2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
PapaJohns.com Bowl champion
PapaJohns.com Bowl, W 29–23 vs. NC State
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	8–5 (5–2 Big East)
Head coach	Greg Schiano (8th season)
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

	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
$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 8–5, 5–2 in Big East play and won the PapaJohns.com Bowl, 29–23, over NC State.

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	Fresno State*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPN	L 7–24	42,508
September 11	7:45 pm	North Carolina*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPN	L 12–44	42,502
September 20	3:30 pm	at Navy*	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland	CBSCS	L 21–23	37,821
September 27	3:30 pm	Morgan State*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	SNY	W 38–0	42,411
October 4	12:00 pm	at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, West Virginia	SNY	L 17–24	59,122
October 11	12:00 pm	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati	SNY	L 10–13	32,370
October 18	12:00 pm	Connecticut	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPNU	W 12–10	42,491
October 25	3:30 pm	at No. 17 Pittsburgh	Heinz Field Pittsburgh	ESPN360	W 54–34	51,161
November 8	12:00 pm	Syracuse	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPNU	W 35–17	42,172
November 15	12:00 pm	at South Florida	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida	SNY	W 49–16	47,216
November 22	12:00 pm	Army*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	SNY	W 30–3	42,212
December 4	7:45 pm	Louisville	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, New Jersey	ESPN	W 63–14	42,347
December 29	3:00 pm	vs. NC State	Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama (PapaJohns.com Bowl)	ESPN	W 29–23	38,582
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP polls released prior to game. All times are in Eastern time