Yankee Stadium field conditions for Pinstripe Bowl between Nebraska, Boston College result in massive criticism

First, it was Fenway Park and the Fenway Bowl. Now, Yankee Stadium and the Pinstripe Bowl are the latest victims of postseason criticism regarding field conditions.

This year’s edition featured Nebraska and Boston College, two fine football teams. The field and playing conditions? Not so fine.

With rain, patches of grass flying up, cold weather, and yes, football being played in a baseball stadium, criticism was aplenty on social media.

Here’s a closer look at the field conditions today at the Pinstripe Bowl.

Field crew was out all morning trying to remove standing water but the rain keeps coming down less than 20 minutes before kickoff. pic.twitter.com/THTBoPFBHs

— Nick Sehnert (@nick_sehnert) December 28, 2024

The Pinstripe Bowl routinely has these problems it seems. The complaints started compounding during the first half, a 13-2 lead for Nebraska nearing the end of the second quarter.

Ah yes nothing has changed on the 10 year anniversary of destroying my calves and a pair of boots filming & covering the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.

Sprinted to chase Sam Ficken across the field & dugout after his walk-off kick to win. Good memory & story. Couldn’t walk the next day. https://t.co/NJOZAyxX7I

— Ashley Chase (@AshleyChaseTV) December 28, 2024

Even alumni of the Pinstripe Bowl were seemingly triggered by the conditions of this game. Good luck having any positive vibes going into the 2025 version.

The Pinstripe Bowl is always so funny to me. On top of being played in a baseball stadium, it is always met with horrible weather, grass that looks beat to hell and each year everyone in the stands looks like it's the coldest they have ever been.

— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) December 28, 2024

Looking miserable at the Pinstripe Bowl? Yeah that’s par for the course it seems.

However, the game was a big one for Nebraska and head coach Matt Rhule. The Huskers broke a postseason drought by getting to the Pinstripe Bowl.

Rhule admitted that there was a sense of relief that came with getting to bowl eligibility.

“Yes. 100 percent,” Rhule said in November. “100 percent, and again it’s relief in that I’ve got the benefit of doing this twice before, and I think I said to you even when I made the change with Dana [Holgorsen], I look at the weight room, I look at the training room, I look at sports science, I look at sports psychology, I look at the player development, I look at the recruiting, I look at all the things we’re doing and believe it’s all right and it’s all going to pay off in a big way. 

“It’s just, I look at the players and they’re coming in every day, and then it’s a close loss, it’s a close loss. Will this work? Will this work?”

It was a longtime coming and the Pinstripe Bowl could just be the beginning.

“I would’ve liked to have gotten our sixth win a long time ago, but there’s something really important to us about playing Wisconsin,” Rhuel said at the time. “To be quite honest with you, we sat there and we watched the Wisconsin game. It looked like it wasn’t gonna work out where I was gonna be the head coach, just couldn’t make things work. I remember watching that game and watching Wisconsin just kind of beat us up on the line of scrimmage and pull away at the end of the game. 

“Then, soon thereafter Trev [Alberts] and I were able to work some things out before the Iowa game. So, to come full tilt two years later, to be able to run the football in the game, to be able to stop the run, yeah, I’m proud of them.”