1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Terry Shea, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 2–9 record, were outscored by opponents 380 to 143, and finished in seventh place in the Big East Conference.[1] The team's statistical leaders included Mike Stephans with 918 passing yards, Chad Bosch with 523 rushing yards, and Steven Harper with 321 receiving yards.[2]

1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record2–9 (1–6 Big East)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTerry Shea (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorRod Sharpless (1st season)
Home stadiumRutgers Stadium
Giants Stadium
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Big East Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 13 Virginia Tech   6 1     10 2  
No. 14 Miami (FL)   6 1     9 3  
No. 21 Syracuse   6 1     9 3  
West Virginia   4 3     8 4  
Pittsburgh   3 4     4 7  
Boston College   2 5     5 7  
Rutgers   1 6     2 9  
Temple   0 7     1 10  
  • – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 31Villanova*W 38–2827,307[3]
September 7Navy*
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
L 6–10
September 128:00 pmNo. 10 Miami (FL)
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
ESPNL 0–3329,379
September 2112:00 pmat No. 18 Virginia TechESPN PlusL 14–3047,204[4]
October 512:00 pmat SyracuseESPN PlusL 0–4248,112
October 121:00 pmArmy*L 21–4219,101
October 19at Boston CollegeL 37–13
October 26Temple
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
W 28–17
November 912:00 pmWest Virginia
  • Rutgers Stadium
  • Piscataway, NJ
L 14–5521,024[5]
November 231:30 pmat No. 10 Notre Dame*NBCL 0–6259,075
November 3012:00 pmat PittsburghL 9–2421,772

[6]

Roster

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1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 18 Darrell Buffington Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 10 Kevin Williams Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

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

References

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  1. ^ "1996 Big East Conference". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "A Knight for defense; Chadwick saves Rutgers, 38–28". The Courier-News. September 1, 1996. Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tech-nical knockout". Asbury Park Press. September 22, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "West Virginia blasts Rutgers". The Record. November 10, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "1996 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2019.