1987 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1987 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth season under head coach Dick Anderson, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 6–5 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 213 to 168.[1][2] The team's statistical leaders included Scott Erney with 1,369 passing yards, Henry Henderson with 846 rushing yards, and Eric Young with 364 receiving yards.[3]

1987 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
ConferenceIndependent
Record6–5
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDick Curl (5th season)
Defensive coordinatorOtto Kneidinger (4th season)
Home stadiumRutgers Stadium
Giants Stadium
Seasons
← 1986
1988 →
1987 Major eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Syracuse $ 5 0 0 11 0 1
Penn State 4 2 0 8 4 0
Pittsburgh 3 3 0 8 4 0
West Virginia 2 3 0 6 6 0
Rutgers 2 4 0 6 5 0
Boston College 2 4 0 5 6 0
Temple 1 3 0 3 8 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1987 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Miami (FL)       12 0 0
No. 4 Syracuse       11 0 1
No. 2 Florida State       11 1 0
No. 15 South Carolina       8 4 0
Pittsburgh       8 4 0
Penn State       8 4 0
No. 17 Notre Dame       8 4 0
Southern Miss       6 5 0
Rutgers       6 5 0
Southwestern Louisiana       6 5 0
Memphis State       5 5 1
Northern Illinois       5 5 1
West Virginia       6 6 0
Tulane       6 6 0
Army       5 6 0
Boston College       5 6 0
East Carolina       5 6 0
Akron       4 7 0
Cincinnati       4 7 0
Louisville       3 7 1
Temple       3 8 0
Tulsa       3 8 0
Virginia Tech       2 9 0
Navy       2 9 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 5at CincinnatiW 10–7
September 12SyracuseL 3–2023,726
September 26KentuckyW 19–1821,232[4]
October 3Duke
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
W 7–013,247[5]
October 10at No. 14 Penn StateL 21–3585,376
October 17Boston College
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
W 38–2430,253
October 24at ArmyW 27–14
October 31at VanderbiltL 13–27 35,347[6]
November 7Pittsburgh
  • Giants Stadium
  • East Rutherford, NJ
L 0–1725,444
November 14at West VirginiaL 13–3744,717[7]
November 21at TempleW 17–14
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

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1987 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 89 Bruce Campbell Sr
WR 20 Brian Cobb Sr
G 56 Dan Cykewick So
TE 82 James Jenkins So
QB 11 Matt Johnson So
WR 80 Doug Johnson So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 26 Jean Austin Sr
DB 9 Eric Deering So
DE 46 Tom Duffy Sr
LB 45 Chris Evans Jr
LB Russ Nelson Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 9 Matt O'Connell Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ "1987 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. ^ "1987 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Knight offense comes to life, tops Kentucky". The Central New Jersey Home News. September 27, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Rutgers splashes past Duke, 7–0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 4, 1987. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Vandy shocks Rutgers". Asbury Park Press. November 1, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "W. Virginia rips Rutgers, 37–13". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 15, 1987. Retrieved February 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.