Boston College's football team will face Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Sunday, January 9th at 9 p.m. EST, a press release from Boston College confirmed.
"We are certainly looking forward to returning to San Francisco for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl," Eagles head coach Frank Spaziani said. "Nevada is a great program with a Hall of Fame coach and this will be a tough challenge for our young football team. This is a fitting reward for our team, which fought its way through adversity to win five straight games at the end of the season."
Boston College finished the regular season at 7-5 and has won its last five games. The Eagles won their first two games of the season before losing five in a row, only to rebound with five straight wins.
Nevada has only lost one game and has won six straight, finishing the 2010 season at 12-1. Their quarterback, Colin Kaepernick is the only player in college football history to pass for over 9,000 yards (9,906 career passing yards) and rush for more than 4,000 yards (4,090 career rushing yards).
Kaepernick has rushed for 59 career touchdowns, tying him with Nebraska Heisman Trophy recipient Eric Crouch for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the history of a sport.
For the season, the Wolf Pack have set school records in touchdowns (75) and points (554).
"We are really excited to be in a bowl game so close to home, and I know our fans are going to support us" said Nevada head coach Chris Ault. "The team is excited and looking forward to a great experience. We know Boston College is an outstanding football team and one with tremendous tradition. We are pleased to have the opportunity to play against them in this great bowl game."
Officials from the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl are happy to have both teams as well.
"We are excited to bring Boston College back to San Francisco," said Gary Cavalli, founder and executive director of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. "They're a first-class organization in every respect."
With the selection, Boston College is heading to a bowl for the 12th consecutive year. This marks the third time the Eagles have been invited to the San Francisco for a bowl game. Boston College defeated Colorado State in 2003 and lost to USC in the Emerald Bowl last season.
"BC's outstanding defensive unit, coupled with Nevada's record-setting offense, will make for a very interesting and strategic matchup," Cavalli said. "We're proud to feature one of the most explosive players in the country, Nevada quarterback Colin Kapernick, and one of the top defensive players, BC linebacker Luke Kuechly."
The Eagles' defense was the best in the nation against the run, allowing 962 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns this season. In addition, Boston College's defense ranked first in the ACC after allowing 310 yards per game in 12 regular season games.
Kuechly has had his share of bowl success, being named the most outstanding player of the 2009 Emerald Bowl. He leads the nation with 171 tackles (102 solo), which is 42 more than anyone else.
This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Wolf Pack, who play in the WAC. Nevada claimed a share of the WAC title for the first time since 2005. Boston College has an all-time record of 2-1 against teams from the WAC.
Boston College defeated Boise State 27-21 in the MPC Computers Bowl in 2005, marking the last time the Eagles squared off with a WAC team.
The first-ever Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which is raising money and awareness about the issue of hunger in the United States, is the second last bowl game to be played in the holiday bowl season. The game will be televised on ESPN