1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

American college football season

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 →

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

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]

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

^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
^ "1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ "Rutgers Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ "1977 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
^ "Lions Open Big, Demolish Rutgers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pa. September 3, 1977. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Harper, John (September 11, 1977). "No Doubt Now: Colgate Clubs Rutgers, 23-0". Daily Record. Morristown, N.J. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Plumlee, Wendell (September 18, 1977). "Rutgers' Shakeup Pays Off with a 36-14 Win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 18E, 4E – via Newspapers.com.
^ Bruns, John (September 25, 1977). "Rutgers Topples Princeton". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. pp. A1, B1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ O'Brien, Ken (October 2, 1977). "Cornell Eleven Left Seeing Red; Rutgers Romps, 30-14". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hine, Tommy (October 9, 1977). "Rutgers Rolls over UConn". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ O'Brien, Ken (October 16, 1977). "Rutgers Blitzes Past Lehigh, 20-0". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Richards, Ed (October 30, 1977). "Rutgers' Late Score Scuttles W&M 22-21". Daily Press. Newport News, Va. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Lyon, Bill (November 6, 1977). "Temple Baffles the Purists and Rutgers, 24 to 14". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 8D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
^ McLaughlin, Marty (November 13, 1977). "Rutgers Grounds Tulane, 47-8". Sunday News. New York, N.Y. p. 107 – via Newspapers.com.
^ O'Brien, Ken (November 20, 1977). "Rutgers Scores". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.

v t e Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Venues	College Field (1869–1890) Neilson Field (1891–1938) Old Rutgers Stadium (1938–1992) Giants Stadium (alternate, 1976–1996) SHI Stadium (1994–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Princeton
Culture & lore	Marching band First American football game (painting)
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold