2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Last updated

2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Rutgers athletics logo.png
Texas Bowl champion
Texas Bowl, W 37–10 vs. Kansas State
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 12
Record11–2 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg (4th season)
Co-offensive coordinator John McNulty (1st season)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Rutgers Stadium
Seasons
  2005
2007  
2006 Big East Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 6 Louisville $  6 1   12 1  
No. 10 West Virginia  5 2   11 2  
No. 12 Rutgers  5 2   11 2  
South Florida  4 3   9 4  
Cincinnati  4 3   8 5  
Pittsburgh  2 5   6 6  
Connecticut  1 6   4 8  
Syracuse  1 6   4 8  
  • $ BCS representative as conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights campaign was considered by many to be the breakout season for the Rutgers football team. Led by Draddy Trophy winning senior fullback Brian Leonard, sophomore quarterback Mike Teel, senior defensive captain and two time national defensive player of the week defensive tackle Ramel Meekins, sophomore halfback Ray Rice, sophomore wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, junior defensive tackle Eric Foster, and junior kicker Jeremy Ito, Rutgers finished the season ranked 12th in the Associated Press and Coaches polls, won eleven of thirteen games, and recorded the first bowl game win in school history.

Contents

The team started off the season going undefeated through nine games, including a dramatic win over then-3rd ranked Louisville, which was highlighted by kicker Jeremy Ito's last minute field goal to seal the win. After they were defeated by both West Virginia and Cincinnati, they received an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. Rutgers defeated Kansas State 37-10 for the first bowl game win in school history. Halfback Ray Rice was named the game's MVP and ran for 170 yards and one touchdown in twenty-four carries. [1] Due to his tremendous 2006 season, in which he ran for 1,794 yards and scored twenty touchdowns, Rice won Big East Player of the Year honors. He also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 23:30 pmat North Carolina * ABC W 21–1650,000
September 912:00 pm Illinois * ESPN2 W 33–041,036
September 163:30 pm Ohio *Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
MSG W 24–741,102
September 232:00 pm Howard *No. 23
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
MSGW 56–735,558
September 298:00 pmat South Florida No. 23ESPN2W 22–2032,493
October 141:30 pmat Navy *No. 24 CSTV W 34–036,918
October 215:45 pmat Pittsburgh No. 19ESPN2W 20–1049,620
October 298:00 pm Connecticut No. 16
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
ESPN W 24–1343,620
November 97:45 pmNo. 3 Louisville No. 15
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
ESPNW 28–2544,111
November 187:45 pmat Cincinnati No. 7ESPN2L 11–3027,804
November 2512:00 pm Syracuse No. 15
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
ESPNU W 38–743,791
December 27:45 pmat No. 15 West Virginia No. 13ESPNL 39–41 3OT60,299
December 288:00 pmvs. Kansas State *No. 16 NFL Network W 37–1052,210
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP 23242419161515715131612
Coaches RVRVRVRV23232419161514816131712
Harris Not released232424191514137151316Not released
BCS Not released161412136141316Not released

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Schiano</span> American football coach (born 1966)

Gregory Edward Schiano is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano has the most wins in program history as head football coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team. He also served as the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2012 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Leonard</span> American football player (born 1984)

Brian Leonard is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL).He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Rice</span> American football player (born 1987)

Raymell Mourice Rice is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, where he received first-team All-American honors, and was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. During his career, Rice was named to three Pro Bowls and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII. He is second in franchise rushing yards, rushing attempts, and rushing touchdowns, and is third in the franchise in combined touchdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Louisville Cardinals football team</span> American college football season

The 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Playing in their second year in the Big East Conference, the team finished the regular season with eleven wins and one loss and were conference champions. They represented the Big East in the 2007 Orange Bowl and with the win ended the season with a 12–1 record. The team ended the season ranked sixth in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutgers Scarlet Knights football</span> Football team of Rutgers University

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights were a member of the American Athletic Conference from 1991 to 2013. Rutgers plays its home games at SHI Stadium, in Piscataway, New Jersey. The team is currently led by head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights football team is notable for playing in the first ever collegiate football game in 1869, in which the Scarlet Knights won 6–4.

The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007, that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with assistant head coach Bill Stewart serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named head coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Pedro Sosa is a former American football offensive tackle for the Hartford Colonials of the defunct United Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Rutgers.

The 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. This year the Huskies, for the first time, ended the season on the BCS rankings top 25 at #25, and at the height of their year were ranked #13, the highest at any point in their history.

The 1966 Rose Bowl was the 52nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, January 1. The fifth-ranked UCLA Bruins of the AAWU (Pac-8) upset the undefeated and top-ranked Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference, 14–12. UCLA defensive back Bob Stiles, a junior college transfer, was named the Player of the Game.

The 2006 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Ron Prince, in his first year at K-State after leaving his offensive coordinator position at Virginia. Prince had no other head coaching experience prior to accepting the K-State job.

The 2005 Insight Bowl was the 17th edition of the Insight Bowl. It featured the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Arizona State exploded offensively in the game scoring 45 points, and an Insight Bowl record 679 yards of total offense. This was the first bowl game for Rutgers since the 1978 Garden State Bowl and their first bowl game outside of the school's native New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Texas Bowl</span> College football game

The 2006 Texas Bowl, part of the 2006 college football season, was played on December 26, 2006 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game featured the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Kansas State Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–3 record, played in the 1970 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 8 in the final UPI poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1968 Big Ten Conference football season. In their tenth and final season under head coach Bump Elliott, the Wolverines compiled an 8–2 record, outscored opponents 277 to 155, and finished the season in second place in the Big Ten Conference and ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. After losing the season opener to California, the Wolverines won their next eight games by a combined score of 256 to 84. The team rose to No. 4 in the AP poll before losing to Ohio State by a 50–14 score in the final game of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1955 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1955 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth season under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, the Wolverines finished in third place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 7–2 record, and were ranked No. 12 and No. 13 in the final AP and UPI Polls.

The 1957 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1957 college football season. It was the 12th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by first-year head coach Hal Lahar. The team played its games off-campus at Rice Stadium, which had been built in 1950. Houston won its third conference championship, as the Cougars earned a perfect 3–0 record in conference play. It was the first time a conference championship was achieved by a first-year coach for Houston. Despite losing several key starting players and switching head coaches, Houston was considered a favorite for the conference championship prior to the season's start. Following the season, three of Houston's players from the 1957 roster were drafted in the 1958 NFL draft. Three more 1957 players were also taken in the 1959 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Texas Longhorns football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Texas Longhorns football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1961 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Darrell Royal, the Longhorns compiled a 10–1 record and tied with Arkansas for the SWC championship. The Longhorns defeated Arkansas (33–7) and Oklahoma (28–7), and were ranked No. 1 until they lost, 6–0, to unranked TCU on November 18. At the end of the regular season, the Longhorns were ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll and No. 4 in the final UPI poll. They concluded their season with a victory over No. 5 Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

The 2013 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on December 31, 2013, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The 55th edition of the Liberty Bowl, it featured the Rice Owls, the champions of Conference USA and the Mississippi State Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. It began at 3:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. Sponsored by automobile parts and accessories store AutoZone, it was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Mississippi State defeated Rice by a score of 44–7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 1961 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team was an American football team that represented Rutgers University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1961 college football season. In their second season under head coach John F. Bateman, the Scarlet Knights compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the MAC University Division championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 246 to 102. It was Rutgers' first undefeated season, 92 years after winning the first ever intercollegiate football game in 1869. The team ranked fifteenth in the final Associated Press writers poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Iowa Hawkeyes football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by Kirk Ferentz in his 21st season as head coach.

References