1980 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

1980 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
1980 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	Frank R. Burns (8th season);
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium; Giants Stadium
	Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2 Pittsburgh		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		9	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Penn State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–		5	–	4	–	1
North Texas State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–		1	–	9	–	1

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eighth season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 7–4 record while competing as an independent and outscored their opponents 279 to 156.^[1]^[2] The team's statistical leaders included Ed McMichael with 1,761 passing yards, Albert Ray with 778 rushing yards, and Tim Odell with 718 receiving yards.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Temple	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	W 21–3	19,876	^[4]
September 20	Cincinnati	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ (rivalry)	W 24–7
September 27	Princeton	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 44–13	26,219	^[5]
October 4	at Cornell	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 44–3	11,500	^[6]
October 11	No. 1 Alabama	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 13–17	58,107	^[7]
October 18	William & Mary	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 18–21
October 25	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	L 9–17	39,937
November 1	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 37–21
November 8	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 19–17	30,011	^[8]
November 15	West Virginia	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 15–24	16,400	^[9]
November 22	Colgate	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 35–13	15,400	^[10]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game