BC, Iowa fond of Big Apple appeal
Boston fans can be at home in Yankee Stadium. For a little bit, at least.
Yankees president Randy Levine put aside his baseball partisanship with his ancient rivals and made a concerted pitch to welcome Red Sox fans to visit the Bronx to watch Boston College (7-5) when it plays Iowa (7-5) at Yankee Stadium in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27.
“Even for these few weeks, we like Red Sox fans to come down during this event,” Levine said yesterday as the teams got acclimated with the bowl site.
“BC is a great university,” he added, “and we encourage everyone to come down.”
Visiting the House that Jeter Built will cap a rare doubleheader by BC. They will have played in the homes of both the Yankees and Red Sox in the same season. The Eagles beat UConn, 39-16, on Nov.18 at Fenway Park.
This is Iowa’s first trip to the Pinstripe Bowl, and the first football game between BC and Iowa.
“We know what a great opponent Iowa is,” BC coach Steve Addazio said. “We are honored to be in this game with them, and I think this game has the chance to pit two teams that pride themselves on being tough and physical and the ability to run the football.
Close to home
Addazio made no secret about how he wanted BC to land in the New York bowl game, which is right in the middle of the school’s recruiting territory and close to a bevy of Eagles alumni.
It’s a return trip for BC, too, after losing the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl to Penn State.
For Iowa, the setting will be new, however.
“Most of the kids on our team are from the Midwest, so this is a totally different thing for them,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
But the Hawkeyes are powered by junior tailback Akrum Wadley, who is from Newark, N.J. He has rushed for 1,021 yards on 230 carries (4.4 yards per rush) with nine touchdowns.
“Akrum is our marquee player from this area, and he is really excited, and he’s had about 120 ticket requests,” Ferentz said.
BC’s ground attack is led by dynamic freshman tailback AJ Dillon, who recently was named an All-ACC first-team all-star and ACC Rookie of the Year. Dillon rushed for a BC freshman record 1,432 yards, the second-most by a first-year player in ACC history.
Addazio anticipates a hard-nosed matchup when the Eagles face off against their Big Ten opponents.
“These two teams will clash on that field,” he said. “These are tough, hardfought contests, and I think it is great for northeast football and a great stage for that.”
Growing family
Addazio was joined by associate athletic director Vaughn Williams, who made the trip in place of AD Martin Jarmond. Jarmond and his wife, Dr. Jessica Jarmond, welcomed their second child into the world on Monday night. Iowa was represented by Ferentz and AD Gary Barta . . . .
Levine, Yankees CEO Lonn Trost, Pinstripe Bowl executive director Mark Holtzman and Bill Adams, the vice president of special events at New Era, which sponsors the bowl, were on hand to formally welcome the delegates from BC and Iowa.