Notre Dame Fighting Irish to face Rutgers in New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Aug 31, 2013; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly leads the team onto the field before the game against the Temple Owls at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have accepted a bid to play in the New Era Pinstripe bowl on December 28th. The Irish will face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers finished the season 6-6, while Notre Dame boast an 8-4 record.

Coach Brian Kelly was excited about the opportunity for his team.

“Quite simply, we are thrilled to bring our football program to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl,” Kelly said. “We were privileged to play in New York City and Yankee Stadium in 2010. The treatment our University received from the Steinbrenner family, the New York Yankees and the entire organization was unlike anything we’ve experienced in my tenure at Notre Dame.”

For the rest of coach Kelly’s press conference, click here.

The Irish had a sluggish end to their season, finishing 1-2 over their final three games. Rutgers also had a rough finish to the season, losing three of their final games before beating South Florida in the regular season closer to become bowl eligible.

As they always do, Notre Dame had multiple option on where to play their postseason bowl game. The Irish have a history of playing bowl games in the New York area where they have a very big fan base.

For Notre Dame’s Bowl Central page, click here.

The Irish were hoping for a bid to another BCS game when the season started, and it was still a possibility up until Week 11. The disappoint loss to Pitt and a slew of injuries took apart the team and dashed their BCS hopes.

We’ll have more on this game in the coming weeks.

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