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 That was the case for Rutgers during Friday's Quick Lane Bowl
against North Carolina, and as a result the Scarlet Knights have
plenty of excitement heading into 2015.
Freshmen running backs Josh Hicks and Robert Martin combined to rush
for 302 yards and three touchdowns to help Rutgers earn a 40-21 win
in the inaugural Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field.
With star running back also Paul James set to come back next season
after suffering a season-ending knee injury in September, Rutgers
figures to be spoiled with running backs next year.
"I think it's a continuation of what started earlier in the year,"
Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood said. "They are two talented football
players and that (running back) room is a talented room."
Hicks was named the game's MVP after he rushed for 202 yards on 19
carries and Martin ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 19
carries, in the process becoming the first duo of running backs at
Rutgers to run for at least 100 yards in a game since Ray Rice and
Brian Leonard did so in a 2006 game against Syracuse.
 "It's amazing," Hicks said. "Not all the credit goes to me. It goes
out to the offensive line because they created lanes and we had
opportunities to go through the holes."
Rutgers was in control from the onset, scoring the first three
touchdowns of the game and taking a 23-0 lead at halftime.
The offensive performance by Rutgers (8-5) wasn't so surprising,
given the Scarlet Knights entered the game averaging 25.6 points a
game this season and were going up against a North Carolina defense
that had given up an average of 38.9 points and 495.7 yards a game
this season.
But a North Carolina offense that came in averaging 34.2 points a
game couldn't get it going and was limited to seven points up until
the Tar Heels scored a pair of touchdowns in a span of 1:46 midway
through the fourth quarter to cut the Rutgers lead to 40-21 and make
the final score look a little more respectable.
North Carolina, which finished 6-7, turned the ball over twice in
the first half and failed on a fake field goal that was run while
facing a fourth-and-4 from the Rutgers 5-yard line in the second
quarter.
"It's not the way we wanted to finish up a season, but it is what it
is," North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora said. "So hopefully we
are going to learn from it and become a better football team. It's
the end of one and it's the beginning of another one."
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It was the first losing season for Fedora in his three years as head
coach, but the silver lining for the Tar Heels is that they had just
six seniors on scholarship. "We're a better football team right now than we were coming into
the game," Fedora said. "That's just the way it is because all these
young guys have gotten experience all season. So, they're going to
be better football players than they are right now when we start
next year. I think the future is very bright."
NOTES: Before the game Rutgers junior WR Leonte Carroo, who was
entertaining thoughts of turning pro after this season, announced he
is coming back to Rutgers for his senior season in 2015. ... With
2:47 remaining in the game, North Carolina junior WR Quinshad Davis
had to be carted off the field after suffering a serious right leg
injury. Davis' leg was wrapped in an air cast as he was carted off.
After the game it was announced Davis suffered a broken shin. ...
This marked the first bowl win for Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood in
three attempts. Rutgers lost to Virginia Tech (13-10 in overtime) in
the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl and to Notre Dame (29-16) in the 2013
Pinstripe Bowl. Rutgers also improved to 6-4 all-time in bowl games.
The last Rutgers victory came in 2011 when it recorded a 27-13 win
over Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl. ... Field goals attempts were
a problem for North Carolina. In addition to the unsuccessful fake
field goal attempt when holder Cayson Collins was tackled for a
4-yard loss, the Tar Heels then had a 31-yard field goal attempt
blocked in the second quarter. ... North Carolina was shutout in the
first half for the second consecutive game. The Tar Heels went
scoreless through the first three quarters in their 35-7
regular-season finale loss to N.C. State on Nov. 29. ... With the
win, Rutgers took a 4-3 lead over North Carolina all-time in games
between the two programs. ... The announced attendance for the game
was 23,876. Ford Field has a capacity of 65,000.
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