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Rutgers Football Team History

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers State University
New Brunswick, NJ
Founded: 1766
Stadium: Rutgers Stadium
Capacity: 42,000
Colors: Scarlet & White
Coach: Frank R. Burns
Conference: Independent-

Select Year:

1869 <-- 1977 <- 1978 -> 1979 --> 2024

1978 Season Highlights

Frank R. Burns enters his 6th season as Head Coach at Rutgers.

1978 Season

Date	Opponent	Score
Sat., Sep. 9	@ Penn State	10	26	L
Sat., Sep. 23	@ Bucknell	27	13	W
Sat., Sep. 30	vs. Princeton	24	0	W	@ East Rutherford, NJ
Sat., Oct. 7	@ Yale	28	27	W
Sat., Oct. 14	vs. Connecticut	10	0	W
Sat., Oct. 21	vs. Villanova	24	9	W
Sat., Oct. 28	vs. Columbia	69	0	W	@ East Rutherford, NJ
Sat., Nov. 4	@ Massachusetts	21	11	W
Sat., Nov. 11	vs. Temple	13	10	W
Sat., Nov. 18	@ Holy Cross	31	21	W
Sat., Nov. 25	vs. Colgate	9	14	L
Sat., Dec. 16	Arizona State	18	34	L	@ East Rutherford, NJ	Garden State Bowl

1978 Season Totals
Record	9-3
Points Scored	284
Scoring Average	23.7
Points Allowed	165
Defense Average	13.8
Opponents Record	40-18
Conference Record	0-0
Home Record	5-1
Away Record	4-1

1978 NCAA Final Rankings
Rank	Record	Source
was not ranked.

1978 Independent- Standings
	Season			Bowls	Conference
Team	W/L/T	PF	PA		W/L/T	PF	PA	Coach
Louisiana Monroe	6-4-1	190	144					John David Crow
Nevada	11-1	413	121					Chris Ault
Penn State	11-1	333	111	Lost 7-14				Joe Paterno
East Carolina	9-3	287	136	Won 35-13				Pat Dye
Navy	9-3	260	136	Won 23-16				George Welsh
North Texas	9-2	277	150					Hayden Fry
Notre Dame	9-3	293	197	Won 35-34				Dan Devine
Rutgers	9-3	284	165	Lost 18-34				Frank R. Burns
Florida State	8-3	312	208					Bobby Bowden
James Madison	8-2	236	124					Challace McMillin
Pittsburgh	8-4	263	187	Lost 17-30				Jackie Sherrill
Louisville	7-4	319	202					Vince Gibson
Nevada Las Vegas	7-4	249	182					Tony Knap
Southern Mississippi	7-4	213	185					Bobby Collins
Temple	7-3-1	280	203					Wayne Hardin
Akron	6-5	221	232					Jim Dennison
Cincinnati	5-6	279	224					Ralph Staub
South Carolina	5-5-1	238	181					Jim Carlen
Army	4-6-1	184	255					Homer Smith
Liberty	4-5-1	186	264					Tom Dowling
Memphis	4-7	200	297					Richard Williamson
Tulane	4-7	183	211					Larry Smith
Virginia Tech	4-7	162	225					Bill Dooley
Air Force	3-8	215	328					Bill Parcells
Buffalo	3-6	164	211					Bill Dando
Syracuse	3-8	192	295					Frank Maloney
West Virginia	2-9	167	364					Frank Cignetti
Boston College	0-11	153	294					Ed Chlebek

1978 All American Awards
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Award	Team	Source
Coming Someday

1978 All Independent Conference Players
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Team	Source
Coming Someday

Some records may be incomplete.

Great Moments in College Football History

During the 1990s, Prairie View College put together an 80-game losing streak. One season, they were outscored each game by an average margin of 56 to 4.