2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
 | This article does not cite any sources. (July 2017) |
| 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football | |
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PapaJohns.com Bowl champion | |
PapaJohns.com Bowl, W 29–23 vs. NC State | |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| 2008 record | 8–5 (5–2 Big East) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | John McNulty (3rd as OC, 5th overall season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Greg Schiano (4th season) |
| Home stadium | Rutgers Stadium (Capacity: 41,500) |
| 2008 Big East Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Cincinnati $ | 6 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 5 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 West Virginia | 5 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 5 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 3 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 2 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | 1 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 1 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After losing star halfback Ray Rice to the NFL Draft, Rutgers faced a rebuilding season. Senior Mike Teel was forced to step up his game at quarterback without being able to rely on Rice so frequently. Rutgers started off very slowly, dropping 5 of the first 6 games, including two to Big East rivals West Virginia and Cincinnati. With dreams of a Big East championship now completely eroded, Rutgers now had to recover to try to at least secure a fourth consecutive bowl berth. Starting with a 12-10 win against Connecticut on homecoming weekend, Rutgers never lost another game. The next week, they posted an impressive 54-34 win over #17 Pittsburgh. They won their next four games, finishing the season 7-5 with a solid 5-2 conference record. Rutgers earned a bowl berth in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, and they won a close game against NC State for their third consecutive bowl win.
Schedule[]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 4:00 pm | No. NR/25 Fresno State* |
| ESPN | L 7–24 | 42,508 |
| September 11 | 7:45 pm | North Carolina* |
| ESPN | L 12–44 | 42,502 |
| September 20 | 3:30 pm | at Navy* |
| CBSCS | L 21–23 | 37,821 |
| September 27 | 3:30 pm | Morgan State* |
| SNY | W 38–0 | 42,411 |
| October 4 | 12:00 pm | at West Virginia |
| SNY | L 17–24 | 59,122 |
| October 11 | 12:00 pm | at Cincinnati |
| SNY | L 10–13 | 32,370 |
| October 18 | 12:00 pm | Connecticut |
| ESPNU | W 12–10 | 42,491 |
| October 25 | 3:30 pm | at No. 17/20 Pittsburgh |
| ESPN360 | W 54–34 | 51,161 |
| November 8 | 12:00 pm | Syracuse |
| ESPNU | W 35–17 | 42,172 |
| November 15 | 12:00 pm | at South Florida |
| SNY | W 49–16 | 47,216 |
| November 22 | 12:00 pm | Army* |
| SNY | W 30–3 | 42,212 |
| December 4 | 7:45 pm | Louisville |
| ESPN | W 63–14 | 42,347 |
| December 29 | 3:00 pm | vs. NC State |
| ESPN | W 29–23 | 38,582 |
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References[]
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- 2008 Big East Conference football season
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights football seasons
- Birmingham Bowl champion seasons
- 2008 in sports in New Jersey
- College football 2000s season stubs