Best and worst season opener at home

[Plum Street]

What’s the best and worst rutgers season opener in your opinion?

Best - 1991 . Beating bc in the first big east game . It was hot as hell and we knocked off coughlin and foley. Tarver was solid

Worst - 2009 . Beatdown by cincy and Tony pike.
Losing a conference opener in that fashion basically set the tone that we would once again not get the BCS bid.

 

[DJ Spanky]

September 4th, 2004: Rutgers 19 - Michigan State 14

That was the year they painted the concrete walls red (why the hell didn't anyone think of that sooner?) to greet us as we entered the stadium.

 

[Plum Street]

September 4th, 2004: Rutgers 19 - Michigan State 14

That was the year they painted the concrete walls red (why the hell didn't anyone think of that sooner?) to greet us as we entered the stadium.

Msu was a good one . You could feel the program turning the corner a bit . I know it unraveled the next week, but you saw it the next year .

Second part of the question, what was the worst ?

 

[megadrone]

What’s the best and worst rutgers season opener in your opinion?

Best - 1991 . Beating bc in the first big east game . It was hot as hell and we knocked off coughlin and foley. Tarver was solid

Worst - 2009 . Beatdown by cincy and Tony pike.
Losing a conference opener in that fashion basically set the tone that we would once again not get the BCS bid.

Didn't we get beaten up once by Va Tech during the Shea years too, as an opener? We were supposed to have "shocking power" that year.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Second part of the question, what was the worst ?

I think it's a tossup between Cincy in 2009 and the 33-30 OT loss to Illinois in 2005. We blew a 27-7 lead (which included a Leonard Leap on a 81 yard TD run) and ran out of gas at the end.

 

[Plum Street]

I think it's a tossup between Cincy in 2009 and the 33-30 OT loss to Illinois in 2005. We blew a 27-7 lead (which included a Leonard Leap on a 81 yard TD run) and ran out of gas at the end.

Not a tossup since Illinois was on the road . This was for season openers at home.
I agree with you on cincy

 

[koleszar]

Worst - 2009 . Beatdown by cincy and Tony pike.

I concur with this. It's the year I anointed Dom Natale our savior. 3 ints. and one half later, my false prophet showed his true colors. Didn't live that down all season as the ribbing from my seatmates was relentless. Thanks, Dom.

 

[Plum Street]

Didn't we get beaten up once by Va Tech during the Shea years too, as an opener? We were supposed to have "shocking power" that year.

Yes. That happened a lot during the Shea years .

 

[RUfromNJ]

Below are the last 25 season openers, where RU has gone 17-8.

In my opinion, MSU in '04 stands alone as the best season opener. Big upset in packed house on national television.

Cincinnati in '09 is probably the worst in terms of what it meant. First game in the newly expanded building coming off a very strong finish in '08. The game was over after 1Q.

However, that '13 loss in Fresno was excruciating. Nova throws a 30 yard TD to Carroo to put RU up 7 with 1:18 to go. Fresno returns the kickoff back 56 yards to the RU 40. They tie the game with 0:38 to go. We drive all the way down to their 26 with 0:03 left. Federico misses the FG, which sends it to OT. Fresno throws a 25 yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage to go up 52-45. RU answers with a TD, but Flood went for 2 and didn't convert. 52-51 final score that ended around 2:15am.

'22 - @ Boston College - 22-21 W
'21 - Temple - 61-14 W
'20 - @ Michigan St - 38-27 W
'19 - UMass - 48-21 W
'18 - Texas St - 35-7 W
'17 - Washington - 30-14 L
'16 - @ Washington - 48-13 L
'15 - Norfolk St - 63-13 W
'14 - @ Washington St - 41-38 W
'13 - @ Fresno St - 52-51 L (OT)
'12 - @ Tulane - 24-12 W
'11 - North Carolina Central - 48-0 W
'10 - Norfolk St - 31-0 W
'09 - Cincinnati - 47-15 L
'08 - Fresno St - 24-7 L
'07 - Buffalo - 38-3 W
'06 - @North Carolina - 21-16 W
'05 - @Illinois - 33-30 L (OT)
'04 - Michigan St - 19-14 W
'03 - Buffalo - 24-10 W
'02 - Villanova - 37-19 L
'01 - @Buffalo - 31-15 W
'00 - Villanova - 34-21 W
'99 - @California - 21-7 L
'98 - Richmond - 7-6 W

 

[RUfromNJ]

I think it's a tossup between Cincy in 2009 and the 33-30 OT loss to Illinois in 2005. We blew a 27-7 lead (which included a Leonard Leap on a 81 yard TD run) and ran out of gas at the end.

 

[cubuffsdoug_rivals]

Below are the last 25 season openers, where RU has gone 16-9.

In my opinion, MSU in '04 stands alone as the best season opener. Big upset in packed house on national television.

Cincinnati in '09 is probably the worst in terms of what it meant. First game in the newly expanded building coming off a very strong finish in '08. The game was over after 1Q.

However, that '13 loss in Fresno was excruciating. Nova throws a 30 yard TD to Carroo to put RU up 7 with 1:18 to go. Fresno returns the kickoff back 56 yards to the RU 40. They tie the game with 0:38 to go. We drive all the way down to their 26 with 0:03 left. Federico misses the FG, which sends it to OT. Fresno throws a 25 yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage to go up 52-45. RU answers with a TD, but Flood went for 2 and didn't convert. 52-51 final score that ended around 2:15am.

'22 - @ Boston College - 22-21 W
'21 - Temple - 61-14 W
'20 - @ Michigan St - 38-27 W
'19 - UMass - 48-21 W
'18 - Texas St - 35-7 W
'17 - Washington - 30-14 L
'16 - @ Washington - 48-13 L
'15 - Norfolk St - 63-13 W
'14 - @ Washington St - 41-38 W
'13 - @ Fresno St - 52-51 L (OT)
'12 - @ Tulane - 24-12 W
'11 - North Carolina Central - 48-0 W
'10 - Norfolk St - 31-0 W
'09 - Cincinnati - 47-15 L
'08 - Fresno St - 24-7 L
'07 - Buffalo - 38-3 W
'06 - @North Carolina - 21-16 W
'05 - @Illinois - 33-30 L (OT)
'04 - Michigan St - 19-14 L
'03 - Buffalo - 24-10 W
'02 - Villanova - 37-19 L
'01 - @Buffalo - 31-15 W
'00 - Villanova - 34-21 W
'99 - @California - 21-7 L
'98 - Richmond - 7-6 W

'04 Rutgers beat Mich State 19-14

 

[RUPete]

Didn't we get beaten up once by Va Tech during the Shea years too, as an opener? We were supposed to have "shocking power" that year.

Yeah, it was pretty bad. Ugly score, something like 59-19. I remember the defensive coordinator spending camp living in a tent to send some sort of message about going to "battle." Can't remember exactly. I think Steckel was his name.

 

[RUPete]

I think it's a tossup between Cincy in 2009 and the 33-30 OT loss to Illinois in 2005. We blew a 27-7 lead (which included a Leonard Leap on a 81 yard TD run) and ran out of gas at the end.

I'll throw Fresno State in there on Labor Day in terms of disappointment.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Washington State win to go 1-0 as a member of the BIG was exciting.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Not a tossup since Illinois was on the road . This was for season openers at home.
I agree with you on cincy

Oops, missed the at home part. Yeah, I'd go with Cincy followed by the 2002 loss to Villanova. That loss was bad but not unexpected: the Cincy loss was just debilitating as we thought we'd be better than that.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

What’s the best and worst rutgers season opener in your opinion?

Best - 1991 . Beating bc in the first big east game . It was hot as hell and we knocked off coughlin and foley. Tarver was solid

Worst - 2009 . Beatdown by cincy and Tony pike.
Losing a conference opener in that fashion basically set the tone that we would once again not get the BCS bid.

I was at that BC game and it sure was hot as hell. Still have the program from that 1st Big East game .

 

[Plum Street]

Yeah, it was pretty bad. Ugly score, something like 59-19. I remember the defensive coordinator spending camp living in a tent to send some sort of message about going to "battle." Can't remember exactly. I think Steckel was his name.

That was an awful defense that season. It was either Brian Sheridan makes a tackle or give up a touchdown.
Awful team
0-11

 

[RUPete]

That was an awful defense that season. It was either Brian Sheridan makes a tackle or give up a touchdown.
Awful team
0-11

Yeah, but Brian left it all out there.

 

[RU_Goo]

The best one for me was the 04 MSU win. I was a student at Rutgers and at that game, the post game feelings, partying and fun was a level I don't think the school or fans or students have felt before and it was instant addiction. That was when Schiano sold the program and what it could be, I know 06 Lville was the game but this was actually the beginning.

Worst was Cincy 09 - my god. new expanded stadium , we had a really good incoming class getting PT, sold out stadium it seemed like, real sell out and got worked badly.

 

[Plum Street]

Yeah, but Brian left it all out there.

Yes . He was a very good player.
One of the few !

 

[RUaMoose_rivals]

Msu was a good one . You could feel the program turning the corner a bit . I know it unraveled the next week, but you saw it the next year .

Second part of the question, what was the worst ?

That was also the game after ( last game, year before) we beat Syracuse in the “wind game”. Clearly things were improving despite the loss to NH the next week which I didn’t take nearly as bad as some others considering the previous two games.

 

[RUPete]

That was also the game after ( last game, year before) we beat Syracuse in the “wind game”. Clearly things were improving despite the loss to NH the next week which I didn’t take nearly as bad as some others considering the previous two games.

You could see it on the O line beginning in 2003 when we brought in John Glass and Ron Green continued his development. When the team came out of the tunnel I thought we had a chance.

 

[megadrone]

You could see it on the O line beginning in 2003 when we brought in John Glass and Ron Green continued his development. When the team came out of the tunnel I thought we had a chance.

Correction -- BIG JOHN GLASS and BIG RON GREEN.

 

[rutger80]

Below are the last 25 season openers, where RU has gone 17-8.

In my opinion, MSU in '04 stands alone as the best season opener. Big upset in packed house on national television.

Cincinnati in '09 is probably the worst in terms of what it meant. First game in the newly expanded building coming off a very strong finish in '08. The game was over after 1Q.

However, that '13 loss in Fresno was excruciating. Nova throws a 30 yard TD to Carroo to put RU up 7 with 1:18 to go. Fresno returns the kickoff back 56 yards to the RU 40. They tie the game with 0:38 to go. We drive all the way down to their 26 with 0:03 left. Federico misses the FG, which sends it to OT. Fresno throws a 25 yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage to go up 52-45. RU answers with a TD, but Flood went for 2 and didn't convert. 52-51 final score that ended around 2:15am.

'22 - @ Boston College - 22-21 W
'21 - Temple - 61-14 W
'20 - @ Michigan St - 38-27 W
'19 - UMass - 48-21 W
'18 - Texas St - 35-7 W
'17 - Washington - 30-14 L
'16 - @ Washington - 48-13 L
'15 - Norfolk St - 63-13 W
'14 - @ Washington St - 41-38 W
'13 - @ Fresno St - 52-51 L (OT)
'12 - @ Tulane - 24-12 W
'11 - North Carolina Central - 48-0 W
'10 - Norfolk St - 31-0 W
'09 - Cincinnati - 47-15 L
'08 - Fresno St - 24-7 L
'07 - Buffalo - 38-3 W
'06 - @North Carolina - 21-16 W
'05 - @Illinois - 33-30 L (OT)
'04 - Michigan St - 19-14 W
'03 - Buffalo - 24-10 W
'02 - Villanova - 37-19 L
'01 - @Buffalo - 31-15 W
'00 - Villanova - 34-21 W
'99 - @California - 21-7 L
'98 - Richmond - 7-6 W

I think there was a 4th down stop at Fresno by our defense that got negated when one of our defensive players got called for unsportsmanlike conduct because he did a throat slash movement after the stop. Hamilton, maybe?

 

[Source]

Plum Street: What’s the best and worst rutgers season opener in your opinion?

Best: Rutgers defeats Princeton 6-4 at home in 1869 and forever cements its place in American sports with the new sport of Intercollegiate Football.

Worst: Rutgers opens the 1947 season with a 40-28 loss to Columbia in New York. Rutgers then defeats everyone else (including a 13-7 win over Princeton) to finish the season 8-1-0... just missing its first undefeated season.

 

[RU at the shore]

Plum Street: What’s the best and worst rutgers season opener in your opinion?

Best: Rutgers defeats Princeton 6-4 at home in 1869 and forever cements its place in American sports with the new sport of Intercollegiate Football.

Agree on best.

Cincy was the worst without question. What a difference between walking in and walking out

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

September 4th, 2004: Rutgers 19 - Michigan State 14

That was the year they painted the concrete walls red (why the hell didn't anyone think of that sooner?) to greet us as we entered the stadium.

once you paint concrete it becomes a regular expense in repainting.

I once lived in a large apt bldg that had white brick. Some new owner painted it.. probably to save money on re-pointing the brick... then they asked for a rent increase to cover the costs for their "improvement'. Its like those people who want the RAC painted.

But for cinderblock concrete walls.. paint away. Worth it.