SHI Stadium

^{October 8, 2010
Rutgers Stadium (Capacity: 52,454)
Piscataway, NJ
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Connecticut Huskies
Final Score: 27 – 24}

* Rutgers Stadium has been renamed to SHI Stadium
** A revisit was made on September 27, 2024

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Within New Jersey, there is a definitive “North” and “South”, while “Central” is a source of argument as to where the vague line is (and if there is one). I argue that Middlesex County is in Central Jersey and that is where you can find the State University of New Jersey, better known as Rutgers. More specifically, the Piscataway-New Brunswick area is home to the sprawling campuses of the huge school, which has over 40,000 students. Football has a long history here, as it is known as the “Birthplace of College Football” since the first official game was Rutgers vs Princeton in 1869. Despite the deep history, much of it has been ugly as consistent success has often eluded the team. It was not until the 2000s when Greg Schiano took over, that things turned around. There was a run of five straight bowl appearances (4-1) and the most famous Knights season came in 2006. They went 11-2 that year and were undefeated late into the year as the home win over #3 Louisville was the defining game in the program’s history. Since moving to the Big Ten in 2014, it’s been an uphill climb as the team hasn’t come close to a conference .500 record in the first decade. My two visits were eerily similar as they both came on a Friday Night in their first conference game of the season with Schiano as coach (2010 first stint and 2024 in his second go around). Rutgers Stadium was built in 1994 and underwent a ridiculously expensive $102 million expansion in 2008-2009. Subsequent corporate name changes have followed. Overall, it’s a nice facility that proudly displays the team red colors.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5

Location

The Stadium sits near the banks of the Raritan River in Piscataway Township on the Busch Campus (there are four separate campuses in the area). While Piscataway acts more suburban, a few miles away just across the river is downtown New Brunswick. This city features corporate headquarters, a state theatre and a mix of bars and diverse restaurants. Given parking and proximity to the stadium, it’s not really worth the time or effort to explore before the game. Gone are the days of nearby Grease Trucks at Rutgers offering a “Fat Sandwich”, however the school has created “The Rutgers Boardwalk” along a road outside the stadium for each home game. The aim is to replicate entertainment along the Jersey Shore and they do a good job as there are rides, games (both free!) and a stage for music. Family entertainment and Food Trucks enhance the scene and it’s worth coming early to check it out.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

The area sits between I-287 and I-95 with Route 18 or River Road being the connections. It’s not too difficult to traverse the area, but congestion can certainly occur given the population in the region. Driving in for Saturday games isn’t terrible, while a weeknight game can expect a lot of slowdowns. There isn’t a “best” option for parking as numerous choices have their drawbacks, whether it’s proximity to the stadium or quality. Many of the lot names are colors and it is not clear if these are public / pay on day of game (turns out they generally are). Johnson Park is the closest and most popular, especially with tailgaters, just be aware that the grassy lots are not open during wet weather and it is a pain to get out after the game. Other spots require a shuttle, including using the lot at Jersey Mike’s Arena or parking in downtown New Brunswick (this is also where NJ Transit has a train station). My choice for the 2024 game was Parking Lot A off Hoes Lane. It was $30 and a 25-30 minute walk to the stadium. Not ideal, but it was the more straight forward and least traffic resistance for the exit to River Road and then I-287.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 3.5 out of 8

Exterior

Each side has a different look, making for a rather disjointed set-up. The main visual for the stadium comes from the south endzone. This is where the back of the scoreboard is and unfortunately they replaced the huge red “R” from my first visit with the corporate stadium name. Fans can also see the back of the recruiting lounge/welcome center with various steel beams and two enclosed stairwells designed with brown brick. The stadium is built on a hill, so the south end zone exterior seems several stories up, but the north end is much shorter (like only ~10 feet). That end has more character with red walls and a similarly colored diagonal roof. The west side is just stadium beam guts, while the east side features an attached building in the Hale Center. No fans enter into this training and office building for the football program.
Exterior Ranking: 4 out of 10

Concourse

The best feature is the large open-air section behind the student section in the south end zone. This gives a more breathable space for concessions, bathrooms and general movement as the enclosed sideline areas can be tight. Here, the covered areas feature a mix of overhanging beams, gray walls and occasional red paint. It was odd because I saw port-a-potties in spite of seeming like there were enough bathrooms. Then I went during the 2nd quarter and saw why the temporary toilets were there because the lines were loooooonnnng. On the positive, there are walkways just above the lower seats instead of traditional concourse openings. Ramps lead to the upper deck, which have concourses, concessions and cover so you don’t have to go back downstairs. Leaving at the end of the game is a penguin walk.
Concourse Ranking: 3 out of 5

Food

Plenty of food trucks can be found outside the stadium, while inside, the food variety is pretty good for football. I love the local flavor and a stand called “Jersey Eats” is highlighted by a Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese Sandwich, something ubiquitous across this part of the state. Livoti’s Italian Bites was tempting, while I opted for a satisfying Cuban Sandwich courtesy of La Cocina (Newark). Other food features included Mexican, BBQ, Pizza and Various Sweets. Beer was impressive too with plenty of choices from the Garden State. The team oriented drink “On The Banks” comes from Twin Elephant Brewing in Chatham.
Food Ranking: 7 out of 8

Interior

Originally, Rutgers Stadium was a horseshoe design with an open, grassy area, however renovations closed off the end zone with seating. The stadium’s first level completely surrounds the field with even amounts of seating. Benches are surprisingly wide and the pitch is of average depth as heads don’t get in the way of the playing field. Students sit/stand in the south end zone and smack dab in the middle of that area is a lounge from the Welcome Center that allows personnel to watch the game with outdoor tables. This is such an odd place for that as it interrupts the student section. Moving to the sidelines, there is no curve to the bowl, leading to several parts of this seating area where if you looked straight ahead, the view was the back of the end zone. Built way up top on the sidelines, is a slightly overhanging second deck. This is a very steep section that runs along the sideline and even though I like an upper deck, these sections are too high and far from the field. The first couple rows also have occasional railing seat obstructions. The height is a result of the press box (on one side) and the Rutgers Stadium Club (other side) being located between the decks of seating. The latter features covered outdoor seating and other inside features, thus making it so big that the upper deck ends up being high. Up top, you can peer outside of the stadium and see the RU practice bubble and an open landscape view on the other side. One thing I love is all the red paint, especially behind the end zones in the back of concourse buildings. It really gives the stadium some character.
Interior Ranking: 6.5 out of 14

Scoreboard

The rectangular scoreboard above the south end is sized really well and the clarity is excellent. During the game, they unfortunately throw side panel ads up there and that shrinks the video size. At least the video is a frequent displayer of replays, even when not favorable for the home side. The ads really stink because stats are few and far between as only an out-of-town scoreboard is permanently displayed. Also, the score and time is on a ribbon of club seating façade below, so it becomes difficult to train your eyes to look there. At the other end is a very simple score display.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4

Displays

Up on the hill by where I suppose you could say the Main Entrance is, is the “First Game” statue. This honors Rutgers having played in the first college football game with a large bronzed statue of a player. The team walks between the hedges and touches the statue on their way into the stadium. Also in this area is a plaque for Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy. The outside of the stadium is where most of the displays are as the nearby practice field has a wall honoring former top football members, while the entrance grounds has an impressive statue of the horse “Victory” with the Knight riding it. Inside, you’ll see a visual of Rutgers’ alums that have won a Super Bowl title. The lack of bowl appearance displays or anything resembling team achievement is disappointing.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6

Cost

Interestingly, the first game I went to in 2010 featured every ticket the same price ($50). It was weird seeing such a big facility have the same price point whether in the upper deck corner or lower 50-yard line. That of course changed for the second visit with price hikes not obscene. For a regular game, the upper deck and end zone / corners range from $35 – $55. Lower-level between the 20s goes for $90. For bigger named opponents, it’s a $20 increase. These overall costs are in the lower half in comparison with the rest of the Big Ten. You can usually find some deals and reduce the ticket price via the secondary market unless they’re playing a Penn State or Michigan. Parking costs were unknown…not displayed on the website nor before you pulled in. I paid $30 for my distant Lot A. Concessions were expensive: $11 for a cheeseburger, $8 for an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel and ~$14 for a 19oz beer.
Cost Ranking: 5.5 out of 8

Fan Support

Generally, I’ve been impressed with the support for Rutgers given what the product on the field usually is and that they sit in an area that is more of a pro sports mindset. There is certainly a desire to have a good team and there is a palpable buzz when that happens like in the early 2000s or any sniff of a decent start to the year during the Big Ten days. Of course, having a huge alumni base helps. Despite my perception, the numbers and in-stadium look doesn’t necessarily back that up. When I first came in 2010, not long after a renovation increased seating capacity, only two out of the first eleven games were sellouts. In 2024, Rutgers entered at 4-0 for a Friday Primetime contest and the game was deceptively announced as a “sellout”. My eyes didn’t tell me that as while the lower level was mostly full with just sporadic empties, both upper decks featured a ton of open seats (maybe 60% worth?). At least both games featured a huge student section. The contest ended up being close and while the 11:35 PM finish wasn’t ideal, plenty made their way to the exits before the final whistle. An open-records request from the 2023 season showed Rutgers had a turnstile attendance average of 28,869 fans per game, good for around 10th in the then 14-team Big Ten.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8

Atmosphere

2010 was decent, while in 2024, the place turned into a giant party. That was the vibe the team presented and I’m sure being a Nationally Televised Friday Night game helped proceedings. Lots of music as opposed to band and they played many new and old hits that folks can sing along to. Near midfield, fans stood for a lot of the game and the noise overall was great as the crowd responded when necessary. Several points were loud and roars for key plays were solid, though not top tier. Rutgers impressed on a big stage with a worthy atmosphere, just note that not all conference games are set-up like this (two weeks later vs Wisconsin, it was a toned down noon game in front of a smaller crowd). Traditions are aplenty at Rutgers as prior to kickoff, the team entrance is capped off by the Scarlet Knight mascot riding a horse onto the field. Great stuff. This night game in 2024 had tons of fireworks and they parlayed that into jacking up the crowd with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” heading into the 4th Quarter. From the fans, the most popular battle cry is a long-winded yell of “R” from the students and then “U” from the rest of the stadium. They also join in towards the end of the fight song with: “R-U Rah-rah, R-U rah-rah, Hoo-rah, Hoo-rah…”. After a touchdown, a Revolutionary War style cannon goes off and startles the unprepared.
Atmosphere Ranking: 11 out of 14

Other Stuff

Why Rutgers and not New Jersey State University? The school was named after philanthropist and war hero, Colonel Henry Rutgers. It’s one of the very few FBS teams that doesn’t have the city or state in their name…..Following a parade and pep rally along the Rutgers Boardwalk, the team makes their way to the stadium in a tradition known as the “Scarlet Walk”…..During Greg Schiano’s first stint as coach during the early 2000s, his mantra was “Keep Choppin'” as in chopping wood / working hard. It resonated, even to the point where the team would come over to a corner after their opening entrance and chop piece of wood. The saying still lives and “Chop” signs are in reference to that.

Game (Initial Visit)

After Rutgers went up 7-0, UConn ran the kickoff back 100 yards to tie it up. The Knights were able to come back and go up 17-7, before the Huskies ran off seventeen straight, thanks in large part to Jordan Todman (who finished with 123 yards rushing). After the 24-17 lead held up through the 3rd, Rutgers rattled off a long drive only to get stuffed on 4th down at the UConn 12. The defense played great and Rutgers got the ball back as freshman QB Chas Dodd hit a 52 yard bomb on the second option of a screen play to tie the game with 3:53 left. After another defensive stand and another long Dodd pass, Rutgers kicked the game-winning field goal with 13 seconds left and won 27-24. Dodd was terrific in his first start, going 18/29 for 322 yards.  

Stadium Experience Ranking: 62 out of 100