1979 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

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]

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

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.