This is a weekly spotlight that highlights a trash football tradition of Ohio State’s upcoming opponent. This week, we’re looking at Big Ten punching bag Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights arguably have more tradition than any program in college football history.
That’s the case because Rutgers played in the first recognized college football game ever — a 6-4 victory over // checks notes // New Jersey (later known as some institution named Princeton). That game took place exactly 151 years ago today, on November 6, 1869.
As the eighth oldest university in America, Rutgers, which was largely independent last century, was a bit nomadic when it came to conference affiliation. It was a part of the Middle Three Conference following World War II, then they jumped to the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1958-61. The Scarlet Knights later hopped to the Atlantic-10 Conference between 1976-95 in all sports except football.
The football program joined the Big East in 1991 and was a member with them until joining the Big Ten in 2014.
Rutgers has had ups and downs during its football history. It went undefeated in 1961 and 1976, and it was in the thick of the national title race for most of a 2006 campaign that finished with an 11-2 record. But the Scarlet Knights also recorded 14 seasons that featured two or fewer victories since the turn of last century, eight of which have taken place in the last 25 years.
That’s a miserable stretch of inefficiency, but even still, Rutgers has a rich history of football tradition.
As previously mentioned, it was essentially the birthplace of college football as the first team to play in a recognized contest. Outside of that, Rutgers has its historic marching band, stadium chants, Scarlet Knight mascot (or knightess) and a pond on the university grounds that’s deemed one of the most romantic settings among colleges nationally.
There are several opportunities to roast Rutgers here, but one tradition stands above them all — and that’s the Scarlet Knight’s “Fire the Cannon,” tradition.
Tradition’s Origin
Back in 1976, a group of men who participate in Revolutionary War reenactments — led by Jack Nelson — took a four-pound cannon that was broken, fixed it up and tested out blank charges that consist of black powder wrapped in tin foil near the Rutgers university.
Then athletic director Fred Gruninger reportedly witnessed the event and was impressed enough to invite the group to dress up in their Revolutionary War attire to fire the cannon during home football games.
And that’s how a prized Rutgers tradition was born. Up until 2015, Nelson was still firing that cannon — when the band takes the field, at halftime, and whenever the Scarlet Knights put points on the board. No one has ever been injured by the cannon that shoots blanks, even though it produces a fire blast that can shoot up to 40 feet from the cannon.
And that brings us to the heart of the matter.
Why It’s Trash
| Year | Rank | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | No. 129 | 13.3 |
| 2018 | No. 130 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | No. 121 | 18 |
| 2016 | No. 127 | 15.7 |
Rutgers is bad. Its offense is bad. It doesn’t put a lot of points on the board, and this admittedly cool idea is underused because the team is trash.
In three of the last four years, the Scarlet Knights have either scored the fewest or second-fewest amount of points in the country.
The numbers take you back to Ohio State’s first ever trip to Rutgers in 2015. The top-ranked Buckeyes completely dominated the game, scoring 49 consecutive points before the Scarlet Knights got off the mat. Ohio State out-gained Rutgers 528-293, and it wasn’t until the backups got in that the Scarlet Knights put any points on the board.
With 13 seconds remaining, Andre Patton caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Rettig, making it a 49-7 final to avoid the shutout. It resulted in the saddest cannon fire that was openly laughed at by the broadcast.
When the Buckeyes returned to New Jersey two years later, they blanked Rutgers 56-0.
To their credit, the Scarlet Knights look better this year. The return of program savior Greg Schiano produced an immediate victory in Rutgers’ season-opener — a 38-27 decision over Michigan State that suddenly looks much better after the Spartans upset Michigan last Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights also put up a good fight against an Indiana team that checked in at No. 13 in this week’s AP Poll.
Schiano has a chance to save this tradition, but over the last four years, it’s been more embarrassing than anything else.
