Rutgers and Army will compete in the first college football game between Football Bowl Subdivision members at the New Meadowlands Stadium, Rutgers director of intercollegiate athletics Tim Pernetti and New Meadowlands Stadium Company president and chief executive officer Mark Lamping have announced.
The Scarlet Knights will meet the Black Knights on Oct. 16, 2010, for the 37th matchup between the teams and their 10th game in the Meadowlands.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Rutgers and we are thankful to our friends at the New Meadowlands Stadium Corporation along with the Jets and Giants for their partnership," said Pernetti. "We have witnessed first-hand the construction of the New Meadowlands Stadium and we are looking forward to competing during the inaugural season at the state-of-the-art facility."
Rutgers has played more games at the Meadowlands than any other collegiate team. The Scarlet Knights are 20-28 all-time at the Meadowlands, and played their entire 1993 home schedule in East Rutherford while Rutgers Stadium was being renovated.
"The Meadowlands and Rutgers have enjoyed a long history, and we are pleased to continue with the tradition," said Lamping. "The New Meadowlands Stadium was designed to offer fans the ultimate football experience, and we look forward to providing fans of Rutgers and college football with an unforgettable gameday."
Rutgers defeated Columbia, 47-0, on Oct. 23, 1976, in the first collegiate football game played at the Meadowlands. The Scarlet Knights also defeated Colgate in the stadium's opening year in 1976 to finish a perfect 11-0 on the season.
Rutgers last played at the Meadowlands on Oct. 12, 1996, vs. Army. Rutgers and Army have met nine times in East Rutherford, the most games vs. any opponent for the Scarlet Knights, who have played 17 different opponents at the Meadowlands.
Upon completion, New Meadowlands Stadium will seat 82,500 fans, including 9,500 club seats and 222 luxury suites. It will be the third-largest stadium in the National Football League.
Inside the stadium, four 40x130-foot HD video replay boards will hang from each corner of the upper deck. Outside the stadium, fans will be treated to a 350,000-square-foot outdoor plaza filled with fan-centric activities and pregame entertainment zones. A signature amenity of the stadium will be the brand new rail line that will drop off passengers less than 100 feet from the stadium — the total trip from New York's Penn Station will take less than 20 minutes.
The new stadium will have wider concourses and more HD square footage than any other stadium in North America.
Ticket on-sale information will be released soon.
