The opportunity in front of Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Saturday is not lost on first-year coach Bill O’Brien.
When the Massachusetts native leads the Eagles (7-5) onto the hallowed New York ground, Boston College will be shooting for its first eight-win season since 2009. Facing an opponent as prestigious in the world of college football as Nebraska (6-6) makes it even more special.
“I think that was the big thing for us,” O’Brien said. “Can we play a great, legendary program? (We’re) all very excited about the opportunity to go up against a program like Nebraska in Yankee Stadium around Christmastime. It’s a very, very cool opportunity.”
The Eagles not only look to send seniors such as ACC Defensive Player of the Year Donovan Ezeiruaku (FBS-leading 16 1/2 sacks in the regular season), running back Kye Robichaux (452 yards, six touchdowns in the past four games) and former walk-on linebacker Joe Marinaro out on a high note, but also keep an eye on the future with many expected 2025 returnees already contributing on the depth chart.
Florida International junior transfer Grayson James has emerged as Boston College’s top quarterback, throwing for five touchdowns in four starts since Florida State-bound Thomas Castellanos departed the program midseason. The Eagles won three of those games, all in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
This season has also seen the likes of running back Turbo Richard, wide receiver Reed Harris and safety Carter Davis receive significant time as true or redshirt freshmen for O’Brien’s team.
“There’s a lot of guys that will be playing in this game that will hopefully be playing for us next year,” O’Brien said. “If you can’t get up to playing in a game like this, I think for our guys, you might want to check yourself out a little bit.”
While Boston College seeks back-to-back bowl victories after toppling now-ACC rival SMU in the Fenway Bowl last December, Nebraska is headed to its first postseason appearance since 2016.
The Cornhuskers clinched the bowl berth with a Nov. 23 win over Wisconsin, ending a four-game losing streak that followed a 5-1 start. Five of Nebraska’s six losses were by eight or fewer points, including setbacks against ranked Big Ten foes Illinois and Ohio State.
“We’re unbelievably excited and grateful,” second-year Nebraska coach and native New Yorker Matt Rhule said. “We’ve worked really hard to get to this point. A tough schedule this year, had a chance to play against a lot of great teams.”
Nebraska has one of the nation’s top young quarterbacks at the helm. Dylan Raiola has thrown for 12 touchdowns and ranks second among FBS freshmen with 2,595 passing yards and a 66.6 percent completion rate.
Raiola shot down transfer portal rumors and affirmed his commitment to the Huskers since the regular season concluded.
“I never officially entered and never really was shopping around,” Raiola said. “I’m playing quarterback at Nebraska.”
The game has added significance to Rhule due to his New York City roots. This month, he added Dana Holgorsen as offensive coordinator and promoted John Butler to defensive coordinator.
Eight Nebraska players hail from New York or New Jersey, including sophomore starting defensive end Cameron Lenhardt and sixth-year senior running back Rahmir Johnson.
“It’s been home for a long time,” Rhule said. “This is a special, special kind of full-circle moment for us.”
–Field Level Media
