1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In their first season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 6–5 record. The team outscored their opponents 245 to 208.^[1][2] The team's statistical leaders included John Piccirillo with 415 passing yards, J. J. Jennings with 1,353 rushing yards, and Tom Sweeney with 479 receiving yards.^[3]

1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Frank R. Burns (1st season)
Captains	Andrew Tighe John Witkowski
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Penn State			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Houston			–					11	–	1	–	0
Temple			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Tulane			–					9	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	4	–	0
Utah State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	4	–	1
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers			–					6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia			–					6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					6	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	1
Xavier			–					5	–	5	–	1
Georgia Tech			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					2	–	9	–	0
Army			–					0	–	10	–	0
Florida State			–					0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	at Lehigh	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 31–13	12,000	[4]
September 29	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 39–14	27,000	[5]
October 6	UMass	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 22–25	11,000	[6]
October 13	Lafayette	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 35–6	10,000	[7]
October 20	Delaware	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 24–7	21,000	[8]
October 27	Columbia	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 28–2	16,500	[9]
November 3	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	L 19–27	13,793	[10]
November 10	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	L 14–31	27,149	[11]
November 17	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 27–7	14,881	[12]
November 24	Colgate	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 0–42	12,000	[13]
December 1	at Tampa	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 6–34	17,600	[14]

Roster

1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 88 Doug Davis Sr TE 81 Kent Hall Sr RB 36 Jim Jennings Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 21 Ed Jones Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach John F. Bateman Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
2. "Rutgers Yearly Results (1970-1974)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
3. "1973 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
4. O'Brien, Ken (September 23, 1973). "Rutgers Captures Opener". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Rowe, John (September 30, 1973). "Rutgers Routs Princeton, 39-14". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Concannon, Joe (October 7, 1973). "UMass Hangs on to Win, 25-22". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 69 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Shannon, Bill (October 14, 1973). "Jennings Adds to Totals as Rutgers Romps, 35-6". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Oakley, Jack (October 21, 1973). "Rutgers Demolishes Delaware". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Rowe, John (October 28, 1973). "Victory May Cost Rutgers Two Stars". The Sunday Record. Hackensack, N.J. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Lee, Bill (November 4, 1973). "UConn Stuns Rutgers, 27-19". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
11. Woodburn, Larry (November 11, 1973). "AFA Outguns Rutgers 31-14". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. Boston, Mass. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com. Attendance figure in "Falcons, 31-14". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Ariz. November 11, 1973. p. D4.
12. Shaughnessy, Dan (November 18, 1973). "Turnovers, J.J.'s Running Ruin Holy Cross for Rutgers, 27-7". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 105 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Harvin, Al (November 25, 1973). "Raiders 42-0 Victors". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S4.
14. Tierney, Mike (December 2, 1973). "Solomon, Spartans Dazzle Rutgers 34-6". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com.