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It has been a long wait but the time has finally come.
Rutgers has announced that it will have 100% capacity at SHI Stadium when football begins in the fall.
We’re back! SHI Stadium will operate at 100% capacity for the 2021 season‼️
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) June 16, 2021
See you September 2nd, Rutgers Nation! #CHOP pic.twitter.com/RpPEJHkQYF
The Scarlet Knights open the season with a Thursday night battle against Temple on September 2 in Piscataway. This will be the first time that fans are allowed in the building since Greg Schiano returned as head coach.
Regulations in New Jersey regarding masks and capacity limits were recently lifted because of vaccination numbers around the state. With the season less than three months away, there is time to improve further and get fans back in the seats comfortably. Tailgating and game day traditions like the Scarlet Walk will be back as well.
This is something that we are seeing in other sports, including MLB and the NBA postseason. This also puts Rutgers on pace to get fans back in the RAC for basketball season.
In 2020, the Big Ten had a delayed start after initially cancelling the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They agreed on a schedule with strictly conference games for teams. The Scarlet Knights played nine Big Ten games in nine weeks and showed great improvement.
Rutgers finished the 2020 season with a 3-6 record with wins over Michigan State, Maryland, and Purdue. With non-conference games schedule against Temple, Syracuse, and Delaware, the Scarlet Knights could exceed that total in 2021 — and they will get an extra boost from their home crowd.