On December 28, 2013 the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in front of a record crowd of 47,122 spectators.  Notre Dame came out on top with a final score of 29-16.

        During the first half, Notre Dame was having a lot of trouble in both their ground game and the red-zone, but they went into halftime tied at 13. Going into the third quarter, the Fighting Irish came out of the locker rooms fired up and ready to go. However, Rutgers came out more laid back; this changed the whole course of the game. The Fighting Irish gelled together as an offense, including their offensive line, which did not allow any sacks in the final 30 minutes.

        The most interesting statistic about this game was Notre Dame’s 175 rushing yards compared to Rutgers’ 75.

       Joining two-time winner Syracuse (2010 and 2012), and one-time winner Rutgers (2011), Notre Dame has become the third different school to lift the George M. Steinbrenner III Championship Trophy. The Pinstripe Bowl, beginning in 2014, will feature a Big Ten team against an Atlantic Coast Conference Team. This allows Syracuse, now a member of the ACC, and Rutgers, based on their impending move to the Big Ten, the opportunity to come back to Yankee Stadium and play for their third and second titles.