It should be a strong turnout on Thursday for Rutgers football in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. In fact, there is some buzz among the team that the game against Miami at Yankee Stadium will look and feel like a Rutgers home game.
This is the first time that Rutgers has outright been bowl-eligible since 2014, giving a certain sense of anticipation for this game. The return to bowl eligibility after a 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten) season is no small accomplishment for a rebuilding team.
Especially considering they played the second-toughest schedule in the nation.
With the Pinstripe Bowl (Bronx, New York) being the closest bowl game geographically, there should be a certain advantage for Rutgers in this game. Scarlet Knights fans won’t have to travel far for this game.
It is roughly an hour drive from SHI Stadium to Yankee Stadium, and with much of the Rutgers football fanbase in north Jersey, that trip could be even less. Trips on NJ Transit and the PATH offer fans mass transportation options if they don’t want to drive.
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All of which means that there are really no excuses for Rutgers fans to not turn out for what is essentially an eighth home game this season.
“I think it’s just overall excitement. I think it’s going to be a big and great turnout for a lot of ‘Rutgers Nation’ to come out, and it’s going to be like a home game,” running back Kyle Monangai said last week during a press conference for the Pinstripe Bowl.
“It’s real close for us, and hopefully — I think we’re the away team, but it’s going to feel like a home game for us, definitely.”
Even though it is a baseball stadium, there is a certain allure in playing at Yankee Stadium. Arguably the most high-profile sporting venue in New York City, the stadium has a long history of college and professional football dating back to the original venue (which was finished in 1923).
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Defensive tackle Mayan Ahanotu said that he is looking forward to the whole experience of playing in New York City, especially during the holidays.
“That’s awesome. It’s definitely going to be a thrill just being able to be there around Christmastime and all the New York lights and everything like that,” Ahanotu said.
“It’s going to be a really fun time.”