Penn State University and Boston College accept invitations to play in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium
Penn State University and Boston College today accepted invitations to play in the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, December 27, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (EST). The Nittany Lions and Eagles will meet on a football field for the first time since 2004 in what will be a traditional northeast football matchup. A press conference with New Era Pinstripe Bowl participants and officials will be held on Tuesday, December 9, at 11:00 a.m. at Yankee Stadium. Further details and information will be provided on Monday morning.
Penn State, led by James Franklin in his first year as head coach at the school, will be making its 45th bowl appearance all-time, tied for ninth-most in the nation. The Nittany Lions' 27 on-field postseason victories are tied for the fourth-most nationally and lead all Big Ten Conference institutions. Led by senior All-America candidate Mike Hull, the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, Penn State's defense is one of just two that ranked in the top-10 in the nation this season in each of the following categories: rushing defense (1st, 84.8 ypg), total defense (2nd, 269.8 ypg), scoring defense (8th, 17.7 ppg), pass efficiency defense (2nd, 99.71) and defensive third down conversion percentage (6th, .301). Among Big Ten institutions, the defensive unit ranked first in each of the first four categories listed.
Hull, who led the Big Ten with 134 tackles this year, and junior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel were each selected to the All-Big Ten first team. Senior placekicker Sam Ficken and freshman wideout DaeSean Hamilton, the Big Ten's leading receiver, earned second-team all-conference accolades. The Nittany Lions' offense is led by quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, who ranks in the Penn State career top-five in passing yards, completions and total defense after only 24 career games.
"We are thrilled to be facing Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl," said Sandy Barbour, Penn State Director of Athletics. "The Pinstripe Bowl brings together three great brands in Penn State, the New York Yankees and New Era in one of the world's truly great cities. The Pinstripe Bowl will provide thousands of Penn Staters, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, an opportunity to support the 2014 Nittany Lions one more time and take in all that New York City has to offer during the holidays. I'm particularly pleased that our senior football student-athletes will have a chance to play in a bowl game, and that as a community we will have one more opportunity to honor and thank them. I can't wait to gather in New York with the Penn State faithful."
This will mark Boston College's 24th bowl game appearance and the school's second consecutive under head coach Steve Addazio. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, including a 37-31 victory over the then No. 9-ranked University of Southern California on September 13, at Alumni Stadium.
Boston College is led on the offensive side of the ball by senior quarterback Tyler Murphy and freshman running back Jon Hilliman. Murphy's 1,079 rushing yards at the quarterback position in 2014 marked the highest single-season total in ACC history. Hilliman established the school's all-time rookie record for rushing attempts with 185 attempts this year. His 12 rushing touchdowns were second-best in the conference.
"We are honored to be headed to New York City to play Penn State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. This is the perfect bowl destination for us as so many of our players, their families, our alumni and fans are from the New York metropolitan area," said Brad Bates, Boston College Director of Athletics. "Penn State has one of the greatest traditions in college football and there is quite a history between our two programs. New York is within driving distance of our students and supporters, so we expect a great crowd of fans cheering on the Eagles. This is a wonderful reward for our student-athletes and we could not be more excited."
The 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be the first in the bowl's history to feature teams from the Big Ten and ACC. Each respective conference has entered into multi-year agreements with the New York Yankees and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to have a representative school play in the game.
"We are delighted to welcome Penn State and Boston College, and their student-athletes and devoted alumni, to the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl," said Mark Holtzman, Executive Director of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. "There is no better place to experience an event than Yankee Stadium and no better place to celebrate a bowl appearance during the holiday season than New York City. We are excited to be able to share this wonderful experience with our partners in the Big Ten and ACC for years to come."
Established in 2010, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has seen increased attendance in each of its first four years of existence. In 2013, a sellout crowd of 47,122 saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish return to Yankee Stadium and defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 29-16. This year's game will be nationally televised by ESPN, which has also secured national and local radio rights for ESPN Radio.
New Era Pinstripe Bowl week will see players, coaches and university staff taking part in a variety of events in the days leading up to the game, showcasing their respective universities to the New York metropolitan area. Special events, promotions and community outreach will take place throughout New York City during the week of the bowl game to once again create an unforgettable experience for fans, families, student-athletes and staffs of the two teams.
Tickets for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl are currently on sale at www.pinstripebowl.com, the official Web site of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, and www.ticketmaster.com. For up-to-the-moment information regarding the game, fans are also encouraged to follow the New Era Pinstripe Bowl's official Twitter account - @PinstripeBowl.