1958 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 1958 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team was an American football team that represented Rutgers University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1958 college football season. In their third season under head coach John Stiegman, the Scarlet Knights compiled an 8–1 record, outscored their opponents 301 to 77, won the MAC championship, and were ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll.^[1] Rutgers narrowly failed to achieve a perfect season, missing two attempts for a two-point conversion in a 13–12 loss to the Quantico Marines.^[2]

1958 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
MAC University Division champion Middle Three champion
Conference	Middle Atlantic Conference, Middle Three Conference
Division	University Division
Ranking
AP	No. 20
Record	8–1 (4–0 MAC, 2–0 Middle Three)
Head coach	John Stiegman (3rd season)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium
Seasons ← 1957 1959 →

1958 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
University Division
No. 20 Rutgers x	4	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Lafayette	5	–	1	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Gettysburg	3	–	1	–	1			7	–	1	–	1
Lehigh	2	–	1	–	2			3	–	3	–	3
Delaware	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Bucknell	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Temple	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	8	–	0
Muhlenberg *	1	–	2	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Northern College Division
Juniata x	6	–	0	–	0			7	–	0	–	1
Lycoming	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Lebanon Valley	3	–	1	–	1			4	–	3	–	1
Susquehanna	3	–	2	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Moravian	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Wagner	3	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Dickinson	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Albright	2	–	4	–	1			2	–	6	–	1
Wilkes	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Scranton *	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Southern College Division
Pennsylvania Military x	7	–	1	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Johns Hopkins	5	–	1	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Haverford	4	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Western Maryland	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Swarthmore	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Drexel	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Ursinus	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	8	–	0
West Chester *	1	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Franklin & Marshall *	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games Rankings from AP Poll

1958 NCAA University Division independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Army			–					8	–	0	–	1
No. 6 Air Force			–					9	–	0	–	2
No. 9 Syracuse			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Oklahoma State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	3	–	0
Florida State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross			–					6	–	3	–	0
Navy			–					6	–	3	–	0
Penn State			–					6	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Notre Dame			–					6	–	4	–	0
Pacific (CA)			–					6	–	4	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					5	–	4	–	1
Detroit			–					4	–	4	–	1
Boston University			–					4	–	5	–	0
San Jose State			–					4	–	5	–	0
Texas Tech			–					3	–	7	–	0
Marquette			–					2	–	7	–	1
Drake			–					2	–	7	–	0
Dayton			–					2	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					2	–	8	–	0
Colgate			–					1	–	8	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Fullback Bill Austin led the team with 747 rushing yards, set a new Rutgers single-game record with 189 yards against Bucknell and scored five touchdowns and two extra points against Columbia. At the end of the season, he was selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a first-team back on the 1958 All-America college football team.^[3]

Other statistical leaders included Bruce Webster with 513 passing yards and end Bob Simms with 468 receiving yards.^[4] Guard Larry Muchiatti received third-team honors from the AP on the 1958 All-Eastern football team.^[5]

In the first year of football competition for the MAC, Rutgers was undefeated against University Division opponents. The Scarlet Knights also went 2–0 against the Middle Three, beating both Lafayette and Lehigh.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 27	at Princeton*	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 28–0	26,000	[6]
October 4	at Colgate*	Colgate Athletic Field Hamilton, NY	W 21–7	6,500	[7]
October 11	Richmond*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 23–12	10,000	[8]
October 18	Bucknell	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 57–12	20,000	[9]
October 25	at Lehigh	Taylor Stadium Behtlehem, PA	W 44–13	8,500	[10]
November 1	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 37–20	8,600	[11]
November 8	Lafayette	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 18–0	21,000	[12]
November 15	Quantico Marines*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 12–13	10,000	[13]
November 22	Columbia*	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 43–2	20,000	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming