1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	8–3
Head coach	Frank R. Burns (7th season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium Giants Stadium
Seasons ←  1978 1980  →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled an 8-3 record while competing as an independent. The team outscored its opponents 243 to 174. Against ranked opponents, the team lost, 45-10, to #7 Penn State and defeated #17 Tennessee, 13-7. ^{[1] [2]} The team's statistical leaders included Ed McMichael with 1,529 passing yards, Albert Ray with 567 rushing yards, and David Dorn with 468 receiving yards. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	Holy Cross	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 28–0	18,350	[4]
September 15	at No. 7 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 10–45	77,309	[5]
September 22	Bucknell	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 16–14	12,300	[6]
September 29	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 38–14	23,523	[7]
October 6	Temple	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 20–41	20,245	[8]
October 13	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 26–14	7,762	[9]
October 20	at William & Mary	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	W 24–0	16,020	[10]
November 3	at No. 17 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 13–7	84,265	[11]
November 10	vs. Army	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	W 20–0	28,163	[12]
November 17	Villanova	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 17–32	19,700	[13]
November 25	at Louisville	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	W 31–7	10,152	[14]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 14 Dave Dorn Jr QB 8 Bob Hering Sr QB 2 Ed McMichael Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 18 Deron Cherry Jr DT 74 Dino Mangiero Sr DT 66 Bill Pickel Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Frank R. Burns Coordinators/assistant coaches Greg Gigantino (Graduate assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
2. "Rutgers Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
3. "1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
4. Monahan, Bob (September 9, 1979). "Rutgers Too Powerful, Routs Holy Cross". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. 62 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Penn State's young lion roars as Scarlet falls, 45–10". The Home News. September 16, 1979. pp. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Smith, Paul (September 23, 1979). "Startzell and Blackwell Lead Rutgers' Victory". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-D – via Newspapers.com.
7. Smith, Paul (September 30, 1979). "Rutgers Gets 24 in 2d Half, Tops Princeton, 38-14". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. 12-D – via Newspapers.com.
8. "'New' Temple riddles Rutgers, 41–20". Daily News. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rutgers' big rally turns back UConn". The Sunday Register. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tribe empty-handed against Rutgers, 24–0". The Daily Progress. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Rutgers Shocks UT 13-7". The Tennessean. November 4, 1979. pp. C1, C7.
12. "Dorn leads Rutgers over Army, 20–0". The Gloucester County Times. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Villanova keeps Rutgers on ice". The Daily Register. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Pineiro's return triggers Rutgers past Louisville". Asbury Park Press. November 26, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024– via Newspapers.com.