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Brown wins at Longhorn tournament
ROCKY RIVER -- United's girls wrestling team finished in 13th place out of 51 teams on Thursday at the Lady Longhorn Wrestling Tournament at Lutheran West High School.
For the Eagles, Auston Brown (17-3) won at 125. Taylor Balint (8-5) was fifth at 100. Hadley Brereton (14-4) was sixth at 170.
Kansas State wins Pop-Tarts Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Avery Johnson threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, DJ Giddens rushed for 151 yards and scored twice, and Kansas State beat No. 19 North Carolina State 28-19 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Thursday night.
Johnson, a freshman making his first start after Will Howard entered the transfer portal, threw for 178 yards, rushed for 71 and directed a 15-play, 72-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that put the game away and closed out a solid season for coach Chris Klieman's Wildcats (9-4).
"We knew we needed to finish the drive strong and put the game away," Johnson said. "Credit to those guys up front. Fifteen plays isn't easy. They dominated and we ultimately got into the end zone."
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown and threw for 164 yards in his final game for the Wolfpack (9-4), who fell short of winning 10 games for the second time in program history.
"I look back to what could I have done differently because we didn't get the job done," Armstrong said. "I felt like I did what I had to do to be ready and prepared. We just didn't get the job done."
Giddens had a 37-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, his only catch of the game, and ran for a 4-yard TD early in the second that made it 14-0.
Pinstripe Bowl goes to Rutgers
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kyle Monangai rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown to help secure Rutgers' first winning season in almost a decade with a 31-24 victory over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday.
The Scarlet Knights (7-6) last had a winning season in 2014 when they went 8-4 in their inaugural Big Ten season.
"I'm really happy for our team," said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. "I'm sure glad I'm doing it at Rutgers. It's where I'm supposed to be.
"A win here is very important. I'm really excited about where we are headed. It starts with the seniors. They have built the foundation for something special."
The Scarlet Knights opened this season 6-2 but stumbled in November, losing four straight conference games by an average of 20 points.
"This is a big step for our program," said Monangai, who carried the ball 25 times. "We worked our butts off."
Miami (7-6) has dropped five straight bowl games.
Rutgers took the lead for good at 21-17 after Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked a Miami punt that Timmy Ward recovered in the end zone.
Hurricanes quarterback Jacurri Brown scored on a 1-yard keeper with 27 seconds to play to draw Miami within seven at 31-24, and then the Hurricanes recovered an onside kick, but the rally fell short when Miami turned the ball over on downs near midfield with seven seconds remaining.
Brown, who hadn't taken a snap in 2023, was the only healthy scholarship quarterback on the Miami roster. Tyler Van Dyke entered the portal and transferred to Wisconsin.
"I thought he (Brown) made some big plays for us," said Miami coach Mario Cristobal. "But give Rutgers credit. They pressured us."
BIG PICTURE
Miami: The Hurricanes are optimistic that Brown will be a reliable QB to replace Van Dyke next season. Brown, a dual threat, completed 20 of his 31 passes for 181 yards on Thursday. Brown's backup, Emory Williams, passed for only 470 yards this season before suffering a broken arm in week 10 against Florida State.
Rutgers: Monangai announced on Monday that he would return to the Scarlet Knights for his final season of eligibility, foregoing the NFL draft, and immediately elevating the Rutgers' offense for 2024. The Big Ten's leading rusher (1,099 yards) is the eighth player in Rutgers' history to gain at least 1,000 yards in a season.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football