1990 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1990 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Doug Graber, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 3–8 record while competing as an independent and were outscored by their opponents 302 to 173. The team won games against Kentucky (24–8), Colgate (28–17), and Akron (20–17).^[1] The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tarver with 1,348 passing yards, Tekay Dorsey with 505 rushing yards, and James Guarantino with 386 receiving yards.^[2]

1990 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	3–8
Head coach	Doug Graber (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Stan Parrish (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Rich Rachel (1st season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium Giants Stadium
Seasons ← 1989 1991 →

1990 Major eastern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 Penn State $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Syracuse	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	4	–	2
Temple	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
West Virginia	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Pittsburgh	2	–	3	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Boston College	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Rutgers	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Lambert Trophy Winner Rankings from AP Poll

1990 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 14 Louisville			–					10	–	1	–	1
No. 3 Miami (FL)			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Florida State			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Notre Dame			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 11 Penn State			–					9	–	3	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					8	–	3	–	1
Southern Miss			–					8	–	4	–	0
Temple			–					7	–	4	–	0
Syracuse			–					7	–	4	–	2
Army			–					6	–	5	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina			–					6	–	5	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina			–					5	–	6	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana			–					5	–	6	–	0
Navy			–					5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State			–					4	–	6	–	1
Boston College			–					4	–	7	–	0
Tulane			–					4	–	7	–	0
West Virginia			–					4	–	7	–	0
Akron			–					3	–	7	–	1
Pittsburgh			–					3	–	7	–	1
Rutgers			–					3	–	8	–	0
Tulsa			–					3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	Kentucky	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	W 24–8	21,141	[3]
September 15	Colgate	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 28–7	18,215	[4]
September 22	at Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 0–28	85,194	[5]
September 29	No. 22 Michigan State	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 10–34	26,188	[6]
October 6	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 14–19	31,262	[7]
October 13	at Pittsburgh	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 21–45	32,041	[8]
October 20	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	L 0–42	49,521	[9]
October 27	Akron	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 20–17	25,855	[10]
November 3	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 31–35	38,945	[11]
November 10	West Virginia	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	L 3–28	11,117	[12]
November 17	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 22–29	16,911	[13]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1990 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Tom Tarver	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Doug Graber Coordinators/assistant coaches Stan Parrish (OC) Rich Rachel (DC) John Snell (GA) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt