.
Q. Mohamed, I see you're wearing the Yankees jersey. As a homegrown New Jersey player, what has been your favorite part about playing for Rutgers and representing your home state?
MOHAMED TOURE: Like you said, representing my home state. This is home. Rutgers is home for me. Being able to play at home have my family come see the games and then at the same time having my brother with me, it's a blessing getting to put on for New Jersey. You see a lot of Jersey guys. They leave Jersey, and I wanted to change that. I wanted to change the narrative. You can do it at Rutgers. You can be great at Rutgers. You can win at Rutgers.
Q. Mo, you just mentioned how you wanted to prove you could do it at Rutgers. You came here in 2019. The program had two wins and none in the conference, and now you're standing here as a Pinstripe Bowl champion. What does it mean to you to see that development to the program and to the defense?
MOHAMED TOURE: It means the world to me. Like I said, I'm from Jersey, so seeing this program build and just gradually get better throughout the years and know we our whole defense back. We have a lot of guys back. We have Kyle Monangai back. This is a stepping stone. We're just going to continue to build off of this until the next season.
Q. Mo, you're talking about how you're a homegrown New Jersey person. What would you say to someone right now who is in high school contemplating coming to Rutgers? What would you tell them to get them to come here and have the Schiano mindset?
MOHAMED TOURE: I'll be honest with them. We work hard. We grind. If you want to work and you want to win, come here. Rutgers is the place to be. If you are from New Jersey and you want to put on for your home state, Rutgers is the place to be.
QB Gavin Wimsatt
Q. Gavin, you dressed the part. What was the whole experience like this week, especially being on the field here out here at the stadium?
GAVIN WIMSATT: I would say it's just an amazing experience to get to play a great game with these guys and just to be able to send our seniors out the right way, like T.Y., some of our older guys. To be able to send them out the right way means a lot.
Q. Gavin, is the tush push something that the offense wanted to implement more in the bowl game?
GAVIN WIMSATT: Well, off its recent success lately, yeah, definitely. Something we implemented as well.
Q. Now that the season is over, Gavin, how would you assess your performance throughout the whole year and today as well?
GAVIN WIMSATT: Today I would say credit to my O-line. It all starts up front. You know, Kyle, the run game, it opens up the pass game. I think there are definitely some things that I could have did better this season, but that's what the offseason is for. Going into the offseason and have a plan, make sure we get better for next year. So yeah.
Q. When you look at what this team has coming back, does that excite you, just the idea that you see the pieces? Many of these guys around you will be on this team next year as well.
GAVIN WIMSATT: Of course, it excites me. Ballers like Kyle, a bunch of experienced guys coming back. It makes me really confident, and I know who is around me.
Q. Gavin, when you came to Rutgers three years ago, it was a little bit of a leap of faith for you, and there's been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. What does this moment mean for you personally, taking this team to a bowl win, and what do you think this can be in terms of being a springboard for the team in 2024?
GAVIN WIMSATT: It means a lot. When I committed here, obviously it was a little bit of a leap of faith, but I trusted in Coach Schiano, and he had a plan, and we had the right guys. So it's an exciting moment for this to happen. This is what we pictured, but we have bigger plans, but this is just a step in the right direction. It's exciting.
DB Timmy Ward
Q. Timmy, to recover that blocked punt, after all you've been through coming up to this point, what does that mean for you?
TIMMY WARD: It's pretty cool. Everybody did what they were supposed to do when we were out there. I didn't really have to do anything at all. I was just standing there, and the ball kind of came popping out. It's pretty cool to be able to do it at this stage. This is big for our program. It was all-around a good moment.
Q. For two special teamers and that awesome play. I'll start with Timmy. Coach Schiano was talking about how you started as an equipment manager. To put that into perspective now, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?
TIMMY WARD: I'm just super grateful. I've gone through a lot of stuff over the years, and to come in the way that I did, this moment is honestly insane. I can't even wrap my head around it right now. All the credit goes to all my teammates, everybody. When I came in, they all -- obviously they could have been kind of surprised seeing one of their equipment managers now on their team practicing with them, but they accepted me right away. They were excited to see me on the team. And ever since then it's been -- this has been a ride. It's been fun.
Q. Timmy, going back to what you were saying a second ago. Coach was saying earlier about how much of a leader you've been on special teams. What has it meant for you to earn his trust in such a phase of the game that Rutgers places a huge emphasis on?
TIMMY WARD: It means the world. He's the one who gave me this opportunity. I just wanted to make him proud every day. I don't want to let him down. I come in every single day and work as hard as I can just to make him happy. I do it for these guys too, Kyle and Gavin. These guys come in. They're the face of our program, face of our school, face of New Jersey, and I just want to do my job so that they can have all their success and everything. That's what I love to see. Just all of them doing their thing, and Kyle's day he had today, that's the world to me. I love that.
DB Trevor Yeboah-Kodie
Q. Trevor, can you talk about that punt block, and Coach Schiano talked about your journey here and what this means to you at the end of it.
TREVOR YEBOAH-KODIE: This means the world, especially with these guys. I honestly never thought I would be in this position. But throughout the year we kept working. I gave credit to all my teammates for believing me and trusting in me, and also Coach Schiano for trusting in me. This has been an unbelievable experience, and I can't wait to celebrate with these guys.
Q. And Trevor, just I guess you really -- you decided you had an extra year. You wanted to do something with it. What went into that decision?
TREVOR YEBOH-KODIE: I played four years of Lacrosse at Brown, and you knew coming out of high school that I had that extra year of eligibility to play a different sport, and after my senior year I decided that I did want to take that chance on myself and play football again.
