Notre Dame, Rutgers to play in 2013 Pinstripe Bowl

The University of Notre Dame and Rutgers University have accepted invitations to play in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28.

There will be a news conference at Yankee Stadium at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday with the Pinstripe Bowl participants and officials, with further details regarding the bowl game -- expected to kick off at noon ET -- set to be provided in the near future.

"This year's Pinstripe Bowl matchup is truly special as it features two outstanding schools, in Rutgers and Notre Dame, with a great history of playing college football in Yankee Stadium," Mark Holtzman, the bowl game's executive director, said in a statement. "We are confident that each team will only add to their respective legacies in the Bronx in what I am sure will prove to be a memorable experience for all involved during this holiday season."

Notre Dame went 8-4 this season and has a combined 20-5 record over the past two years. This will be the second time the Irish have played at the current Yankee Stadium, as they defeated Army, 27-3, on Nov. 20, 2010, in the first football game played at the venue.

"We are thrilled to welcome Notre Dame and its student-athletes, alumni and devoted fan base back to New York City and Yankee Stadium to play in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl," Holtzman said. "No two organizations in the history of American sport are more closely intertwined -- with such a rich and wonderful history -- as the New York Yankees and Notre Dame."

Overall, Notre Dame has gone 16-6-3 in Yankee Stadium games. Notre Dame beat Army, 12-6, in 1928 at the original Yankee Stadium -- a game best known for coach Knute Rockne's famous "win one for the Gipper" speech.

"Quite simply, we are thrilled to bring our football program to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. "We were privileged to play in New York City and Yankee Stadium in 2010. The treatment our university received from the Steinbrenner family, the New York Yankees and the entire organization was unlike anything we've experienced in my tenure at Notre Dame."

The Scarlet Knights, who went 6-6 in the Big East this year, will be making their second Pinstripe Bowl appearance and their ninth overall bowl game appearance. Rutgers won the George M. Steinbrenner Trophy in 2011 by beating Iowa State, 27-13. This will be the school's third appearance at the new Yankee Stadium; in addition to the 2011 bowl game, Rutgers beat Army, 27-12, on Nov. 12, 2011.

Rutgers' main campus in Piscataway, N.J., is located less than 50 miles away from Yankee Stadium. The Scarlet Knights played nine times at the old Yankee Stadium, compiling a 1-7-1 record there against New York University.

"I'm so proud of this team and staff for earning this unprecedented opportunity for Rutgers University," Rutgers director of intercollegiate athletics Julie Hermann said in a statement. "The chance to compete against Notre Dame in a potentially sold-out Yankee Stadium in our own backyard is unparalleled in our history. This is a critical chance to continue our preparation as we move to the prestigious Big Ten Conference."

This year's game will be nationally televised by ESPN. Last year's Pinstripe Bowl, in which Syracuse beat West Virginia, drew a record crowd of 41,203. Before the game, participating players, coaches and university staff will take part in a variety of events around the New York metropolitan area.

Tickets for the game are on sale at pinstripebowl.com.