1986 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1986 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Dick Anderson, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 5–5–1 record while competing as an independent and outscored their opponents 221 to 189.^[1] The team's statistical leaders included Scott Erney with 1,160 passing yards, Matt Prescott with 606 rushing yards, and Brian Cobb with 368s receiving yards.^[2]

1986 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–5–1
Head coach	Dick Anderson (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Dick Curl (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Otto Kneidinger (2rd season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium Giants Stadium
Seasons ← 1985 1987 →

1986 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Penn State $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
No. 19 Boston College	3	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Syracuse	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Temple	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Rutgers	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
West Virginia	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1986 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Penn State		–		–				12	–	0	–	0
No. 2 Miami (FL)		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Virginia Tech		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 19 Boston College		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Tulsa		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Florida State		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Army		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				3	–	6	–	2
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Wichita State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 11–9	30,000	[3]
September 13	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	T 16–16	57,424	[4]
September 20	Cincinnati	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 48–28	27,249	[5]
September 27	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 16–10	33,577	[6]
October 4	at No. 5 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 6–31	84,000	[7]
October 18	Florida	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 3–15	36,781	[8]
October 25	Army	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	W 35–7	31,623	[9]
November 1	at Louisville	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	W 41–0	20,165	[10]
November 8	West Virginia	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 17–24	15,101	[11]
November 15	at Pittsburgh	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 6–20	34,922	[12]
November 22	Temple	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 22–29	24,386	[13]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game