Penn State and Notre Dame once had important college football games at Yankee Stadium in late December. The Pinstripe Bowl, now with a new sponsor Bad Boy Mowers, has become an annual event in the Bronx.
Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who had the background of a college football coach, delivered this game to New York and Yankee Stadium 14 years ago. Saturday afternoon it wasn’t Penn State or Notre Dame, two historic college football schools competing for a national championship with the expanded College Football Playoff.
Instead, at a cold and misty Yankee Stadium, the 14th annual Pinstripe Bowl belonged to Nebraska (Big 10 Conference) and Boston College (ACC). Not Notre Dame or Penn State, who won back-to-back Pinstripe Bowls in 2013-2014, though two established programs that jumped at this opportunity to have an important postseason game in the Bronx.
And with college football programs in the New York City area not known for powerhouse programs, indeed it’s always good to see two prominent conference teams on the field at Yankee Stadium. Yankees and bowl game officials, coaches, players, alumni, and fans will tell you this is the award and culmination of their season,
A week of visiting NYC landmarks including the 911 Memorial, ringing of the bell at the NY Stock Exchange were just a few of the highlights for players and coaches. Perhaps Nebraska and Boston College would prefer to be involved in the big prize of competing for a national championship, though this to them was their championship game and it was held in New York City.
Boston College had a practice at Columbia University and Nebraska used Fordham University Jack Coffey Field as their venue leading to the game. Though the game did not establish a Pinstripe Bowl attendance record, (30,062) perhaps because two teams not with the names of Penn State or Notre Dame were not the participants that would pack the house.
It was typical Pinstripe Bowl drama. Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and managed to get the 20-15 win, their first bowl game victory since 2015.
And a homegrown New Yorker, Rahmir Johnson had a role in building an early lead in the first quarter with a 4-yard run. Johnson knows something about winning in New York, a Harlem born youngster who developed skills playing on sandlot fields in youth leagues.
“Yeah it was real special,” he said. “Every time I was looking up in the crowd and seeing who all I see, I saw my old youth football team, the Harlem Jets in the corner. I saw my family in the end zone where I scored at. It just meant a lot man,”
He said this was playing his last game in New York against a team (Boston College) that presented him his first offer when recruited and winning made it extra special.
“We worked six years to get to this point, and I’m glad we left the field as a winner, and I’m glad we paved the way for the future to my right and I see special things coming in the near future for the team.”
On the other side, Boston College (7-6) fell to 0-3 in bowl contests and look to next September when they host Fordham University, a school within minutes from Yankee Stadium that once had that college football history with Columbia.
The Eagles got past midfield in their first five of seven attempts, however two turnovers and failure to convert fourth downs was a prelude of what was to come.
“I thought we were productive, but we couldn’t score,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. “So that’s a problem because you have to score to win. The Pinstripe Bowl did a great job. I’ve been to a lot of bowls. Been to the Sugar Bowl, been to the Cotton Bowl, been to Gator Bowls, I’ve been to a lot of bowls and the Pinstripe Bowl without a shadow of a doubt is one of the best bowls.”
Grayson James had the numbers (25-of-40, 296 yards) but the offense could not connect for the Eagles. Regardless of a loss, this was one of those memorable moments playing a college bowl game at Yankee Stadium.
“We seen the 9/11 memorial, did different events, but it brought us together as a team,” he said. “Brotherhood, we got closer a lot and it built trust within each other. We got a lot closer as a team, and that’s a key part of a team is that love, and we built that over this little week we had here.”
A week of major college football in New York City, the Bronx and Yankee Stadium that built something special with the Pinstripe Bowl.
Rich Mancuso: X (Twitter) @Ring786 Fcebook.com/Rich Mancuso