How to Watch Nebraska Football in the Pinstripe Bowl vs. Boston College: Breakdown, Preview, TV Channel

The Huskers take on the Eagles in New York to finish the 2024 college football season.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule addresses the team during the Huskers' practice Monday after their flight to New York for the Pinstripe Bowl. | Nebraska Athletics

After seven insufferable seasons without a bowl game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are back in the postseason, making their long-awaited return in the form of the Pinstripe Bowl in New York, taking on Boston College in a Big Ten-ACC showdown.  

No more are Husker players back at home relaxing in the comfort of their own homes, but rather participating in two important weeks of practice to prepare for the northeast cold that is sure to meet NU in Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon.  

Having rebuilt two other college football programs, head coach Matt Rhule knows the significance of this achievement, and wants to share the accolade as shown by him and his wife, Julie, who are paying the way for nearly 20 former players to experience the bowl game in New York where Rhule enjoyed his youth. 

Pressure is still on NU to win its first bowl game in nearly a decade, but with the announced returns of key players, coaches and a current top-ten transfer class, the month of December has treated Nebraska very well considering the way the regular season came to an end against Iowa. 

Here’s all you need to know as the Huskers take the gridiron on Saturday to battle Boston College. 

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: Nebraska (6-6, 3-6 B1G) vs. Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC)
• Line: Nebraska (-2.5), 45.5 O/U (BetMGM) 
• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
• When: 11:00 a.m. CST Saturday
• TV: ABC
• Broadcast Crew: Mike Monaco (PxP), Kirk Morrison (Color) & Dawn Davenport (Sideline). 
• Radio: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates | ESPN Radio 

Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien looks on before the Eagles' game against SMU on Nov 16, 2024. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Boston College Scout

Head Coach: Bill O’Brian | 1st season at BC; 10th as HC | 22-14 College Record; 74-62 (.544) Career HC Record | 52-48 HC Record with the Houston Texans | Paul “Bear” Bryant Award (2012), Dave McClain / Hayes-Schembechler Coach OTY (2012), Maxwell Coach OTY (2012) | Previous HC at Penn State | Previous college assistant stops at Alabama, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Brown. 

2024 Record: 7-5 (4-4 ACC, T-8th)  | 1x All-Americans, Ted Hendricks Award Winner (Best DE) | ACC Defensive Player OTY, 3x First-Team All-ACC, 1x Third-Team All-ACC, 3x Honorable Mention All-ACC. 

All-Time Series: First-ever meeting. 

Bowl History: 32nd all-time bowl appearance | 15-13 all-time record in bowl games | 3rd school appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl with an 0-2 record. 

Fun Fact: This is only the second meeting in college football this season where two former NFL head coaches square off. The first game was Rhule against Greg Schiano when Nebraska took on Rutgers. 

Stat Leaders: Passing: Grayson James (80-125, 901 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT) | Rushing: Kye Robichaux (165 att., 725 yards, 10 TD) | Receiving: Lewis Bond (60 catches, 590 yards, 3 TD) | Tackles: Donovan Ezeiruaku (80) | Sacks: Donovan Ezeiruaku (16.5, Leads Nation) | TFL: Donovan Ezeiruaku (20.5) | Interceptions: Carter Davis (3) | Pass Breakups: KP Price & Amari Jackson (5) | Forced Fumbles: Donovan Ezeiruaku & Carter Davis (3) | Punting: Ivan Zivenko (37.12 AVG) | Field Goals: Liam Connor (2-3, 49 yards long) | Kickoffs: Liam Connor (59.9 yards average, 15 touchbacks). 

Key Transfer Portal Entrees / Opt Outs : Thomas Castellanos, QB (Florida State) | Sione Hala, S (Weber State) | Kahlil Ali, S (Delaware) | Jerand Bradley, WR (Kansas State) | Jalen Cheek, CB (Portal, TBD) | Montrell Wade, WR (Portal, TBD) | Llija Krajnovic, OT (Portal, TBD) | Ryan Turner, CB (Portal, TBD).

Boston College quarterback Grayson James throws the ball before a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Nov 30, 2024. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Outlook: This will be a different Nebraska team entering Saturday against Boston College. By signing new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to a two-year extension, Rhule was able to hold onto the offensive nucleus, including freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola – who had to shut down transfer portal rumors. Emmett Johnson made a brief entrance into the portal before withdrawing, which may have had an impact on 2024 leading rusher Dante Dowdell entering the portal to transfer to Kentucky. 

With the departure of defensive coordinator Tony White and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton to Florida State, it resulted in a cascade of portal entries. Mikai Gbayor (Missouri), Jimari Butler (LSU), James Williams (Florida State), Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss), Vincent Jackson (UConn) and Stefon Thompson (Florida State) all found new homes. It will be fascinating to see how new Nebraska DC John Butler gets his unit ready to play with a flurry of new starters.

Boston College defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (6) reacts after a sack against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Nov 30, 2024. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Defensively, the Huskers match up well against a Boston College offense that is more run-oriented with 176 rushing yards per contest which ranked sixth in the ACC. Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher will be counted upon in their final games as a Husker taking on BC running back Kye Robichaux who has a team-leading 725 yards on 165 carries and 10 touchdowns. However, the Eagles have made sure to establish depth in the rushing department as Treshaun Ward (406 yards), Jordan McDonald (362 yards) and Turbo Richard (271 yards) all get reps. 

The biggest storyline for Boston College’s offense is the new starter in FIU transfer quarterback Grayson James, who beat out Thomas Castellanos in the middle of the season to become the new starter. The decision ultimately led Castellanos to enter the transfer portal where he’ll be headed to Florida State to help Mike Norvell rebound after a disastrous season. Since taking over as the starter in mid-November, BC is 2-1 with James going 56-for-87 for 682 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Look for James to target junior receiver Lewis Bond who has a team-high 590 yards on the year. Graduate tight end Kamari Morales is the safety blanket for the BC offense as shown by his team-leading six touchdown catches on the year. 

The defense is led by Ted Hendricks award winner and senior defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku who leads the nation with 16.5 tackles, while also posting 20.5 TFLs, 80 tackles and three forced fumbles with all those stats leading the team. He spearheads a defensive line that has been stout against the run in 2024 allowing only 113.6 rushing yards per game which is 22nd nationally. 

BC also has a knack for creating turnovers with 23 on the year (16 INTs, 7 fumbles) which ranks 12th in the country. They also rank 20th nationally in turnover margin and are one of the least penalized teams in college football, ranking 12th in that category. 

Sophomore KP Price will be another player to watch. He is second on the Eagles with 76 tackles and is tied for first on the team with five pass breakouts and one INT. He creates a dynamic duo with redshirt freshman Carter Davis who owns the team high with three picks and ranks fourth on BC with 47 tackles while also adding four pass breakouts. 

Boston College was on pace to be one of the darling of the college football season with a 4-1 record entering October – with only a 27-21 loss at No. 6 Missouri being the only blemish. However, a 1-4 stretch erased any hopes of a magical season, but James led the Eagles to bowl eligibility with a 41-21 win over North Carolina at home before clinching a seven-win regular season with a 34-23 victory over Pittsburgh. 

There’s a lot to like in this matchup for Nebraska, and with more time given to Holgorsen to establish his system, there’s good reason for NU to be the favorite. Johnson will have to continue his run of success on the ground to support Raiola and the passing game against a top-30 rushing defense. The offensive line will have to protect their freshman QB from Ezeiruaku if they want any chance of moving the sticks. 

Defensively, NU should be fine with Robinson and and Hutmacher plugging up the middle, but the game may be decided on how well James can throw the ball against a secondary that seemed disconnected from the rest of the defense during the regular season. But with Butler now taking over the reins, it will be fascinating to see how they all come together to send home NU’s first bowl team in over a decade with a win.

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