1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Frank R. Burns (9th season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium Giants Stadium

1981 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Penn State $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Pittsburgh	5	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 17 West Virginia	3	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Temple	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Syracuse	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Boston College	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Miami (FL)		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 17 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Florida State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Tulane		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
UNLV		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	0
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Richmond		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
North Texas State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth season under head coach Frank R. Burns, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 5–6 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 208 to 139.[1][2] The team's statistical leaders included Ralph Leek with 926 passing yards, Albert Ray with 679 rushing yards, and Andrew Baker with 356 receiving yards.[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 29–27	38,715	[4]
September 12	Colgate	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 13–5	18,655	[5]
September 18	vs. Virginia	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	W 3–0	22,816	[6]
September 26	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	L 0–10	13,657	[7]
October 3	Cornell	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 31–17	10,125	[8]
October 10	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 17–0	40,567	[9]
October 17	Temple	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 12–24	22,189	[10]
October 24	at No. 11 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	L 7–31	60,210	[11]
November 7	No. 1 Pittsburgh	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 3–47	34,636	[12]
November 14	at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 3–20	44,395	[13]
November 21	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 21–27	16,500	[14]
Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 31 Joe Burke Jr C 61 Mike Flynn Jr WR 84 Jed Karpinski Jr QB Jacque LaPrarie Fr QB 7 Ralph Leek Jr C 59 Frank Naylor Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 4 Carl Howard Jr DT 62 Bill Pickel Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Frank R. Burns Coordinators/assistant coaches Greg Gigantino (Defensive line coach) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
2. "Rutgers Yearly Results (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
3. "1981 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
4. "Rutgers edges Orange, 29–17". The Buffalo News. September 6, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Rutgers Needs 2 FGs, 1 Bomb to Edge Colgate". The Sunday Press. Binghamton, N.Y. September 13, 1981. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Kickers give undefeated Rutgers needed lift". The Sunday Record. September 19, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rutgers jolted, 10–0". The Star-Ledger. September 27, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Newman, Chuck (October 4, 1981). "Defense Gets Rutgers Attack Rolling for Win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 9-F, 10-F – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rutgers wins one it needed". The Record. October 11, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Murphy-passes Owls over Rutgers, 24–12". The Daily Register. October 18, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bama varies attack, and buries Rutgers". The Anniston Star. October 25, 1981. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Pittsburgh proves too much for Rutgers". Asbury Park Press. November 8, 1981. Retrieved October 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "West Virginia rips sputtering Scarlet". The Home News. November 15, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Boston Coll. 27, Rutgers 21". The Hartford Courant. November 22, 1981. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.