1978 Garden State Bowl

American college football game December 2025 August 2023 1978 Garden State Bowl 1978 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Rutgers University Arizona State Sun Devils Arizona State University 9–2 8–3 Frank R. Burns Frank Kush 10 0 0 8 0 7 14 13 December 16 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey WR John Mistler (Arizona State) 33,402http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2011/Bowls.pdf Bowl/All-Star Game Records National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records 37 NCAA.org October 1, 2011 Yes The 1978 Garden State Bowl, part of the 1978 bowl game season, took place on December 16, 1978, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The competing teams were the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, which competed as a football independent, and the Arizona State Sun Devils, representing the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). In the inaugural edition of the Garden State Bowl, Arizona State came-from-behind to defeat Rutgers 34–18.Arizona State battles back to hand Rutgers a whippinghttp://www.houseofsparky.com/2012/12/25/3801396/asu-bowls-1978-garden-state-bowl-rutgers ASU Bowls: 1978 Garden State Bowl v. Rutgers 25 December 2012 Background This was the seventh bowl game of the decade for Arizona State, who had finished 3rd in the Pacific-10 Conference. Rutgers began their season with a loss to #3 Penn State 20-17. They did not lose another game for two months, winning nine straight games against teams in the area (such as Bucknell, Connecticut, and Columbia). They lost their final game to Colgate at home, but the Scarlet Knights were still invited to their first ever bowl game, played in their home state of New Jersey. Game summary Rutgers - Dorn 47 yard touchdown run (Startzell kick) Rutgers - Startzell 46 yard field goal Arizona State - Weathers 14 yard touchdown pass from Malone (Hicks kick) Arizona State - Mistler 26 yard touchdown pass from Malone (Hicks kick) Arizona State - DeFrance 53 yard touchdown pass from Malone (Hicks kick) Arizona State - Malone 1 yard touchdown run (Hicks kick) Rutgers - Blackwell 5 yard touchdown run (Blackwell pass to McMichael) Arizona State - Malone 4 yard touchdown run (kick failed) John Mistler caught 7 passes for 148 yards in an MVP effort as the Sun Devils pulled away in the second half.http://www.sundevilguides.com/football/files/assets/common/downloads/page0131.pdf Archived copy January 13, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170113170626/http://www.sundevilguides.com/football/files/assets/common/downloads/page0131.pdf January 13, 2017 dead Aftermath Rutgers was not invited to another bowl game until 2005, which coincidentally was against the Sun Devils. Arizona State did not reach a bowl game again until 1983. References Garden State Bowl Category:Garden State Bowl Category:Arizona State Sun Devils football bowl games Category:Rutgers Scarlet Knights football bowl games Garden State Bowl Category:December 1978 sports events in the United States