The ISU football team is headed to New York City as participants in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Bowl officials announced Sunday night that the Cyclones will face off against Rutgers on Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium. Coach Paul Rhoads said he and his team are excited about the opportunity.

“[We’re] thrilled to be going to the Pinstripe Bowl, thrilled to be going to New York City,” Rhoads said. “It’s going to be an excellent bowl trip for our football team.”

Players who spoke with the media Sunday night said they’d never been to New York and are as excited to experience the city as they are play in the game.

“There’s a lot of things that I wanna see when I’m there,” said senior left tackle Kelechi Osemele. “It’s gonna be tight to see the Big Apple.”

Rhoads said he anticipates his players being well-prepared to handle the weather conditions, which figure to be cold.

Linebacker Jake Knott said on Sunday night that in the end, it really doesn’t matter to the players.

“I think we look forward to any type of weather games,” Knott said. “I think we even play better in the cold. I think it plays to our strengths. The colder, the better for us.”

Being in New York during the various New Year’s activities, there are bound to be plenty of distractions. Senior Ter’Ran Benton said he’s excited about seeing the city, but knows he and his teammates have to stay focused.

“Well, it’s New York, you know. It’s gonna be fun,” Benton said. “We’ve just got to stay focused because I know there will be a lot of distractions.”

Rhoads echoed his players’ sentiments about remaining focused, but wants his team to have a trip it will remember.

“The most important thing to me is that the kids have an experience to remember,” Rhoads said. “At the same time, they’ll remained focused and take care of the preparation to win the football game.”