Revisiting 1988 When Rutgers Left Happy Valley With a Rare Victory

The Scarlet Knights are 2-32 all time versus Penn State and will need to play a near-perfect game to have any chance Saturday.

May 23, 1992; Orlando, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Barcelona Dragons quarterback Scott Erney (6) in action against the Orlando Thunder at the Florida Citrus Bowl during the second season of the World League of American Football. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY NETWORK | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

During the 1988 season, Rutgers opened up the season with a massive 17-13 upset against No. 15 Michigan State in East Lansing. In true Rutgers fashion, the Knights stumbled the following week against Vanderbilt in Giants Stadium. They redeemed themselves the following week with a 21-16 victory over No. 15 Penn State in Happy Valley.

Rutgers hasn't defeated the Nittany Lions since.

A Daunting Road Trip to State College

It can be argued that the 1988 Rutgers team faced even greater odds than this year's squad, traveling to a ranked Penn State squad in a sold-out Happy Valley for the late September matchup. Scott Erney was the Scarlet Knights’ talented quarterback, who could put up big yards in bunches to his explosive receivers, but on this day, the Scarlet Knights would rely on the ground game and defense to secure the victory.

Rutgers wasn't exactly greeted warmly by State College students, who were notorious for throwing objects at the visitors. It was no different in 1988, as Penn State students lobbed marshmallows at the Rutgers players due to their perceived “soft” nature as the Knights set up for their first drive, close to the student endzone section.

The Scarlet Knights were led by quarterback Scott Erney, the most prolific passer in Rutgers football history. The Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native and 1988 honorable mention All-American threw for over 7,000 yards, including 463 against Vanderbilt that season. But in State College, a stifling Nittany Lions defense limited Erney to nine completions on 20 attempts for a meager 85 yards.

Fullback Botti's Two TDs Pave the Way to Victory

It was ultimately the ground game that carried Rutgers to victory. A stout offensive line coached by Pat Flaherty, the current O-line coach, during his first stint in Piscataway, paved the way for 143 yards on the ground. Fullback Mike Botti led all rushers with 12 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns. It’s that type of performance that is likely needed by Antwan Raymond and the O-line for Rutgers to have any chance this Saturday against Penn State.

The Knights would strike first on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Erney to fellow Rutgers Hall-of-Fame inductee Eric Young, but it was Penn State who led at halftime, 10-7.  The Scarlet Knights took control in the third quarter, leaning on their run game. Fullback Mike Botti then had a pair of scoring runs, including a 57-yarder, to give the Scarlet Knights a 21-10 lead in the third quarter.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rutgers defense bent but didn’t break. The Nittany Lions replaced injured starting quarterback Tom Bill with freshman Tony Sacca. Trailing 21-10, Gary Brown’s 4-yard rushing touchdown cut the lead to 21-16, but Penn State failed on the two-point attempt.

Penn State’s final drive of the game began at its own 10-yard line with 3:05 remaining. Sacca drove the offense down the field, eventually setting up a first and goal at the three-yard line with 53 seconds remaining, after a big run by Brown.

A Goal-Line Stand to Remember

On 1st and goal, Lions back Steve Thompson was stuffed after a handoff at the two-yard line.

On 2nd and goal, Gary Brown took the handoff and dived towards the goal line but was met in the backfield and dropped for a one-yard loss by the Rutgers defense.

On 3rd and goal, with the clock running, Sacca had tight end Dave Jakob open in the right corner of the endzone, but his  pass was just beyond Jakob’s outstretched fingertips.  

It all came down to one final play. With 12 seconds remaining, Sacca dropped back, rolled right to escape the Knights' pressure, and threw to the right far corner of the endzone in tight coverage, but the ball fell incomplete beyond his diving receiver. Pennsylvania native Erney took a knee, and Rutgers escaped Happy Valley with the victory.

A humble Erney, who was signed in 1990 by the Denver Broncos and played two seasons with the Barcelona Dragons of the World Football League of American Football from 1991-1992, gave all the credit to his defense during an interview with 247 Sports in 2021.

“We had success through the air vs. Michigan State (25-of-36, 239 yards, two TDs) and Vanderbilt, but make no mistake, our defense played great all game at Penn State with an unbelievable goal line stand at the end,” Erney said. “Our defense won that game for us. We put enough points on the board, and the defense did their job, and that’s why we beat them."

Rutgers players rejoiced in the end zone. Low-key head coach Dick Anderson, a former Penn State assistant and the father of Nittany Lions linebacker Jeff Anderson, was notably emotional after the game, jumping up and down with the players in the locker room, and losing himself in the moment.

After a raucous bus ride back, the team went straight to campus, where a crowd of fans greeted them as several players rang the Old Queens bell.

The win in 1988 snapped a 15-game losing streak at the time, with the Scarlet Knights’ last win prior to that victory in Happy Valley dating all the way back to 1918, when the teams met for the first time on the gridiron. The two teams would not meet again until 1950.

The Scarlet Knights are 2-32 all-time against the Nittany Lions and will have to play a near-perfect game this Saturday to pull off a sixth win and become bowl eligible. The Knights are double-digit underdogs against a team that is far more talented and athletic, but history tells us, stranger things have happened on any given Saturday.