1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	8–3
Head coach	Frank R. Burns (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Bill Speranza (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Bob Naso (10h season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium; Giants Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

The 1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In their fifth 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 291 to 181.^[2]^[3] The team's statistical leaders included Bret Kosup with 1,445 passing yards, Glen Kehler with 866 rushing yards, and George Carter with 391 receiving yards.^[4]

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Penn State	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 7–45	64,790	^[5]
September 10	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	L 0–23	12,500	^[6]
September 17	Bucknell	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 36–14	14,500	^[7]
September 24	at Princeton	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 10–6	19,500	^[8]
October 1	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 30–14	3,500	^[9]
October 8	at Connecticut	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 42–18	6,589	^[10]
October 15	Lehigh	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 20–0	21,000	^[11]
October 29	at William & Mary	Cary Field Williambsburg, VA	W 22–21	14,800	^[12]
November 5	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 14–24	10,091	^[13]
November 12	Tulane	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 47–8	16,000	^[14]
November 19	Boston University	Nickerson Field Boston, MA	W 63–8	14,400	^[15]
Homecoming

Roster

1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`11`	Bert Kosup	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
S		Deron Cherry	Fr
DT	`64`	Dan Gray	So
DT	`74`	Dino Mangiero	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Head coach

Frank R. Burns

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

References

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[5]

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