Boston College football was selected for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. The Eagles (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (6-6, 2-6 Big Ten) at Yankee Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 27. The news was announced by the ACC late Sunday afternoon.
Head coach Steve Addazio was visibly excited following the announcement, touting the upcoming game as the “perfect matchup” for both schools.
“I’ve been to this game before, and it’s a first class, big-time atmosphere,” Addazio said. “It’s where our kids wanted to go, and they all understand the rivalry. Where better to spend Christmas than New York City?”
The Eagles are still riding high after crushing longtime rival Syracuse in their last game of the season, 28-7. BC has dropped its last four postseason contests, though, most recently last season against the University of Arizona Wildcats in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl.
With a large concentration of students in the New York metro area, BC can expect a greater fan turnout than its past bowl appearances. Captain Sean Duggan was thrilled by the prospect of playing a meaningful postseason game in front of the BC faithful.
“It’ll be great seeing so many students sitting in the crowd,” Duggan said. “Hopefully it’ll take on the atmosphere of a home game for us.”
The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are in a tailspin. PSU struggled mightily against the rest of the Big Ten, relying on its four non-conference wins to secure a bowl bid.
Penn State boasts the best rushing defense in the country, holding teams to just 84.6 yards per game. A strong rushing defense is something that the Eagles are used to, however.
“It seems like every week we’re facing a top-tier defense and they’re not all the same, which makes it difficult to find ways to adjust,” quarterback Tyler Murphy said.”We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
This will be the first postseason appearance for Penn State since the Jerry Sandusky scandal three years ago. Earlier this season, the NCAA lifted sanctions against the school, which granted the team immediate postseason eligibility. Originally, the sanctions lasted until 2016.
Coming off of a recruiting week for next year’s class Addazio and his staff are excited to get back on the field.
“It’s two fired-up, excited teams going head-to-head,” he said. “We’re thrilled to death to be playing in this location against this team.”
Heights Staffer Michael Sullivan contributed to this article.
Featured Image by Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
