By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

FENWAY BOWL SITE

https://www.mlb.com/redsox/fenway-bowl

GAME NOTES

https://bceagles.com/documents/2023/12/15/Game13_SMU_Notes_v2.pdf

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College football team has accepted an invitation to the 2023 Wasabi Fenway Bowl. The Eagles face SMU on Thursday, Dec. 28 at Fenway Park in Boston. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and kicks off at 11 a.m.

This marks BC’s first appearance in the Fenway Bowl, which was set to begin in 2020, but is hosting just its second game after twice being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Eagles are 6-6 and bowl eligible for the third time in four years under head coach Jeff Hafley and bowl eligible for the seventh time in eight seasons. BC rallied from 1-3 to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017. The Eagles were last bowl eligible in 2021, but did not play in the Military Bowl due to Covid-19 protocols.

“We’re excited to be staying close to home for our students and fans to get one more chance to see us play,” stated Hafley. “Boston is a great sports town, one that we’re proud to be a part of every day and now we get to be a part of the growing tradition of postseason football in New England. And for our team, we get a chance to play on a field in our own backyard that few get the opportunity to and will do so competing against one of the top teams in the country and a future conference rival.”
Boston College is 14-13 all-time in bowl games and last played in a bowl game at the Ticketsmarter Birmingham Bowl at the conclusion of the 2019 season; a loss to No. 21 Cincinnati. All-time, the Eagles are 14-13 in bowl games.

SMU enters bowl season at 11-2 overall and the American Athletic Conference Champions after a road win at Tulane. The Mustangs ranks No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Beginning in 2024, SMU, along with California and Stanford, will join BC in the ACC. The Eagles and Mustangs will meet four times as conference opponents beginning in 2024 with a game in Dallas. The only previous meeting between the two programs was a 31-29 SMU win in Dallas in 1986.

Boston College called Fenway Park its home field for the majority of 21 seasons from 1936-45 and again 1953-56. BC last played at Fenway Park in 2017 as the road team against Connecticut; a 39-16 win. The Eagles first appearance back at Fenway since Alumni Stadium was dedicated in 1957 was a 19-16 neutral site defeat to Notre Dame in 2015.

BC’s first game at Fenway Park was a 28-6 win over Norwich University on Halloween in 1914. The Eagles went 6-0 at Fenway in its undefeated 1940 season, including a win by No. 4 BC over Holy Cross in front of a capacity crowd to send the Eagles to the Sugar Bowl. Two years later, BC played all nine regular season games at Fenway; posting an 8-1 mark en route to an Orange Bowl appearance. In 76 games played at Fenway Park, the Eagles are 55-16-5.

COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS