Nebraska football to face Boston College in first bowl appearance since 2016

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Nebraska football is headed to the Big Apple for its first bowl appearance since 2016.

The Huskers were selected to play in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College.

The game will be Saturday, Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium with kickoff at 11 a.m. CT.

Nebraska finished the season with a 6-6 record, highlighted by victories over Colorado and Wisconsin.

Nebraska’s trip to the Pinstripe Bowl marks the 54th bowl game in school history, according to a press release.

The matchup will be the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Boston College and Nebraska’s first game against an Atlantic Coast Conference team since 2015.

“Our team is looking forward to the opportunity to spend the bowl season in New York City and play in the Pinstripe Bowl,” Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule said in the press release. "This is a great connection between two iconic brands in Nebraska football and Yankee Stadium, and it will be a memorable experience for our players. I have great respect for the Boston College program and the success Coach O’Brien has had in his first season.”
Boston College comes into the game with a 7-5 record, including a 4-4 mark in the ACC. The Eagles won three of their final four games to close the regular season, with the only loss coming against SMU. Boston College also posted a non-conference victory over Michigan State.

Nebraska’s postseason history includes one previous trip to New York City, dating back to 1962 when they defeated Miami in the Gotham Bowl, marking the third bowl appearance in school history and the first victory.

“The University of Nebraska is proud to accept a bid to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “Nebraska’s first-ever bowl victory occurred at the original Yankee Stadium in 1962, and we are excited to return to the postseason this year at one of America’s iconic sports venues. This bowl game will be a great opportunity for our players, staff and our fans.”

The first was a 1962 bowl victory over Miami at the old Yankee Stadium.

Mark Holtzman is the executive director of the Pinstripe Bowl and said it was a no-brainer to reunite the Nebraska and New York brands.

“We here at the Yankees are a pretty big brand ourselves,” Holtzman said, “and we found that if you put two big brands together, a lot of good stuff could happen.”

The Pinstripe Bowl has been hoping to pick the historic program for several years. Holtzman knows about Nebraska’s home sellout streak and that the fans travel.

Once the Huskers broke their bowl drought with a win against the Wisconsin Badgers, it was an obvious choice.

College football in the Big Ten Conference are a natural fit with the Yankees, Holtzman said, adding that the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner got his start in college football.

“His passion was really college football, and when he started out his career, he was an assistant coach at both Purdue and Northwestern,” Holtzman said, “and he's smiling that we're hosting this ball game, and he loved those big Midwestern schools like Nebraska, so he'd be thrilled that Nebraska is playing here.”

He said tickets are selling “briskly” so far, without any official numbers yet.

While in the country’s largest city, athletes will see the 911 Memorial, Radio City Music Hall, and stay near Broadway.

Inside the new Yankee Stadium, Nebraska will play Boston College at 11 a.m. on Dec. 28.