1989 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1989 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth and final season under head coach Dick Anderson, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 2–7–2 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 319 to 245. The team won victories over Boston College (9-7) and Northwestern (38-27).^[1][2] The team's statistical leaders included Scott Erney with 2,536 passing yards, James Cann with 429 rushing yards, and Randy Jackson with 599 receiving yards.^[3]

1989 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	2–7–2
Head coach	Dick Anderson (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Dick Curl (7th season)
Defensive coordinator	Otto Kneidinger (6th season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium Giants Stadium
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 15 Penn State $	6	–	0	–	0			8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia	3	–	1	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Temple	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Rutgers	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	2
Boston College	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)			–					11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame			–					12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State			–					10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia			–					8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse			–					8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana			–					7	–	4	–	0
Akron			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech			–					5	–	4	–	1
Army			–					6	–	5	–	0
Louisville			–					6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina			–					5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa			–					6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss			–					5	–	6	–	0
Tulane			–					4	–	8	–	0
Navy			–					3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers			–					2	–	7	–	2
Boston College			–					2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State			–					2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati			–					1	–	9	–	1
Temple			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	T 17–17
September 9	Ball State	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	T 31–31
September 16	Boston College	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 9–7	17,105
September 23	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 38–27
October 7	Penn State	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 0–17	57,688
October 14	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 26–33	54,771	[4]
October 21	Syracuse	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 28–49	29,276
October 28	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 14–35
November 11	at No. 19 West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 20–21	61,336	[5]
November 18	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 33–36
December 2	vs. No. 24 Pittsburgh	Lansdowne Road Dublin, Ireland (Emerald Isle Classic)	L 29–46	19,800
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1989 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
2. "Rutgers Yearly Results (1985-1989)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
3. "1989 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
4. "Kentucky tops Rutgers, 33–26". The Sunday Courier-News. October 15, 1989. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "WVU's 21–20 win deflates Rutgers". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.