Kickoff: It’s the final game of the year for BC on Saturday when they take on a legendary Nebraska program in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The game kicks off at noon and is on ABC, providing a national television window for the Eagles to try and win the program’s eighth game in a season for the first time since 2009.
1st Down: Donovan Ezeiruaku and Ozzy Trapilo have opted out of the game as they prepare for the NFL Draft. Bill O’Brien officially announced it on Friday during a press conference along with Cornhusker’s head coach Matt Rhule. Ezeiruaku is a consensus All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. There’s a chance he’s at least a second round draft pick as things stand right now and a strong showing in the All Star games and Reese’s Senior Bowl could elevate him even more. Ozzy is a big time tackle prospect and with his size and experience, could be a huge addition to an NFL O-line room this spring. BC will need to find ways to protect Grayson James without one of the team’s best blockers and maybe more, as O’Brien wouldn’t reveal any other guys that might be sitting out. However, Drew Kendall did just accept an East-West Shrine Bowl invite, so his name has popped up as well. As for the defense, replacing Ezeiruaku’s 16.5-sack season in one day will be impossible, but it’ll give younger guys a chance to flash on a big stage.
2nd Down: Protecting the football will be crucial in this one. Forecast is raw, wet and therefore probably sluggish on a grass field. Turnover battle will obviously be critical, but even more so if conditions are bad. It seems like most of the terrible stuff will be gone before the game, but with a young defense (especially in the back end) and Nebraska having some legitimate wide receivers, you can’t give them extra possessions. We’ve seen how good BC can be when they take care of the ball and play straight up, but if they’re chasing the Cornhuskers because of a few sloppy fumbles or picks, it could be an ugly afternoon.
3rd Down: Grayson James will have to outdoes Dylan Raiola. With Ozzy being out and Raiola posing problems on the other side – especially with his legs – Grayson may need to put the team on his shoulders late. Now, the running game obviously makes his life easier, but if this one turns into a shootout and Grayson doesn’t get a ton of protection, he might have to show that underrated mobility and make some throws on the run. This won’t be the ultimate determining factor as to whether or not he’s QB1 next year (I think it’s his job to lose over Lonergan), but a stellar perfomrance that ends with win No. 8 could go a long way in cementing his place with this team for 2025.
4th Down: Speaking of the running game, it should be a three yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type of game for the Eagles while letting James do his thing with play action. Kye, Turbo, Datrell, someone I didn’t even know who was on the roster. I don’t care who it is, but this should be a heavy, heavy rushing attack for BC. Nebraska’s offense only averages 23.8 points per game, so if you can not only kill clock, but also put 7’s up, it might be tough for Nebraska to hang around. This should be a Kye breakout game of sorts. Not that we don’t know what he’s capable of, but I’m talking like 150+ yards on 25 carries with 2 touchdowns type of day. If not him, then that type of stat line combined for a couple guys. Let Grayson cook off play action, but BC should be pounding it down Nebraska’s throat for 2-3 hours.
Extra Point: I hate to do this, but I’ve done it all year, so I might as well do it one more time. Special teams will eventually become a major factor. I’ve thought all year long that BC attempting just TWO field goals (mind boggling even typing that) would eventually hurt them, and with the weather being what it’s supposed to be tomorrow, I feel like the kicking game has to eventually play a part in one of these games. BC has somehow avoided any truly catastrophic endings with the kicking game, but maybe, just maybe, it finally does them in tomorrow. I hope I’m wrong, but there’s just no way a team can go through an entire season without the kicker having some big moment where everything is on his shoulders.
Final Drive: This is massive for both teams. Nebraska is looking for its first bowl win since 2015 while BC is looking for eight wins in a season for the first time since 2009. This won’t make or break either program, but it can certainly be a huge spring board into the 2025 offseason.
Prediction: BC 34, Nebraska 28 (OT) – I think we get a slow start, a fun second quarter, a slow third quarter and a fantastic finish leading into a Grayson James game-winning drive to start OT. Defense gets a stop and the Eagles celebrate in the house that Jeter built and we’re talking about eight wins for the first time since Kevin Garnett and Randy Moss were still playing here.