Boston College to Play Vanderbilt University in the Eleventh Annual Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
Vanderbilt Making First Bowl Appearance Since 1982
NASHVILLE, Tenn., (Dec. 7, 2008) – Representatives of the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl announced today Boston College will represent the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the eleventh annual Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and face off against the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) Vanderbilt University. Kick-off will be Wed., Dec. 31, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. CST at LP Field in Nashville. The game will be televised live on ESPN. Ticket prices for the Bowl begin at $15 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 615-255-9600 or by visiting MusicCityBowl.com. Vanderbilt fans may also contact the Vanderbilt Box Office by calling 615-322-GOLD (4653).
Aubrey Harwell, Bowl chairman, is excited to welcome these two teams to Nashville. “The Bowl is very excited about hosting two outstanding universities in our community around the New Year’s holiday,” said Harwell. “Not only do we anticipate the great match-up on the field, but we also welcome the opportunity to share this historic milestone with Vanderbilt. We welcome back Boston College as the Atlantic Division champions of the ACC and look forward to renewing that relationship.”
The Boston College Eagles are making their second postseason appearance in Nashville. With a commanding defense, the Eagles lead the ACC in rushing defense and rank second in scoring defense in winning the Atlantic Division for the second straight year. They participated in the Bowl in 2001 as a member of the Big East Conference and currently own the nation’s longest bowl winning streak at nine in a row.
“Our team is looking forward to playing Vanderbilt in this year’s Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl,” said Gene DeFilippo, Boston College’s director of athletics. “We had a fantastic experience the last time we visited Nashville, in 2001, capped off by an exciting win over a very good Georgia team. We are excited to play in our tenth consecutive bowl game and hope to extend the nation’s longest bowl game winning streak to nine in a row on Dec. 31.”
Playing in their own backyard, the Vanderbilt Commodores are competing in their first bowl game since 1982. DJ Moore leads the squad and is second in the SEC in interceptions. The Commodores completed their regular season ranked third in the SEC East, a first for the program.
“On behalf of the entire Commodore Nation, its players and coaches, its Board of Trust, students, staff, faculty, alumni and fans, I am delighted to accept the invitation to play in the 2008 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl on New Year's Eve,” said David Williams II, vice chancellor for university affairs and athletics. “As a member of the Vanderbilt and Nashville families I am thrilled that our football team will be able to play here at LP Field so that so many of our loyal fans will have the opportunity to see Vanderbilt's return to bowl play.”
“I know Coach Johnson and his staff as well as all of our student athletes are excited to represent this fine university and great city in one of America's great bowl games. I would like to congratulate Bobby, the coaching staff and all the players for returning Vanderbilt to postseason play and thank the members of the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl board and selection committee for honoring us by selecting our team. We are honored to play and represent the SEC in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl on Dec. 31,” Williams added.
Colin Reed, chairman and chief executive officer of Gaylord Entertainment Company, is looking forward to this match-up.
"We look forward to hosting Boston College and Vanderbilt as representatives of the ACC and SEC during this year's Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl," said Reed. "We are proud to host what has become a wonderful Nashville tradition and contributing positively to Music City's tourism industry.”
Now in its eleventh year, the 2008 Bowl matches teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), representing the third year the two conferences have competed in Nashville. The 2007 Bowl game between Kentucky and Florida State marked the second sellout in the Bowl’s history at LP Field and averaged more than five million total viewers on ESPN. It had the ninth highest attendance (68,661) of all 32 bowl games, with only two non-Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games having more fans in attendance.
SPECIAL NOTE TO FANS:
For fans attending the game, please visit MusicCityBowl.com to purchase game day parking. Several parking options are available, but for those wishing to park in a stadium parking lot at LP Field, those passes must be pre-purchased. No parking passes at LP Field will be available to purchase on game day.
About the Bowl
The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (501 c-3 not-for-profit) is an annual post-season collegiate bowl featuring the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conferences. This year’s game will be played on Dec. 31, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. CST at LP Field. Televised nationally to millions of viewers and listeners on ESPN and Nevada Sports Radio Network, the Bowl is Nashville’s Holiday Tradition. For more information, call the Bowl office at 615-743-3130 or visit the Bowl online at MusicCityBowl.com.
Boston College Media Contact:
For quotes or to arrange interviews, please contact Chris Cameron at 617-438-5896 orcameroch@bc.edu.
Vanderbilt University Media Contact:
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