The Tailgate: Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Nebraska

Few things still tug at my sports heartstrings like walking into certain stadiums. As someone who began a career in sports media over 25 years ago, I realized pretty quickly that my meager playing achievements couldn't provide opportunities to throw balls and strikes in the giant cathedrals, nor would I swim laps with the world's best athletes at a quadrennial Olympiad. I instead had to quench that thirst elsewhere, so walking onto a particular field fueled my emotional compass to the areas of sports built around their history books. I looked at walls and saw history, and the biggest part of every event, especially growing up in Massachusetts, linked me to the past experiences of my older brothers, my father and my grandfather.

Despite that, I can point specifically to the 2023 ALS Awareness Game as a personal memory unmatched by the different areas of my sports-watching life. Initially the second-to-last game of Boston College baseball's regular season, it wound up as the weekend finale after weather forecasts pushed the Sunday game back by a day.

More specifically, it converted the ALS game into a day-night doubleheader across two stadiums, and because of Fenway Park's rigid schedule, the experience of celebrating Pete Frates ultimately transformed into the final game of the regular season. Fans who expected to fill bars and restaurants along Landsdowne Street and Kenmore Square received a gift with the afternoon game at the Harrington Athletics Village, and I found myself fulfilling a dream when I provided color analysis during the ACC Network Extra broadcast.

Highlights already oozed from every corner of the college baseball scene by the time the nightcap culminated on the Fenway lawn. As someone who grew up in the Cape Cod Baseball League, transitioning from Brighton to Boston felt like a bus ride through my own childhood, and watching John West spin an absolute gem on a night geared towards battling the same insidious disease that claimed his own father upstaged so many different experiences in different stadia and arenas. The raw emotion that flowed afterwards left everyone lingering on the field, and the tears intensified after realizing what it meant beyond an important baseball game against Notre Dame.

"[The ALS Awareness Game] is a special day," said West after his performance, "and we knew that, coming in. [My coach] grabbed me pregame and said, 'Look, I know how much this night means to you, so soak it in during the pregame and postgame. When that light comes on, I know you're going to get the job done.' It was an emotional day, but I was just [glad] I could get the job done."

West overshadowed every other storyline, which is saying something because first baseman Joe Vetrano blasted two homers into the Boston skyline during the Fenway Park game. A burly left-hander, the eventual fifth round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers was in the middle of a legendary college campaign, and every swing of his bat threatened to clear fencing, but the Bronx native looked like a comic book "New York baseball" character. He grew up worshipping Derek Jeter and stepped to the plate with Frank Sinatra crooning "New York, New York,' and even the most cold-hearted Red Sox fan (guilty as charged) found it ironic and humorous to hear the victory song of countless New York championship runs blast thru the speakers at Fenway Park.

It all but stated the confidence of a New York deeply proud of his Yankee Stadium roots, and it rang in my ears during this week's run-up to Saturday's Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl because Boston College is a program rooted within that northeast setting. Its alumni base boasts thousands of New Yorkers while it represents a city known for its rivalry with every team playing in the tri-state area. Maybe it's just me, but the idea of showing up on Saturday with the opening guitar riff from "Dirty Water" would make anyone from Flushing to Manhattan ironically enjoy the atmosphere.

I grew up in Boston and truly love my professional sports franchises, but that part of me understands the history and significance behind Yankee Stadium. I still lovingly talk about Vetrano's bombs at Fenway Park because his New York caricature belonged to that moment. On Saturday, the city that never sleeps gets to drop its r's and don a scally cap while the bagpipes play for Boston.

All of that said, the road to victory is plenty difficult. Here's what's on tap when BC and Nebraska clash in the Bronx:

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Game Storylines (Die Hard Edition)

John McClane: Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.

The headlines surrounding Saturday's game centered largely on the dueling headlines between each program's individual accomplishments, but BC's quest to win eight games against Nebraska's first bowl appearance since 2016 melted away this week as the head-to-head matchup in the trenches became increasingly apparent. Without knowing necessarily which players intend to suit up for the bowl game, the true top story pits the dynamic BC defense against a resurgent Nebraska offense ranked among the nation's elite storyboards. Attention particularly fell on how the Eagles could potentially scheme a defense against quarterback Dylan Raiola, a true freshman who produced 2,600 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first year within the Husker offense.

"Their offense obviously starts with Raiola," said BC head coach Bill O'Brien. "He's really good. He has a lot of Mahomes-type qualities. I'm not saying he's Patrick Mahomes, but he's very, very good. He's an instinctive player [and] can run."

Rumors initially swirled about Raiola's intention to enter into the transfer portal ahead of the bowl game, but he ended those rumors by confirming his status with the Cornhuskers during pre-bowl media availability. A former five-star prospect, he starred in Matt Rhule's offense despite never hitting 300 yards in any particular game, and removing his three worst games across consecutive weeks against Rutgers, Indiana and Ohio State leaves him with 12 touchdowns to three picks across the rest of the season.

That's not to say he was a rock star at the end of the season, but his 5-1 start included a 28-10 win over Colorado during which he completed 77 percent of his throws. He later hit 70 percent against both Southern California and Wisconsin with the latter game clinching bowl eligibility in a 44-25 blowout win over the Badgers.

"They've got a very big offensive line," said O'Brien. They've got good tight ends, good wide receivers, so it'll be a big challenge for us, but again, we're very excited about the opportunity to be able to go play these guys."

Tony: You won't hurt me.
John McClane: Oh yeah? Why not?
Tony: You're a policeman. There are rules for policemen.
John McClane: Yeah. That's what my captain keeps telling me.

Stopping Raiola requires a deep understanding of when he's most effective as a passer. He doesn't usually run for positive yardage, but his ability to scramble and use vision to complete passes hurts opposing defenses more frequently in the middle periods of the first half. In 12 games this year, just under half of his yards occurred in the second quarter opposite a 7:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and it's the one quarter where he's completed 300 more yardage than the first or third period.

None of that points to a struggle, but beating Nebraska requires a defense to drag the outcome into the fourth quarter. Raiola threw one fourth quarter touchdown this year when he connected with Janiran Bonner on a goal-line score against Illinois, but even that was on the first play of the entire quarter.

Like any freshman still developing a feel for the college game, he's been at his worst in the fourth quarter and situationally struggled when Nebraska faced larger deficits. His 68 percent completion rate with five touchdowns to two picks while leading is modestly better than the two percent completion drop with four scores and six picks when trailing, but that little bit of a percentage is the difference in one or two missed throws, which combined with his fourth quarter struggles illustrates how to analytically beat the Huskers.

"We've played some really talented quarterbacks this year," said defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. "I don't know that he's overly different, but I do think that he's very talented. We've played guys that can throw it. We've played guys that can run it. We've played small guys. We've played big guys. He can throw it with touch, he can pass, he can drop bombs on you. He's mobile enough, and he's not the slowest cat. He can pull it down and move, and he buys time with feet."

Hans Gruber: But you have me at a loss. You know my name but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne? Rambo? Marshal Dillon?
John McClane: Was always kinda partial to Roy Rogers actually. I really like those sequined shirts.
Hans Gruber: Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?
John McClane: Yippie-ki-yay…

Solving the BC defense, meanwhile, is significantly more difficult because the Eagles don't carry gaping situational weaknesses. Opposing quarterbacks threw more interceptions in the middle quarters, but the Eagles knew how to compensate for any perceived holes in their defensive scheme. Opposing quarterbacks threw 11 picks in the second and third despite reaching 1,000 yards in the second quarter and 713 yards in the third quarter, and the Eagles came away with nine different interceptions on the wrong side of the 50-yard line despite surrendering 13 red zone touchdowns.

"It's going to be a physical game," said defensive back KP Price. "We know that for sure. We're going to come with big boy pants, they're going to come with their big boy pants, and that's what we need to be prepared for. Prepare for mostly physicality, and then the rest will take care of itself. We need to set the tone and step up to our standard."

BC finished its season with five different starting lineups in its last five games, but Lewis is particularly suited to stop Raiola after lead running back Dante Dowdell announced his intention to transfer to Kentucky. Backup running back Emmett Johnson is incredibly capable, but Dowdell's three touchdowns against Wisconsin really paved a road to the bowl game. BC, meanwhile, held backs to a full yard less in the second half than what was allowed in the first half while subsequently smashing through offenses to hold running backs to an average of two yards less per carry whenever the Eagles had the lead versus when they trailed.

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Question Box

What plans exist for players with post-bowl or transfer portal plans?

This sounds way worse than intended, but I don't overly care about the transfer portal or which players opt out of playing in any particular game. The decision to play in a bowl game is intensely personal for some of these players, and the internal conversations between coaches and players transcend anything that's ever publicly reported. Thousands of players enter the portal annually, and it's more commonplace for players to appear on two or three programs across a four-year span.

As for players heading to the professional ranks, the decision to play in a bowl game is entirely too similar. None of it implies that they're worse teammates for not appearing in the game, and everyone always carries their own individual reason for their own decision. I'm particularly old fashioned at times, but while we're in the transfer portal and NIL eras, arguing over whether a player made the right decision to leave or head to the portal overlooks conversations that nobody sees.

Where is Dan getting a proper bagel on Saturday morning?

Alright, here we go. The most important conversation of the week, and I don't have an answer. I started researching New York bagel shops and delis as soon as the bowl game was announced, and there's a legitimate chance that I'm heading to Katz's Deli in the East Village before I drive up to the Bronx. I may also stop at the Second Avenue Deli over by E 33rd St., about 10 blocks down from Grand Central Station. I'm a little traffic dependent because I'll need to take FDR Drive for virtually its entire span, but let's face it: this is my Super Bowl.

Also pizza. That's another conversation for another day.

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Meteorology 101

I don't remember the last "white Christmas" in New England, but my kids enjoyed Santa's weekend surprise around the Massachusetts and greater New England region. We barely received a couple of inches in my hometown - the coastal storm was worse in areas away from Metrowest - but it was enough for them to enjoy a layer of the good stuff before Saturday and Sunday devolved into a deep freeze. As the weekend ended, Christmas Eve flurries brought word of a better forecast for the weekend, and a healthy optimism seemingly lifted the mist from the recent bowl history of Boston College's disenchanted bowl record book when forecasts showed 50 degree weather and partly cloudy skies.

All of that wavered this week, but low precipitation percentages is significantly better than the foggy washout from last year's game or the lightning delay of 2019. Anything's better than the 2018 cancellation or the frigid and freezing cold from 2017's Pinstripe Bowl.

For reference, BC hasn't played in decent conditions since the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl was inside Ford Field in Detroit. At least the dome didn't leak…it's not an Islanders game, after all*

*If you know, you know. Shoutout the old Coliseum.

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BC-Nebraska X Factor

Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the varsity swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode. -Dean Vernon Wormer, "Animal House"

Yankee Stadium was built to accommodate non-baseball events, but playing football within a baseball stadium still required a bit of dimensional creativity that practicing teams can't replicate. Moving from home plate to center field, for example, is a little different from the majority of multipurpose stadiums that place football fields across the infield, and the wide berths on either side of the sideline creates enough space to isolate teams from the grandstand sections along either foul line. It's a considerably different setup from NYCFC matches, which stretch from left field to the first base dugout.

Playing on natural grass, meanwhile, turns a spotlight on how conditions impact the playing surface, though the forecast likely means that's not an issue on Saturday.

"I like grass more," said wide receiver Lewis Bond. "It's easier on the knees when you're cutting and changing direction. It's just another opportunity to showcase my talent and showcase the team's talent on national television. This is a good chance to show the world what BC football is [all about], and it's good to have this opportunity at the end of the year."

I'm not sure how, but I have a feeling that something weird is going to happen on the field on Saturday. In each of the past two appearances in the Pinstripe Bowl, Boston College encountered strange doings en route to its loss. The frozen tundra from 2017 was one thing, but a missed extra point against Penn State cost BC the 2014 edition of the game. To me, that's some voodoo that only happens at a place where there's some aura.

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Dan's Non-Football Observation of the Week

I debated discussing something holiday-related, but then three keys on my laptop broke and caused me to creatively type the numbers for eight, nine and zero into each of my emails on my work days during this week.
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Let me explain a little bit. I've worked from home since before COVID, so my desk easily converts a laptop computer into a dual-monitor dock with speakers, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, and an external microphone. It's taken a few years, but it's a one-part workstation and one-part recording studio. I also can't use it if my kids are home because they don't let me sit at the desk without grabbing or yelling at me to play or something.

My kids have been home all week, so getting work done required me to stand at a counter or sit in the garage that's become a bit infamous on Zoom press conferences and podcast recording. When that happens, I don't have the docking station, which is ordinarily fine, but I broke the eight, nine and zero keys on my laptop at some point over the last week. I have no idea when or how it happened, but none of them work.

So let's recap and summarize how I worked this week: I couldn't use the desk while my kids were awake. I couldn't use three number keys while they were awake, and the three numbers - for a football writer using statistics - were incrementally important. Try living without the number zero. I'm better suited to use speech recognition software while my Boston accent is leaking out.

We got through it, but a new keyboard is due to arrive at my house during the day on Friday. If it doesn't, I'm going into this bowl game without three working keys on my laptop. I won't replace the laptop because I'm stubborn. This is the dance of a desperate man in his last football game of the year.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one. -Dolly Parton

New York City is an incredible place with an incredible sports legacy, and this bowl game is right in Boston College's wheelhouse. For years, the Eagles faced the unfortunate argument that the program couldn't win eight games. A win on Saturday negates that conversation and quiets doubters in the first year of Bill O'Brien's tenure in Chestnut Hill.

Nebraska, meanwhile, is in its first postseason game in eight years. The Huskers were once national championship contenders and were one of college football's fallen angels since joining the Big Ten. Matt Rhule has a reputation for changing the fortunes of programs seeking their next venture.

It's the best possible matchup for Broadway's biggest stage.

Boston College and Nebraska kick off on Saturday at 12 p.m. from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Television coverage is set for national television on ABC with local clearances in Massachusetts and New England set for MyTV38 and WMUR Channel 9 in New Hampshire, with Mike Monaco handling play-by-play duties and former Oakland Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison on analyst assignment. Dawn Davenport, the first full-time female sports radio personality in the Nashville market, is on the sidelines.

The Tailgate: Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Nebraska

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Players Mentioned

Lewis Bond

KP Price