Nebraska gritted out a 20-15 win over Boston College in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. The Huskers opened an 18-point lead and held on to top the Eagles in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The victory clinches Nebraska’s (7-6) first winning season since 2016 and is the Huskers’ first bowl win to cap a winning season since 2013.
Senior running back Rahmir Johnson earned MVP honors, closing his Husker career only a couple miles from where he grew up. Johnson, who battled injuries throughout his six-year Husker career, had 10 carries for 60 yards and NU’s first touchdown of the game. After the game in the postgame news conference, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule revealed that Johnson not only was battling injuries throughout the season, but also dealing with the illness and subsequent death of his mother, Angela.
The game took a gritty effort throughout. A defense reshaped by departures of both players and coaches (including coordinator Tony White) stepped up and denied Boston College’s (7-6) offense from scoring the first three quarters of the game, and only allowed a touchdown when the Eagles blocked a punt, setting up a short field for BC’s offense.
It started bumpy for Nebraska. After the Huskers drove to the Boston College 26, Dylan Raiola threw an interception, giving BC the ball at their 7. Facing a 3rd and 12 from the 5, Grayson James hit Turbo Richard for a 50-yard pass to take the Eagles into NU territory. Boston College drove into the Nebraska red zone, but after a Ty Robinson sack thwarted the Eagles’ drive, Liam Conner missed a 43-yard field goal to keep the game scoreless. Nebraska took over with 6:28 to go in the first quarter at its 25 and steadily marched down the field, taking it to the BC 4. On the first play of the second quarter, Rahmir Johnson plunged into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown to give NU the lead to cap a 15-play, 75-yard drive.
The Eagles picked up two third downs on the ensuing drive and took the ball into Huskers’ territory. But after a personal-foul penalty sidetracked the drive, Boston College went for it on 4th and 14 from the NU 37. James scramble was stuffed well short of the chains, and Nebraska forced a turnover on downs. But then the Huskers gave it right back on an Emmett Johnson fumble, putting BC at the NU 36. Boston College lost two yards on the first three plays and a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, leaving the Eagles empty after the Huskers’ fumble. Nebraska took over at its 33, converted a fourth down after a hard count got the Eagles to jump offsides, then got rolling with a Raiola to Jahmal Banks pass for 18 yards, followed by a 22-yard run by Rahmir Johnson to take it to the 2. Kwinten Ives plunged into the end zone from two yards out to boost Nebraska’s lead to 13. But a bad snap on the PAT led to Max Tucker blocking the PAT, and Ashton McShane returned it 87 yards for two points for BC.
With 3:34 to go until halftime, the Eagles took over at their 20. They converted two third downs to move to the Huskers’ 39, then pushed into the Nebraska red zone. Facing 3rd and 1 at the NU 9, a James to Jeremiah Franklin pass was stopped for no gain. Then on 4th and 1, Kye Robichaux’s run was stuffed for no gain by Riley Van Poppel and MJ Sherman, forcing a turnover on downs, again. The Huskers ran out the clock to end the half to head the locker room leading 13-2.
To begin the second half, Nebraska pitched a three-and-out on BC and took over at its 40. Facing 4th and 5 at its 40, NU punter Brian Buschini executed a fake punt, passing to Isaac Gifford for an eight-yard gain to keep the drive alive. A 34-yard Emmett Johnson run took it down to the BC 9, but after three plays gained just one more yard, Nebraska tried more special teams trickery, with Buschini trying to execute a fake field goal. But Buschini ran for just one yard and Boston College took over at its seven-yard line.
The Blackshirts stepped up on the ensuing drive. On 2nd and 10 from the NU 48, the Huskers and new defensive coordinator John Butler sent a blitz. Linebacker John Bullock hammered James as he dropped back to pass, and James fumbled. Elijah Jeudy recovered to give the Huskers the ball at midfield. After picking up a first down, Raiola hit Jahmal Banks for a 20-yard gain, pushing the Huskers to the BC 20. Nebraska gained seven yards on the next three plays, and on 4th and 3 from the 13, Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a short pass, which Johnson took in for a 13-yard touchdown to push the NU advantage to 20-2 with 3:02 to go in the third quarter.
Boston College took over and inched down the field, moving 70 yards on 12 plays. On 4th and goal from the two, Nebraska’s defense stiffened again, as Ceyair Wright knocked down a James pass in the end zone to keep the Huskers up 18.
The Huskers’ grip on the game started to slip early in the fourth quarter. Nebraska picked up one first down on the ensuing drive and punted to Boston College. The Eagles got rolling early in the drive with a 21-yard pass, then got help from a pass interference penalty to move it to the NU 28. BC picked up two more first downs before scoring on a one-yard touchdown run by Richard. The two-point conversion attempt failed, but Nebraska still led 20-8 with 6:11 to go.
Nerves strained even more with the Huskers leading by 12 as NU’s ensuing drive was three-and-out. Buschini went back to punt, but his kick was blocked by Victor Nelson, Jr. Omar Thornton returned it to the NU 2, and the Eagles took immediate advantage with a two-yard TD run by Jordan McDonald. With the extra point, Boston College sliced Nebraska’s lead to 20-15 with 4:18 to go.
Considering Nebraska’s history of late losses fueled by special teams disasters, Husker heart rates picked up considerably. The Cornhuskers started their next drive at the 21-yard line. Raiola found Thomas Fidone for a 15-yard completion to start the drive. Tempers flared after Raiola slid late on a five-yard scramble and was hit late, resulting in a personal foul penalty to the BC 44. Three straight Rahmir Johnson runs chipped away nine yards. Then on 4th-and-1, Nebraska put the ball in Johnson’s hands again, and in his homecoming game, the senior running back obliged with an 11-yard run that allowed Nebraska to run out the clock and clinch the victory.
Raiola finished the game 23-for-31 for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Emmett Johnson led NU in rushing with 68 yards on 14 carries, while Rahmir Johnson added 60. Emmett also had five catches for 28 yards and a touchdown, while Fidone snagged five catches for 50 yards. Banks was the Huskers’ leading receiver by yardage with 79 yards on four catches. Javin Wright was Nebraska’s leading tackler with eight in his final game as a Husker, while Shavers was all over the field in his first game after earning a Blackshirt with six tackles including two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. In his final game as a Husker, Bullock added five tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. Robinson, who surprised some by playing despite being a likely early-round NFL pick, was a force on the Nebraska defensive line with 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
James, in just his fourth game as BC’s starting quarterback, was 26-for-41 for 301 yards. But Nebraska choked off the Eagles’ strong running game, allowing just 47 yards on 26 carries.
Nebraska will now head into the offseason and prepare for spring ball before Aug. 28th’s season opener against Cincinnati in Kansas City.