2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
| 2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Texas Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 12 |
| AP | No. 12 |
| 2006 record | 11–2 (5––2 Big East) |
| Head coach | Greg Schiano |
| Offensive coordinator | John McNulty |
| Defensive coordinator | Greg Schiano |
| Home stadium |
Rutgers Stadium (Capacity: 41,500) |
| 2006 Big East football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #6 Louisville $ | 6 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #10 West Virginia | 5 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #12 Rutgers | 5 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Florida | 4 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 4 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 2 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 1 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights campaign was considered by many to be the breakout season for the Rutgers football team. Led by Draddy Trophy winning senior fullback Brian Leonard, sophomore quarterback Mike Teel, sophomore halfback Ray Rice, sophomore wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, junior defensive tackle Eric Foster, and junior kicker Jeremy Ito, Rutgers finished the season ranked 12th in the Associated Press and Coaches polls, won eleven of thirteen games, and recorded the first bowl game win in school history.
The team started off the season going undefeated through nine games, including a dramatic win over then-3rd ranked Louisville, which was highlighted by kicker Jeremy Ito's last minute field goal to seal the win. After they were defeated by both West Virginia and Cincinnati, they received an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. Rutgers defeated Kansas State 37-10 for the first bowl game win in school history. Halfback Ray Rice was named the game's MVP and ran for 170 yards and one touchdown in twenty-four carries.[1] Due to his tremendous 2006 season, in which he ran for 1,794 yards and scored twenty touchdowns, Rice won Big East Player of the Year honors. He also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 3:30 PM | at North Carolina* | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | ABC | W 21–16 | 50,000 | |||
| September 9 | 12:00 PM | Illinois* | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN2 | W 33–0 | 41,036 | |||
| September 16 | 3:30 PM | Ohio* |
Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | MSG | W 24–7 | 41,102 | |||
| September 23 | 2:00 PM | Howard* | No. 23/23 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | MSG | W 56–7 | 35,558 | ||
| September 29 | 8:00 PM | at South Florida | No. 23/23 | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN2 | W 22–20 | 32,493 | ||
| October 14 | 1:30 PM | at Navy* | No. 24/25 | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CSTV | W 34–0 | 36,918 | ||
| October 21 | 5:45 PM | at Pitt | No. 15/19 | Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA | ESPN2 | W 20–10 | 49,620 | ||
| October 29 | 8:00 PM | Connecticut | No. 15/16 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN | W 24–13 | 43,620 | ||
| November 9 | 7:45 PM | No. 3/4 Louisville | No. 15/16 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN | W 28–25 | 44,111 | ||
| November 18 | 7:45 PM | at Cincinnati | No. 7/8 | Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH | ESPN2 | L 11–30 | 27,804 | ||
| November 25 | 12:00 PM | Syracuse | No. 15/16 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPNU | W 38–7 | 43,791 | ||
| December 2 | 7:45 PM | at No. 15/15 West Virginia | No. 13/13 | Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV | ESPN | L 39–41 3OT | 60,299 | ||
| December 28 | 8:00 PM | vs. Kansas State* | No. 16/17 | Reliant Stadium • Houston, TX (Texas Bowl) | NFL Network | W 37–10 | 52,210 | ||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP and Coaches Polls released prior to game.. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||
References
- ↑ "Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - December 28, 2006". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 25, 2010.