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1978 college football

1978 Clemson Football: The Tigers Get Back On The Map

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Clemson football had been in a funk for about a decade. The great Frank Howard had built the program to greatness in the mid-20th century, but the end of his career in the 1960s was marked by a slow decline. Two successors tried to achieve a restoration, but more mediocrity followed. Then Charley Pell arrived and in 1977 the Tigers got back on the map with an 8-2-1 season and Gator Bowl bid. 

1978 Clemson football built on that success, winning the school’s first ACC championship in eleven years, finishing in the Top 10 and setting the stage for even bigger wins in the years to come.

The Last Golden Age - Lou Holtz Notre Dame Years

Clemson was loaded with talent offensively. Steve Fuller, a future quarterback for Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears won the ACC MVP award in 1978. Fuller’s 54% completion rate was good by the standards of the late 1970s. He generated 8.1 yards-per-attempt and was a threat with his legs, running for 649 yards. 

Lester Brown led the way for a potent running attack, going over the 1,000-yard threshold. Marvin Sims was a good change of pace in the backfield, adding 658 yards. Both Brown and Sims went for five yards a pop. 

The receivers were even better. Dwight Clark, a future mainstay of the great San Francisco 49ers teams of the 1980s, was on one side. And he wasn’t even the best wideout. Jerry Butler was Fuller’s top target, catching 58 passes for over 900 yards. Butler was chosen fifth overall in the NFL draft the following spring. 

Need more? Joe Bostic, a future member of the great Washington Redskins’ offensive lines under Joe Gibbs, was at guard. There was a solid linebacker corps of Bubba Brown, Randy Scott and Jon Brooks. Steve Ryan and Rex Varn were ballhawks in the secondary, picking off four passes each. Clemson finished sixth in the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense. 

The strong 1977 campaign earned Clemson a preseason ranking at #18, but the Tigers were out of the polls by the time they played their first game on September 16, a 58-0 beatdown of the Citadel. 

A visit to Georgia was next, a battle between two teams headed for good seasons, but currently unnoticed by the pollsters. When Clemson was shut out 12-0, it seemed to validate that the Tiger program was not ready for prime-time. 

The schedule softened up in the weeks ahead and Clemson got back on their feet with easy wins over Villanova and Virginia Tech (then an independent). They opened up ACC play with easy wins over Virginia and Duke, both conference cellar-dwellers. By the end of the four-game win streak, Clemson was back in the polls at #20. 

In late October came a visit to N.C. State. The Wolfpack had one of the country’s top running backs in Ted Brown and were one of three viable contenders for the conference championship, along with Clemson and Maryland. The Tiger defense did a number on the Pack, while the offense pounded out over 200 yards rushing. Clemson’s 33-10 win moved them to #16. 

There were still two games to play before a November 18 visit to Maryland. The first one against lowly Wake was easy enough, a 51-6 win. But a home game with mediocre North Carolina nearly spoiled the Tiger season. 

The Clemson offense was flat and trailed 9-6 early in the fourth quarter. Fuller got things going with a 24-yard pass to Butler. Brown ripped off a 21-yard run. Brown then finished off the 80-yard drive with a one-yard plunge to get a 13-9 lead. The Tar Heels came driving back in the final two minutes, but Bubba Brown sealed the win with an interception at the Tiger 29. They had survived. 

Now it was showdown time. Clemson was ranked #12, Maryland was at #11. Both were undefeated in conference play and both had just one loss overall. Even though the ACC was not seen as a top-tier conference, this game had national attention. 

It was worthy of the stakes. Maryland blocked a punt in the first half and took a 14-7 lead into intermission. Then the big plays erupted. 

Fuller hit Butler on an 87-yard touchdown strike to tie the game in the third quarter. Maryland got a big play of their own, a 98-yard run from Steve Atkins. Clemson pulled back even when Clark caught a 62-yard touchdown pass. It was 21-all. 

Each team had one more good drive in them. The difference is that Clemson finished theirs, with a five-yard touchdown run from Brown while the Terps settled for a field goal. The Tigers hung on 28-24. They were rewarded with another Gator Bowl invite and moved into the Top 10. Clemson closed the year with a 41-23 win over mediocre South Carolina.

By the time the Gator Bowl arrived, Clemson had a new coach. Pell’s success got him the opening at Florida and Danny Ford was promoted from within. They were also ranked #7 and hoping to validate their season with a big win in a bowl game that was just one step below the majors. 

Ohio State was the opponent. It had not been a vintage year for the Buckeyes, who ended up 8-3 under the legendary head coach Woody Hayes. They were ranked #20. But the game was still a terrific opportunity for Clemson, playing a marquee opponent on a Friday night and ABC having the great Keith Jackson on hand to call the game. 

The Buckeyes controlled the first quarter but only produced three points. The Tigers got their offense going in the second quarter and went ahead 7-3. They took a 10-9 lead into the locker room. Late in the third quarter, Clemson extended the lead to 17-9. 

Ohio State rallied. They scored a touchdown with eight minutes left, but Clemson was able to stop the two-point conversion and keep a 17-15 lead. Late in the game, they had the ball at the Buckeye 40 and faced a third down. Fuller ran the option. He tried to force a pitch when none was there. The ball came loose and Ohio State recovered. 

That fumble set in motion the historic chain of events that has defined this game. Ohio State moved just outside the Clemson 20-yard line and was certainly in position to win the game with a field goal. But kicking games weren’t as reliable then as they are now, so the Buckeyes’ decision to keep throwing the football was not surprising. 

Clemson nose tackle Charlie Baum sniffed out a screen, dropped into coverage and made an interception. He ran out of bounds at the Ohio State sideline. An enraged Hayes hauled off and punched Baum. It’s understandable that the punch, which led to Hayes’ dismissal in the days after the game is what lives on in memory. 

But it shouldn’t be forgotten what a good football game this was or what the win meant to the Clemson program. They were on the map. This was the first of six bowl wins for Ford and he won five ACC championships in his own right. And just three years later, in 1981, Clemson shocked the college football world by winning the national championship. 

Drama On The Goal Line: The Narrative Of The 1978 College Football Season

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The 1978 college football season is remembered for a controversial split national championship, the continued frustration of one great coach and the sad ending for another. But above all, 1978 was about four games–one in the regular season and three in the bowls–that were defined by drama on the goal line. In this article we’ll take a look back on the road traveled to those four threshold games and the ultimate conclusion of this year in college football. 

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Alabama was ranked #1 in the preseason polls, with a balanced rushing attack led by Tony Nathan and Major Ogilvie, who were the SEC’s top two backs in yards-per-attempt. Quarterback Jeff Rutledge didn’t have to throw a lot, but he had a long NFL future ahead of him and was effective when he had to be. Rutledge’s 13 touchdown passes led the SEC in 1978.

Defensively, Alabama was anchored by defensive tackle Marty Lyons and linebacker Barry Krauss, each of whom made All-American. Cornerback Don McNeal would soon be an NFL starter on a Super Bowl team with the Miami Dolphins.

The Crimson Tide finished #2 in 1977, and felt they had been robbed in the voting. Bear Bryant’s program was aiming for its first national title since 1965.

USC was ranked #9 to start the season and the Trojans were looking for a bounceback year after a four-loss campaign in ‘77. They had a great tailback in Charles White. 

White would gain over 1,800 yards in 1978,  and set the stage for his Heisman winning season a year later. Lynn Cain was the backup, and with 977 yards of his own, Cain was still more productive than almost all of the starting backs around the country. All-American guard Pat Howell was the anchor of the offensive line that kept clearing the way.

The lefty quarterback,  Paul McDonald, had a 19/7 TD-INT ratio, both exceptional numbers in this time period. Prior to 1977’s hiccup, USC had been to the Rose Bowl four times in five years and won three of those games. They were favored to return to Pasadena this time around. 

Penn State produced unbeaten but uncrowned teams in 1968, 1969 and 1973 under the leadership of Joe Paterno. Much to the chagrin of the Nittany Lions, their rival Pitt was honored with a national title after a perfect season in 1976. After two years out of the major bowl picture, Paterno’s team was ready to return to the national stage.

The Nittany Lions had a ferocious defensive line, led by Bruce Clark and Matt Millen. Millen would later convert to being an effective NFL linebacker and after that convert to being the worst general manager in the history of the NFL with the Detroit Lions. But that was for down the road. 

In the meantime, another future pro, Rich Milot, was at linebacker. And Pete Harris, the younger brother of Steeler/Penn State legend Franco Harris, intercepted ten passes in the secondary.

The Lions were no less stout on the offensive side of the trenches, with All-American tackle Keith Dorney, a top 10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft, and guard Eric Cunningham, who also chosen early in the draft.

Paterno was renowned for his conservative offenses, but Chuck Fusina put the ball up 242 times in 1978, a lot for a good team in that era and Fusina was a consensus All-American who finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting. 

The backfield combined the speed for Booker Moore with the power of Matt Suhey.  Penn State came into the season with high expectations, ranked #3 in the preseason poll.

The Big Eight was the organizational forerunner of today’s Big 12 and Oklahoma and Nebraska were its flagship programs. 

Both offenses were built on the ground game, but OU’s went to an extreme. The wishbone attack, best compared to the read-option offenses of the 21st century, but with three backs in the backfield, churned out big plays. Billy Sims ran for over 1,700 yards, led the Big Eight in rushing by over 600 yards and won the 1978 Heisman Trophy.

Kenny King, a future NFL starter, was the #2 back. He and quarterback Thomas Lott each finished in the conference’s top 10 in rushing yardage. Lott threw only 55 passes all season, and backup J.C. Watts only threw 38.

Nebraska ran a power-I formation that relied on a great offensive line and backs who could read holes. Rick Berns and I.M. Hipp each went for over 1,000 yards and finished 3-4 among the conference rush leaders. Thus did the Sooners and Cornhuskers have half of the Big Eight’s ten most productive runners.

All-Americans dotted the lineups elsewhere, from OU linebacker George Cumby to Nebraska tight end Junior Miller to Sooner kicker Uwe von Schamann. 

Oklahoma was ranked fourth to start the year, while Nebraska was 10th. The two programs were loaded for bear and eyeing their November 11 date in Lincoln.

Notre Dame was the defending national champion and had a senior quarterback by the name of Joe Montana at the helm. In 1978, even with the graduation of All-American tight end Ken McAfee, Montana  threw for over 2,000 yards,. The offensive line was anchored by All-American center Dave Huffman, and behind it, Vagas Ferguson ran for over 1,100 yards and Jerome Heavens added 721 more.

The defense coped with the loss of Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, but still had All-American linebacker Bob Golic. Expectations were appropriately high in South Bend with a preseason #5 ranking.

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The first big game of the year came on September 2 when Alabama hosted Nebraska. The Tide spotted the Cornhuskers a 3-0 lead and then started taking over in the second quarter. ‘Bama drove 99 yards for the lead touchdown. They outrushed the powerful Cornhuskers 264-110, forced four turnovers and won the football game 20-3.

One week later, the national landscape got its first major alteration.  Notre Dame dropped its opener at home to Missouri, getting shut out in a 3-0 game. The Tigers had a good program, one that would be bowl-bound at season’s end in an era when qualifying for a bowl was a legitimate accomplishment. And it wouldn’t be the last time Mizzou would be on the scene, as they seemed to play most every notable national contender. 

Alabama would be one of those contenders on September 16 and even though Missouri moved the ball on ‘Bama, they couldn’t contain the Tide’s offense. Bear Bryant’s team won 38-28 to keep its spot at the top of the polls. 

Meanwhile, another Top 10 showdown was on deck in the Rustbelt. Ohio State was ranked #6 and, along with Michigan, were in the Top 10. These two proud rivals were expected to dominate the Big Ten. Alas, 1978 would not be a vintage year for the Buckeyes. They matched up with Penn State and lost 19-0. 

Two marquee games were on deck for September 23.  Notre Dame hosted Michigan. The two schools renewed their rivalry in 1978 and this year marked the beginning of a long September tradition of this being one of college football’s first big games on the calendar.

Michigan had a good backfield. Harlan Huckleby and Russell Davis combined to rush for nearly 1,500 yards. And they had a versatile quarterback in Rick Leach who ran for 683 yards of his own, while throwing 17 touchdowns against just six interceptions. 

Notre Dame was desperate and Leach hadn’t practiced during the week due to an injury. He started poorly, completing just 3/14 passes in the first half and the Irish took a 14-7 lead. Leach came out of the locker room warned by head coach Bo Schembecler that he was on a tight leash. 

Michigan turned it around—an interception set up the tying touchdown, Leach threw a 40-yard touchdown pass and outplayed Joe Montana in the second half of a 28-14 win. The loss sent Notre Dame plummeting from the land of the ranked and all but ensured there would be a new national champion. The Wolverines had every reason to hope that the new champion would be them.  

But that wasn’t the biggest game on September 23. The big one came down in Tuscaloosa, where Alabama was hosting USC. The previous year, the Trojans’ downhill spiral began with a home loss to the Tide and now it was time for payback. USC got it.

The game was tight in the fourth quarter, with USC leading 10-7. But the normally stingy Tide defense was vulnerable to the attack led by White and McDonald. The quarterback led consecutive fourth quarter touchdown drives that all but put the game away. The USC defense collected four turnovers in the fourth quarter alone and won 24-14. 

The Trojans were moved up to #2 in the polls. Alabama fell to #7. Oklahoma was the new #1. 

Oklahoma’s first test as the top-ranked team came when they played Missouri to close September and the Sooners rolled to a 45-23 win. Meanwhile, a rising independent in Florida State, led by a young head coach named Bobby Bowden had reached #10 in the polls. But the Seminoles were exposed in a 27-21 loss to a Houston team that we haven’t seen the last of. 

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There was no rest for the Sooners. The traditional battle with Texas was up on October 7. The Longhorns had gone undefeated in 1977 before laying an egg against Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. UT was ranked #6 for this game. But they would be no match for Oklahoma. 

Sims set the tone of the Red River War early, with an 18-yard touchdown run. He ran for 131 yards on the day and the Sooners overall rushed for 311 yards. They led 17-3 at half, 24-3 in the third quarter and were never threatened in a 31-10 win.

October was a tough month for Rose Bowl organizers. With both USC and Michigan in the top five, they had reason to be dreaming of a national championship showdown. But both lost on October 14.

Michigan lost 24-15 to Michigan State. The Spartans were a good team, with future baseball star Kirk Gibson at wide receiver. But Sparty was also on probation and ineligible to win the Big Ten. That would save Michigan’s Rose Bowl hopes by year’s end. 

USC did not play well in a 20-7 loss to unranked Arizona State. Meanwhile, Notre Dame was starting to show signs of life. They won their third straight game, this one a 26-17 decision over ninth-ranked Pitt. The Irish still had hopes of a major bowl and they still had a date with the Trojans ahead in November. 

The Southwest Conference–whose teams would merge with the Big Eight in the mid-1990s to form the Big 12–was where the action was. Arkansas had opened the season #2 in the polls. Texas and Texas A&M were each  in the Top 10. 

But Houston was the SWC team that emerged in October. They blanked the Aggies 33-0. After Arkansas lost to Texas, the Cougars finished off Lou Holtz’s Razorbacks with an impressive 20-9 win on October 28. The calendar would turn to November with Houston and Texas leading the fight for what was an automatic Cotton Bowl bid.

November opened with a showdown in the East. Penn State was still undefeated and now ranked #2. They nailed fifth-ranked Maryland 27-3. The national championship picture looked clear. 

The Big Eight had an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl, who could pair up #1 Oklahoma and #2 Penn State, who was an independent (the Lions did not join the Big Ten until 1993). And with Nebraska at #4, the Orange Bowl had a fallback in place–even if the Cornhuskers knocked off the Sooners, a Nebraska-Penn State game would be no less compelling. 

That was the national landscape on November 11 when Oklahoma visited Nebraska, and where the drama on the goal-line got started. 

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Nebraska had been steadily gaining steam since the season-opening loss at Alabama and a less-than-impressive win over Cal that briefly knocked the Cornhuskers from the Top 10. But Oklahoma was a big thorn in the side of Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne. He was 0-5 against the Sooners and even though his tenure had been a clear success, including major bowl victories, it wouldn’t be complete until he could beat OU. 

It didn’t start well. Sims again looked to set the tone of a big game, bolting 44 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. But a turnover, when Lott’s pitch on the option went awry, set up Nebraska for the tying touchdown. It would prove to be a pattern—the Sooners fumbled nine times on this day and the Cornhuskers recovered six of them.

The game was tied 14-14 early in the fourth quarter when Nebraska got a field goal that marked their first fourth quarter points against Oklahoma since 1971. 

OU still drove down to the three-yard line with less than five minutes left and looked ready to win it. In a fitting conclusion, Sims fumbled on the goal line, the Huskers recovered and the Orange Bowl bid was theirs.

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The Nebraska win also opened the door for arguments. On the same day, Alabama delivered an impressive 31-10 knockout of 10th-ranked LSU. The Tide was #3 coming in and with a win over the Cornhuskers could argue they deserved the crack against Penn State, which would come in the Sugar Bowl. 

And what about USC, ranked #5 and with a head-to-head win on the road at Alabama? With the Trojans tied to the Rose Bowl, they couldn’t play Penn State or impact the bowl matchups, but USC could certainly make its case on the field and in the media. They did the former in a big way on November 11, beating #19 and defending league champ Washington 28-10. 

Nor could you rule out Houston. The Cougars beat Texas 10-7 to take control of the race for the Cotton Bowl. Houston was #8 coming into the day and with chaos starting to break loose, they had their own case to make. 

When the ensuing polls came out, Penn State was predictably #1. Nebraska got the nod for #2. Everything was in place for a clean-cut finish to the season in the Orange Bowl. Or so it appeared. 

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Another order of business remained for Nebraska—a home game with pesky Missouri one week later. The Tigers were not only an eight-win team and bowl-bound themselves, but they had two future NFL stars—running back James Wilder and eventual Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. Osborne was worried and he had every reason to be.

The Cornhuskers got the game off to a strong start, when Berns romped 82 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play. Berns would run for 255 yards, a single-game Nebraska record and he also became the program’s all-time rushing leader. But what should have been a day of celebration—the records and an outright Big Eight title–went off the rails.

After leading 21-7, the Nebraska defense couldn’t contain Wilder, who scored four touchdowns on the day. Winslow caught a TD pass and Missouri pulled a 35-31 upset. 

In the meantime, Oklahoma was taking out its frustrations by scoring 62 points against Oklahoma State. The Sooners and Huskers were co-champs of the Big Eight. Nebraska still had the automatic bid to the Orange Bowl by virtue of the head-to-head win, but now the question of whom to invite loomed. 

Penn State was redirected to the Sugar Bowl, where Alabama was moved back up to #2. The Orange Bowl Committee, in a decision that justifiably enraged Nebraska, decided to invite Oklahoma and create a rematch.

Other bowl invitations were falling into place. Notre Dame was up to #10 in the polls and a 38-21 win over #20 Georgia Tech sealed a second straight Cotton Bowl invite, even though the Irish had another game at USC still ahead. 

Meanwhile, Danny Ford had an emerging force in Clemson. The Tigers were up to #12 in the polls and they knocked off Maryland 28-24. Clemson would finish the season 10-1. They would have been a better choice for the Orange Bowl as an opponent for Nebraska. Oklahoma could have been sent to the Cotton Bowl to play Houston where the Cougars were up to #5. 

At the very least, Notre Dame’s major bowl invite could have been made conditional on the results at USC.  But bowl politics then make today look like a golden age, and there was no way Clemson was getting anywhere on New Year’s Day ahead of the Sooners or Fighting Irish. The Tigers would accept a bid to the Gator Bowl–where they would be a part of some unfortunate college football history. 

There was never a debate about the Rose Bowl, with the Pac-10 and Big Ten comfortably locked in. USC took care of their business, although it wasn’t easy.The Trjoans jumped out a 17-0 lead on UCLA, with McDonald throwing a pair of a second-quarter touchdown passes. 

But the Bruins fought back and with five minutes left had closed to 17-10. Robinson gave the ball to White and the great running back took matters into his own hands, salting the game and the Rose Bowl trip away. And Nebraska’s loss meant the national title was back in play, as the Trojans awaited Notre Dame. 

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There were three big games for Thanksgiving weekend. Penn State had one more hurdle to clear against #15 Pitt on Friday. Saturday would feature a marquee doubleheader, starting with Michigan-Ohio State and ending with Notre Dame-USC. 

Pitt’s program was “in-between”, with Tony Dorsett being gone and Dan Marino not yet there, but they were a good team that had won eight games. And with 5:20 left in the game, Pitt led 10-7. 

Penn State faced a fourth-and-2 on the Pitt 4-yard line. Paterno eschewed going for a tie. It was probably a wise move. The Lions didn’t get any slack from the pollsters and even with being the only undefeated team in the country, a tie would risk dropping them behind any or all of Alabama, USC, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and preventing the Lions from controlling their national championship fate.

Paterno gave the football to fullback Mike Guman, a decision that would foreshadow one coming on New Year’s Day. Guman delivered with a touchdown run. Milot then intercepted a pass to set up a clinching field goal from All-American kicker Matt Bahr. Penn State’s 17-10 win had them going to the Sugar Bowl ranked #1

Michigan was hit with a good dose of adversity in their game at Ohio State, even though this was not a vintage Buckeye team, and had already lost twice. The Wolverines led 7-3, but Leach pulled a hamstring. He stayed in the game, but with the quarterback lame and Huckleby already out with an injury, Schembecler’s team was up against it.

The defense and Leach came through—the Buckeyes never scored again and the quarterback turned in a gutty effort and led a 69-yard touchdown drive that wrapped up the 14-3 win. Michigan shared the Big Ten title with Michigan State, but because of the Spartans’ sanctions, it would be the Wolverines that got to go to Pasadena.

There was a lot of drama out west. It didn’t look that way for the better part of three quarters, as Notre Dame fell behind USC 24-6. But the Legend of Joe Montana and his knack for comebacks was already developing, and this game added to it. Montana came through with a comeback that put the Irish up 25-24. 

When Trojan quarterback Paul McDonald fumbled in the closing minute, it appeared the game was over. Only the Pac-10 officiating crew ruled that McDonald’s arm was going forward–that it was not a fumble, but an incomplete pass. The Trojans took the reprieve and won 27-25 on a last-play field goal. 

Thus, the four major bowls were set. The early afternoon on New Year’s Day would see Notre Dame play Houston in the Cotton Bowl. Even though the Cougars suffered a surprise loss to Texas Tech on November 5, both teams were still playing for a spot in the final Top 10. The day would end with the traditional prime-time game in the Orange Bowl, the OU-Nebraska rematch. 

And then there were the two games that would decide the national championship. Penn State-Alabama were set for an early kickoff in New Orleans. A Lion win and the title was theirs, no questions asked. If the Tide won, it created opportunity for both themselves and USC. The Trojans and Wolverines would kick off mid-afternoon in the Rose Bowl. 

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The big news on the bowl undercard came out of Jacksonville. Clemson beat Ohio State 17-15. The result itself was simply a nice finish for Clemson’s season and it wasn’t surprising. But the way the game ended was. 

Tiger nose tackle Charlie Baumann intercepted a pass to clinch the win and went out of bounds on the Buckeye sideline. An enraged Woody Hayes hauled off and slugged Baumann. There is reason to believe that Hayes was off his meds (I mean that literally and respectfully), and not thinking clearly. But either way, the action left Ohio State with no choice but to fire the 65-year-old head coach. 

Our New Year’s Day narrative can start by leading with the conclusion. The Orange Bowl was predictably anti-climatic. Oklahoma made a strategic adjustment and ran in more of a convoy, keeping people around the ballcarrier in the event of a fumble. It turned out to be unnecessary—the only fumbled once. After spotting the Huskers the first touchdown, OU scored the next 24 points and led 31-10 before a couple late Nebraska touchdowns made the final score respectable at 31-24.

The other three bowl games would be more than a little dramatic, and provide a fitting conclusion to the year of drama on the goal line. 

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Houston was out for respect and adding Notre Dame to a list of wins that included Texas, Arkansas and Texas A&M would surely do it.The Cougars collected seven turnovers, including three interceptions of Montana and built up a 34-12 lead in the fourth quarter. This game looked over. 

 The Irish quarterback, playing with the flu on what turned out to be a cold day with gusting wind in Dallas, had gone to the locker room and ate chicken soup to try and regain his strength. He returned midway through the fourth quarter of what it appeared to be a lost cause.

A blocked punt by ND and two-point conversion cut the lead to 34-20. Montana threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Heavens and it was 34-28. Notre Dame got the ball back one more time and drove inside the 10-yard line with six seconds left.

Montana looked for leading receiver Kris Haines in the right corner of the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete. Two seconds left. Montana went back to the same play. This time it was a touchdown and Notre Dame had a stunning 35-34 win. 

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The Sugar Bowl was a defensive classic. Penn State couldn’t move it all in the first half. Alabama could, but kept coming up empty. Finally, late in the first half, Rutledge rifled a bullet over the middle that was caught in the end zone by Bruce Bolton for a 30-yard touchdown catch. In the third quarter, Fusina tied the game with a touchdown pass of his own.

Penn State was driving for the tying touchdown in the fourth quarter when McNeal intercepted a Fusina pass. Then Rutledge gave it back with a bad pitchout and the Lions had the ball on the Tide 19-yard line. They ground it down to the goal line where they would have three chances from the one-yard line.

The first time up the middle was stuffed. The second time up the middle was stuffed. It was down to one play and even though six minutes still remained, it was realistically for a national title. Paterno opted to give the ball to Guman. The fullback tried to go up and over in the middle of the line, aiming to score the winning/tying touchdown of each his team’s final two games.

Krausse was ready. He leapt and met Guman head on, inches from the goal line. A Sports Illustrated cover caught the collision head-on in a photo for the ages. Alabama had held and they won the game 14-7.

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The Rose Bowl matchup will be forever remembered by what happened on the goal line in the second quarter. USC was leading 10-3 and ready to add on, with the ball on the 3-yard line. 

White got the ball and went into the middle and leapt over the top, trying to make it all the way. He fumbled the ball at least a yard prior to breaking the plane. The play was ruled a touchdown. The officials conferred. The tiebreaking vote, keeping the touchdown was cast by the same official who had ruled Paul McDonald’s potential game-ending fumble against Notre Dame an incomplete pass. 

USC won 17-10, with “The Phantom Touchdown” taking an infamous place in college football lore. It might explain why the national championship vote went as it did.

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With Alabama and USC the last two teams standing, there was no argument for voting any way other than the Trojans. They had, after all, won head-to-head–on the road and decisively. But the Phantom Touchdown was the big story as the voters went to the polls. 

In fairness to USC, it has to be said that they surely managed the game differently with a 17-3 lead than they would have with the 10-3 lead that should have been in place after the controversial sequence of events. Hence, looking at the 17-10 final score and saying the Phantom Touchdown decided the game is overly simplistic. 

The combination of this, along with the questionable call at the end of the Notre Dame game, add to the shady circumstances that surrounded the end of USC’s season. 

Given that–along with the fact Alabama felt they had been robbed in 1977–perhaps it’s understandable that the result was a split vote, with the Tide and Trojans as co-national champs. But understandable is not the same thing as getting it right. USC deserved to be the outright champions of college football in 1978. 

1978 College Football Season: The Road To The Major Bowls

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The 1978 college football season saw five teams predominate the national championship race as teams fought their way to the major bowl games, three of those teams make it to January 1 with a shot, and an unforgettable New Year’s Day with two epic goal-line dramas.

Alabama, USC and Penn State were the three teams that were in position to play for #1 in the major bowls. The Crimson Tide had been the preseason #1 before losing to USC. A subsequent loss by the Trojans forced them to play catchup, while Penn State kept rolling along undefeated.

In the meantime, Oklahoma had replaced Alabama as the #1 team by the end of September and the Sooners looked like they were on a course to meet Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Nebraska had recovered from an opening loss at Alabama, and the Cornhuskers were up to #4 by the time their season-ending battle with OU went down.

By this point, it seemed as though Alabama and USC were out of luck—everything was in place for Penn State to play either Oklahoma or Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won the head-to-head battle and moved up to #2, with the Nittany Lions sitting at #1. But one week later, Nebraska was stunned at home by Missouri.

Now the polls had Penn State-Alabama-USC in that order. The Nittany Lions travel plans were redirected to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. USC, in spite of trailing both teams, hoped that their head-to-head win with ‘Bama might sway some votes if the games fell the right way.

Outside the national championship picture, Notre Dame overcame losing their first two games to rally to win eight of nine and get a Cotton Bowl bid. They were paired up with Houston, who was sending a message to Southwest Conference powers Texas & Arkansas that they, the Cougars, were serious. It was Houston’s second league title and Cotton Bowl spot in the three years since they joined the league.

Michigan beat Ohio State and went to the Rose Bowl to face USC, although it took probation on Michigan State to get the Wolverines here this time. And Nebraska and Oklahoma? Well, the Orange Bowl Committee decided that twice was nice, and paired up the two rivals in a rematch.

New Year’s Day proved to be about drama on the goal line. Alabama made an epic stand to beat Penn State. USC got a big touchdown on a terrible officiating call near the goal line, and the debate was down the Tide and Trojans.

Alabama and USC ended up splitting the vote, although the USC was clearly the deserving team, having won head-to-head, and on the road no less—by double digits. Alabama partisans saw it as payback for having been robbed in 1977 and in 1966. Although in both cases, their beef is with Notre Dame, so the real payback didn’t come until a generation later in 2012.

But regardless, 1978 was an exciting season and one of the best New Year’s Days ever. The links below show how all eight teams that played in the major bowl games traveled that road. You’ll read about their key players, big wins, poll movements and tough losses, as the best college football teams marched the road to the major bowls.

READ THE ROAD TO THE 1979 SUGAR BOWL
READ THE ROAD TO THE 1979 ROSE BOWL
READ THE ROAD TO THE 1979 ORANGE BOWL
READ THE ROAD TO THE 1979 COTTON BOWL

The Road To The 1978 Gator Bowl: Ohio State & Clemson

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The 1978 Gator Bowl is most remembered for being the final game for Ohio State’s legendary head coach Woody Hayes, ending in unfortunate circumstances. It was also a big breakout game for Clemson. Here’s a look back on the paths both the Buckeyes and Tigers took to Jacksonville for what proved to be an unexpected historic night on December 29, 1978.

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OHIO STATE

Hayes had been the Ohio State coach since 1951, winning national titles and 1954 and 1968, and in recent years having gone to six straight major bowl games, including the Rose Bowl each year from 1972-75. The 1978 edition would not be one of his vintage teams.

Art Schlicter was a freshman quarterback and did a lot of good things—his 50% completion rate was third in the Big Ten and his 7.1 yards-per-pass was second in the conference. But his TD/INT ratio was also 4/21—even allowing for the much weaker passing numbers of this era, that’s still downright awful.

Schlicter had a bright future—over his final three seasons he would be in the top six of the Heisman Trophy voting each year and eventually become a #4 overall NFL draft pick before a gambling problem ruined his career. But there were growing pains his freshman season in Columbus.

Nor did Ohio State have a powerhouse running back—four different backs shared duty and Schlicter also ran for nearly 600 yards. The offensive line wasn’t stacked. Nor was there elite talent at wide receiver. To make room for Schlicter, Hayes moved Rod Gerald to wideout. Gerald had quarterbacked the two previous Buckeye teams to major bowl games and the positon switch foreshadowed what Braxton Miller would do 36 years later.

Tom Cousineau was an All-American at linebacker, and it wasn’t as though every program in America had All-Americans stacked everywhere in the lineup. But by Ohio State standards, especially under Hayes, having Cousineau as the only player even getting All-American mention was thin.

The Buckeyes opened the season ranked #7 in the country, but a home game with Penn State to start the year quickly exposed the flaws. The Nittany Lions were on their way to an undefeated regular season and they hung a 19-0 shutout on Ohio State.

A 27-10 win at mediocre Minnesota followed, but a narrow 34-28 win over a poor Baylor team and then a 35-35 tie to subpar SMU—both in Columbus no less—were bad signs as the remainder of the Big Ten schedule loomed.

Ohio State traveled to Purdue, who had a good team that would compete for the conference title deep into the season and the Boilermakers beat the Buckeyes 27-16. Ohio State tumbled from the land of the ranked teams.

The Big Ten wasn’t exactly renowned for its depth in this time period—in fact, having anyone other than Ohio State or Michigan be competitive constituted a stacked year. The Buckeyes had a soft schedule ahead. They crushed terrible teams in Iowa and Northwestern to at least get some momentum pick.

A visit to Wisconsin to start November would provide a modest test—the Badgers would finish the season with a winning record. Schlicter got Ohio State off to a fast start. He took an option run 46 yards, setting up an early touchdown. The Buckeyes went on to score a touchdown off a blocked punt, another with a kickoff return and still another via the Pick-6. They won the game 49-14 and when it was followed with a 45-7 win over Illinois, Ohio State crawled back into the rankings at #19.

The Buckeyes went to Indiana, then coached by Lee Corso. The Hoosiers weren’t very good, but they gave Ohio State a tough battle before OSU pulled out a 21-18 win. No one in Bloomington would have guessed that it was the final victory for Woody Hayes.

And in spite of not looking impressive, Ohio State was in a familiar position—playing Michigan with a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. The two rivals were in a three-way tie with Michigan State for the conference lead, but the Spartans were on NCAA probation. Purdue, having lost to Michigan, had also suffered a tie to Wisconsin, which proved to be the break the Buckeyes needed to control their own destiny at home against the Wolverines.

It was an opportunity Hayes’ team couldn’t take advantage of. Michigan was ranked sixth in the country and a significantly better team. It showed in a 14-3 win over Ohio State. The Buckeyes settled for the Gator Bowl bid, where they arrive ranked #20.

CLEMSON

Charley Pell took over the Clemson program prior to the 1977 season when hard times had settled on Death Valley. The Tigers had losing seasons in eight of the previous nine years. Pell promptly turned them into a 8-2-1 team and got a Gator Bowl bid. They were trounced in that game by Pitt and came into ’78 ranked #18 and hungry to get a bigger breakthrough.

This was an extremely talented team at the skill positions. Steve Fuller was the quarterback, one who would start for the Chicago Bears off and on during the early years of the Mike Ditka era and lead the ’84 Bears to the NFC Championship Game. In 1978, Fuller was at or near the top of the ACC in the key passing categories, ran for 649 yards and was named ACC MVP.

Fuller had two great targets, both of whom would be successful in the NFL themselves. Jerry Butler was the prime target, catching 58 passes—sixth in the nation—for over 900 yards. Butler went on to play for some good Buffalo Bills teams and make a Pro Bowl. The other receiver was Dwight Clark, who went on to make one of the most famous catches in NFL history as a member of the 1981 San Francisco 49ers.

Lester Brown didn’t make a name for himself in the NFL, but he was a very good college running back. Brown ran for over 1,000 yards and got All-American mention. Marvin Sims was a change-of-pace back who rolled up nearly 700 yards himself.

Clemson crushed the Citadel to start the season and though they lost at Georgia, the 12-0 defeat to a team that would finish second in the SEC was a further sign that the Tigers were coming. Clemson followed it up with easy wins over Villanova, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Duke, by a combined 127-29.

The Tigers, having fallen from the polls after the Georgia game, were now back to #20. A road trip to N.C. State, a bowl-bound team was important in the ACC race and Clemson hung a 33-10 beatdown on the Wolfpack. Then the Tigers crushed Wake Forest 51-10.

A home win over mediocre North Carolina didn’t come easy, 13-9, but it moved Clemson to #12 and set up a big battle with 11th-ranked Maryland. The ACC title and a spot in the Top 10 hung in the balance. It was a showdown between the league’s two best quarterbacks, as the Terps’ Tim O’Hare ran neck-and-neck with Fuller in the major statistical categories.

The game proved to be everything it was billed to be. Big plays dominated. Maryland got a 98-yard touchdown run from Steve Atkins. Fuller responded by hitting Butler on an 87-yard touchdown pass, and hooking up with Clark from 62 yards. Clemson clung to a 28-24 lead when Maryland drove across midfield. The Tiger defense held and they were ACC champs.

Clemson closed the regular season with its traditional rivalry gram against South Carolina, then a mediocre independent and won 41-23. The Tigers were ranked #7 and were ready to validate that national ranking against a traditional power in the Gator Bowl.

Then turmoil came to Death Valley. Pell accepted the head coaching job at Florida, then a lowly SEC team who had never won anything. Pell was willing to coach Clemson in the Gator Bowl, but the administration refused. They wanted a coach would be focused solely on the opportunity presented by playing Ohio State. Assistant coach Danny Ford was elevated.

THE 1978 GATOR BOWL

Ohio State may have had the reputation, but Clemson made its talent advantage show. They controlled the line of scrimmage. But Schlicter showed his growth and did not make mistakes. The Buckeyes were still in striking distance, down 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Schlicter led a drive that he capped off with a touchdown run with eight minutes left. Clemson made the stop on the two-point conversion and kept a 17-15 lead.

Fuller and the offense could not control the ball though, Ohio State got it back and began another drive. They reached the Clemson 24-yard line and faced third down, though the chance of a winning field goal was very much alive. It looked the Tigers might have to wait for that breakthrough victory at a time when the ACC was seen as a midmajor conference.

Schlicter dropped back to pass and looked over the middle. He then threw his 21st and final interception of the year, woefully underthrowing the ball and having it picked off by defensive tackle Charlie Baumann.

Baumann was tackled out of bounds on the Ohio State sidelines. As he got up, Hayes hauled off and punched him. By morning, the replays were being shown over and over. There are reports that Hayes, a diabetic, was not on his proper medication. The head coach refused to acknowledge what he’d done. Bo Schembecler, a close friend of Hayes in spite of their rivalry, traveled to see his mentor and recalled that Hayes was honestly convinced he hadn’t done what everyone in the country had plainly seen.

Perhaps more than anything, that suggests that the old coach needed to go. It was terrible that it had to happen this way, but there was no other choice for the Ohio State administration. Hayes was fired.

While the fall of a legend is clearly the historical legacy of the game, we shouldn’t overlook what it meant for Clemson. Ford became the permanent head coach and by 1981, the Tigers were upstarts no more—the year they won the national championship.

The Road To The 1978 Peach Bowl: Purdue & Georgia Tech

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Christmas Day of 1978 offered an interesting bowl game for those looking for a diversion at their holiday gathering. Purdue and Georgia Tech were both teams returning to the bowl party after a brief absence and a good quarterback and record-setting running back were on display. Here’s a look back at the paths the Boilermakers and Yellow Jackets to reach the 1978 Peach Bowl at Atlanta Fulton County-Stadium.

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PURDUE

Jim Young was in his second year as the Purdue head coach, taking over a program that had fallen off the radar and producing very good teams from 1966-69, including a Rose Bowl entrant in ’66. Young’s quarterback was Matt Herrmann, who ranked in the top three of the Big Ten in all the key passing categories—yards, completion percentage, yards-per-attempt.

Herrmann was backed up a good running game. John Macon ran for 913 yards, second in the run-heavy Big Ten. Russell Pope was a quality second option in the backfield and his 35 catches led the team. Herrmann effectively spread the ball around, to wide receivers Mike Harris and Bart Burrell. Freshman tight end Dave Young would eventually become a second-round NFL draft pick and he quickly became a part of the offense this season.

Purdue was unranked to start the season and had a difficult test right out of the gate. They would play Michigan State, who had the Big Ten’s best receiver in Kirk Gibson, a man who would go on to considerable notoriety in his baseball pursuits. Spartan quarterback Ed Smith was the only passer more prolific than Herrmann in the conference.

But the Boilermakers, playing at home, won 21-14 and gave the first indication this season could be a good one. They followed it up with a shutout of Ohio University and even a tough 10-6 loss at Notre Dame wasn’t bad—the Irish were the defending national champions, had Joe Montana at quarterback and would win the Cotton Bowl this season.

A shaky 14-7 home win over a horrible Wake Forest team closed the non-conference schedule, but Purdue immediately came back with its biggest win yet—they knocked off Ohio State 27-16. It wasn’t a vintage Buckeye team and this would be the final year for the legendary Woody Hayes, but it was still big and Purdue got themselves into the national polls for the first time at #19.

Victories over Illinois, Iowa and Northwestern, all terrible teams, lifted the Boilermakers to #12 in the rankings and more important was that they were in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with three weeks to go. Purdue was 5-0 in the league, with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State all a game back. And the Boilermakers had already beaten two of those teams.

A visit to mediocre Wisconsin was disappointing, a 24-24 tie, and though it didn’t cost Purdue control of first place, what happened the following week in Ann Arbor did—the Boilermakers were manhandled by Bo Schembecler’s Michigan, 24-6. Purdue, at 5-1-1 in Big Ten play, trailed all three rivals by a half-game and with Michigan and Ohio State going head-to-head in the finale, the Rose Bowl dream was out of reach for the Boilermakers.

Purdue closed the regular season on an up note, beating Lee Corso’s Indiana 20-7 in the rivalry game for the Old Oaken Bucket. They were still ranked #17 and went to the Peach Bowl with an 8-2-1 record.

GEORGIA TECH

Georgia Tech had also made its last really big splash in 1966, when they went to the Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets had their ups and downs in the ensuing years and mostly averaged out to mediocrity. Pepper Rodgers was looking to make his first bowl appearance since taking over the program in 1974.

Rodgers built his offense around running back Eddie Lee Ivery, who rolled up over 1,500 yards, finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting and would become a first-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers.

Wide receiver Drew Hill was another future NFL player, making two Pro Bowls with the Los Angeles Rams, although Hill was held back by the mediocre quarterback play that characterized a lot of college programs in this era. Mike Kelly completed 49 percent of his passes and threw for a little less than 1,500 yards. Those pedestrian numbers weren’t unusual in the college football world of 1978.

Georgia Tech had a good safety in Don Bessilleu, who got some All-American mention. Bessilleu would be the only one at this year’s Peach Bowl to get All-American votes in 1978.

The Yellow Jackets were also unranked to start the year and they didn’t do anything to disprove that in the early going. Georgia Tech, then an independent, lost decisively to subpar Duke and to mediocre Cal, the latter at home. A 27-17 win over Tulane was hardly inspiring, nor was a 28-0 win over the Citadel.

But the wins at least built some momentum and now Georgia Tech ripped through a portion of the schedule against teams that were, if not powerhouses, at least ones that would finish .500 or better. The Yellow Jackets won a defensive battle with South Carolina 6-3, edged Miami 24-19 and then went to Auburn and got a 24-10 win, the most impressive victory of the season.

The winning continued with a 17-13 triumph against Florida, then a weak program, and a 42-21 win thumping of Air Force made history. Ivery ran for 356 yards, then a single-game NCAA record. The achievement is even more noteworthy when you consider he played with the flu and threw up on the sidelines between possessions. Ivery has his own version of “The Flu Game”, a la Michael Jordan, as a part of his legacy.

Georgia Tech’s seven-game winning streak finally got the attention of the pollsters who put them at #20. With a home game against Notre Dame, and a road date with 11th-ranked Georgia to close the year, the Yellow Jackets had the chance to rise much higher.

Of course that kind of schedule means you also have the chance to lose and that’s what happened, although both games were competitive. The loss to Notre Dame was 28-21, though the GT fans did not distinguish themselves when they threw whiskey bottles and mackerel at the Irish players. The mackerel was a dig at the Catholic Church, with all of Notre Dame’s players presumably eating fish every Friday.

If the loss at Notre Dame was disappointing and the behavior of the fans embarrassing, the loss at Georgia was simply heartbreaking. Tech led 20-0 and even after blowing the lead and falling behind 21-20, Hill returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The two-point conversion made it 28-21. The Bulldogs drove down the field, but faced a fourth down. The Yellow Jackets allowed a fourth-down touchdown pass, a two-point conversion and lost 29-28. They fell out of the polls for the Peach Bowl.

1978 PEACH BOWL

By rights, the recent history and strong rise of each team should have made for a fairly even game. The one common opponent was Notre Dame and both Purdue and Georgia Tech had played the Irish tough in a losing effort. But the Boilermakers were ready to play and the Yellow Jackets were not.

Purdue’s #3 running back Wally Jones, who would emerge as the program’s featured back in 1979, gave fans a taste of what was to come with a couple early touchdown runs. Herrmann then threw for one touchdown pass and ran for another. All this went down by early in the second quarter and it was 28-0.

Herrmann later threw a touchdown pass to Burrell and the lead grew to 41-7 late in the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech got a couple of touchdowns in the final two minutes that make the score marginally tolerable at 41-21.

Purdue finished the season ranked #13 and Young would have two more strong seasons before stepping down from coaching for a year, then resurfacing at Army. Rodgers went 4-6-1 the following season and was fired. Though he spent his life in football, the Georgia Tech gig was his last head coaching job in college football.

The Road To The 1979 Rose Bowl: USC & Michigan

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Two traditional rivals came together on New Year’s Day for the 1979 Rose Bowl. USC arrived ranked #3 in the country and hoping that if the cards fell right they could be national champs. Michigan was ranked fifth, no hope at the top, but still aiming to get head coach Bo Schembecler his first victory in Pasadena. Let’s look back on how the Wolverines and Trojans navigated the 1978 college football regular season to get to this point.

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USC was in their third year under the coaching stewardship of John Robinson. In his rookie year of 1976, Robinson beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl and finished #2 in the nation. Even after some slippage in 1977, expectations were still high and the Trojans were ranked ninth in the preseason polls.

Michigan was coming off two straight Rose Bowl defeats, but they appeared to be shifting the tide in their rivalry with Ohio State that always settled the Big Ten title in the 1970s. The Wolverines were ranked #6 to start the year.

The Trojans had a potential tailback in Charles White. Who gained over 1,800 yards and set the stage for his Heisman winning season a year later. Lynn Cain was the backup, and with 977 yards of his own, Cain was still more productive than almost all of the starting backs around the country. All-American guard Pat Howell was the anchor of the offensive line that kept clearing the way.

The backfield for the Wolverines wasn’t quite as explosive, but they were good nonetheless. Harland Huckleby and Russell Davis combined to rush for nearly 1,500 yards and quarterback Rick Leach was versatile, running for 683 more himself.

Both quarterbacks were very efficient by the standards of the era. Leach threw 17 touchdowns against just six interceptions and Southern Cal lefty Paul McDonald had a 19/7 ratio, both exceptional numbers in this time period. The Trojans and Wolverines seemed on a collision course right from the start.

USC opened with wins over Texas Tech and then got to business at top-ranked Alabama. The previous year, the Trojans’ downhill spiral began with a home loss to the Tide and now it was time for payback. USC got it.

They led 10-7 in the fourth quarter, but McDonald was playing very well and he led consecutive fourth quarter touchdown drives that all but put the game away. The USC defense collected four turnovers in the fourth quarter alone and with the 24-14 win, the Trojans were moved up to #2 in the polls.

Michigan opened with a 31-0 rout of lowly Illinois and then traveled to Notre Dame. In 1978 this was a novelty for a lot of fans—the Wolverines and Irish had just renewed their rivalry and it began a long tradition of this game being an unofficial kickoff to a every new college football season.

This time around, Notre Dame was the defending national champs, and Leach started poorly, completing just 3/14 passes in the first half and Michigan trailed 14-7. Leach, who had been injured and did not practice during the week was warned by Schembecler that the leash was tight coming out of the locker room.

Michigan turned it around—an interception set up the tying touchdown, Leach threw a 40-yard touchdown pass and outplayed Joe Montana in the second half of a 28-14 win. They went to rout Duke and beat Arizona to complete the non-conference schedule.

Both teams would play Michigan State and the Spartans were good this season. They had the best receiver in the Big Ten, by the name of Kirk Gibson. USC hosted Sparty on the Friday night after the Alabama game, when a letdown was a real possibility. It didn’t happen and the Trojans won 30-9. Michigan wasn’t so fortunate a couple weeks later—on their homefield, they fell 24-15 to the Spartans.

The good news for Michigan was that Michigan State was on probation and barred from postseason play. It would prove to be a costly penalty for the folks in East Lansing.

On the same day the Wolverines were falling to their in-state rival, the Trojans also stubbed their toe, losing at Arizona State, an eventual nine-win team. In mid-October, USC was sitting at #7 in the polls and Michigan was #9.

USC ripped through Oregon State and Cal, then survived a tough fight with Bill Walsh’s Stanford team and moved up to #5. On November 11, the Trojans took revenge on #19 Washington, who had won the conference the year before, with a 28-10 win at the Coliseum. They had two games remaining, and against their two biggest rivals—UCLA and Notre Dame.

Michigan crushed Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue to set up their own rivalry battle with Ohio State, the Rose Bowl again on the line.

USC jumped out a 17-0 lead on UCLA, with McDonald throwing a pair of a second-quarter touchdown passes. But the Bruins fought back and with five minutes left had closed to 17-10. Robinson gave the ball to White and the great running back took matters into his own hands salted the game and the Rose Bowl trip away.

Michigan was hit with a good dose of adversity in their game at Ohio State, even though this was not a vintage Buckeye team, and had already lost twice. The Wolverines led 7-3, but Leach pulled a hamstring. He stayed in the game, but with the quarterback lame and Huckleby already out with an injury, Schembecler’s team was up against it.

The defense and Leach came through—the Buckeyes never scored again and the quarterback turned in a gutty effort and led a 69-yard touchdown drive that wrapped up the 14-3 win. Michigan shared the Big Ten title with Michigan State, but because of the Spartans’ sanctions, it would be the Wolverines that got to go to Pasadena.

Michigan-Ohio State was an early game on November 25, and USC-Notre Dame was a late afternoon battle for folks on the East Coast and in the Midwest. USC jumped out to a 24-6 lead, but Montana rallied the Irish to a 25-24 lead. McDonald began one last desperate drive of his own. He appeared to fumble but official Paul Kaminski ruled the quarterback’s arm was going forward. Given a hotly disputed reprieve, USC won the game on a last-play field goal. They finished the season a week later by beating Hawaii.

The Rose Bowl matchup will be forever remembered by what happened on the goal line in the second quarter. USC was leading 10-3 and ready to add on, with the ball on the 3-yard line. White got the ball and went into the middle and leapt over the top, trying to make it all the way. He fumbled the ball at least a yard prior to breaking the plane. The play was ruled a touchdown. The officials conferred. The tiebreaking vote, keeping the touchdown was cast by none other than Kaminski.

USC won 17-10, with “The Phantom Touchdown” taking an infamous place in college football lore and Marchman’s role in providing huge calls in two straight big games to the Trojans drawing national attention. It might explain why the national championship vote went as it did.

Earlier in the day, #2 Alabama had beaten top-ranked Penn State, the nation’s only unbeaten team, in the Sugar Bowl. The championship debate revolved around USC and Alabama, and given the Trojans’ decisive head-to-head road win, it would seem very simple to just say that USC was #1.

But the combination of the shady circumstances surrounding USC’s victory and perhaps some voter guilt over Alabama having lost a close #1 vote the year before, the result was a split poll. Maybe it wasn’t what USC wanted or deserved, but it was still a national championship year.

The Road To The 1979 Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame & Houston

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Notre Dame was the defending national champion coming into the 1978 college football season. Houston was only two years removed from a major bowl appearance of their own, but continued to be a mostly unheralded program. These two teams marched a path to a memorable January 1 battle at the 1979 Cotton Bowl.

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Joe Montana was in his senior as the Fighting Irish quarterback, and he threw for over 2,000 yards, even with the graduation of All-American tight end Ken McAfee. The offensive line was anchored by All-American center Dave Huffman, and behind it, Vagas Ferguson ran for over 1,100 yards and Jerome Heavens added 721 more.

The defense coped with the loss of Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, but still had All-American linebacker Bob Golic. Expectations were appropriately high in South Bend with a preseason #5 ranking.

Houston entered the Southwest Conference in 1976 and immediately made their presence felt to traditional powers Texas and Arkansas. The Cougars got the Cotton Bowl bid that year and beat Maryland, but after slipping to 6-5 in 1977, Houston was still seen as well behind Texas and Arkansas. The Cougars were unranked to start the season.

In September, thoughts of being in Dallas on January 1 seemed utopian in both South Bend and Houston. Notre Dame dropped its opener at home to Missouri, getting shut out in the process, in a 3-0 game. The Irish then hosted Michigan. The two schools renewed their rivalry in 1978 and this year marked the beginning of a long September tradition. It didn’t begin well for Notre Dame in a 28-14 loss that sent them plummeting from the land of the ranked.

Houston opened the season at Memphis, a team that would win only four games, but one of them came at the Cougars’ expense 17-3. Houston began to bounce back quickly. They had a potent running game with two 1,000-yard rushers, Emmett King and Randy Love, while wide receiver Willis Adams was one of the better deep threats in the SWC. David Hodge, an All-American linebacker anchored the defense.

The Cougars beat a pretty good Utah team and then nipped 10th-ranked Florida State, just starting to become a good program under Bobby Bowden. When Houston edged lowly Baylor to open SWC play it wasn’t impressive, but it was finally enough to get them in the polls, at #17.

After Notre Dame’s 0-2 start, they played a sequence of three straight games against good teams that stood to make or break them. The Irish started by escaping nine-win Purdue with a 10-6 win. Notre Dame then went to Michigan State, a team that had the Big Ten’s best receiver in Kirk Gibson and would have gone to the Rose Bowl this year if not for being on probation. The Irish jumped out to a 22-6 lead with the help of a defensive touchdown and won 29-25.

Notre Dame finished the triumvirate with a 26-17 win over ninth-ranked Pitt. Montana, staring at a 17-7 deficit after three quarters, completing seven straight passes and leading the comeback for the home crowd. By the end of this stretch, ND was ranked #20.

Houston faced a difficult challenge in navigating the SWC. They caught everyone’s attention with a 33-0 rout of sixth-ranked Texas A&M, starting the Aggies plunging to a four-loss season. After a win over SMU, the Cougars hosted Arkansas on October 28.  After trailing 9-7 at the half, Houston took over the second half and won 20-9

There was no letdown for head coach Bill Yeoman’s team, as they blasted lowly TCU 63-6, moved into the Top 10 and were set to go to Austin and face sixth-ranked Texas. First place was on the line, neither team having lost a conference game.

After a scoreless first half, Houston was able to get its running game going and a touchdown from King capped a 57-yard drive. A third quarter field goal gave the Cougars a 10-0 cushion and they hung on a 10-7 win. They were improbably in complete control of the conference race, needing one win in their final two games to reach the Cotton Bowl.

Notre Dame meanwhile rolled through Air Force, Miami, a pretty good Navy team, mediocre Tennessee and #20 Georgia Tech to rise to #8 in the polls. The Irish weren’t going to win the national title, but they had a lot of momentum going to play their season finale at USC.

On November 25, both ND and Houston had their hearts broken, at least temporarily. The Cougars lost to Texas Tech 22-21. Even though Texas inexplicably lost to Baylor, Texas Tech still had a path to Dallas in the event of a four-way tie that would include Arkansas. Houston couldn’t celebrate yet.

Notre Dame fell behind USC 24-6, when Montana came through with a comeback that put the Irish up 25-24. When Trojan quarterback Paul McDonald fumbled in the closing minute, it appeared the game was over. Only the Pac-10 officiating crew ruled that McDonald’s arm was going forward, that it was not a fumble, but an incomplete pass. The Trojans took the reprieve and won a last-play field goal. The Irish had three losses, but still had the Cotton invite in hand.

Houston beat Rice 49-25 on December 2 to clinch not only their Cotton Bowl bid, but an outright SWC crown. They were ranked #9. With wins over Texas & Arkansas already in hand, a bowl victory over Notre Dame would eliminate the respect problem.

The Cougars looked well on their way to doing just that when they collected seven turnovers, including three interceptions of Montana and built up a 34-12 lead. The Irish quarterback, playing with the flu on what turned out to be a cold day with gusting wind in Dallas, went to the locker room and ate chicken soup to try and regain his strength. He returned midway through the fourth quarter of what it appeared to be a lost cause.

A blocked punt by ND and two-point conversion cut the lead to 34-20. Montana threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Heavens and it was 34-28. Notre Dame got the ball back one more time and drove inside the 10-yard line with six seconds left.

Montana looked for leading receiver Kris Haines in the right corner of the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete. Two seconds left. Montana went back to the same play. This time it was a touchdown and Notre Dame had a stunning 35-34.

The Irish finished in the Top 10. The Cougars were crushed, but they would be back. Yeoman had two more Cotton Bowl trips left in his career, including one that would result in a victory over Nebraska one year later.

The Road To The 1979 Orange Bowl: Oklahoma & Nebraska

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The Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry was as good as it got in college football in the 1970s and 1980s, combining regional intensity and national impact. Their November game was almost always for the championship of the old Big Eight and the Orange Bowl bid that went with it. The 1978 college football season saw the rivalry go one step further, as the Sooners and Cornhuskers followed a path that led to a January 1 rematch in the 1979 Orange Bowl.

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Oklahoma had won national championships in 1974 and 1975 under head coach Barry Switzer and nearly won another in 1977 before a stunning Orange Bowl defeat cost them the final #1 ranking. The Sooners opened the ’78 season at #4 in the preseason polls.

Nebraska last won it all when they went back-to-back in 1970-71 with Bob Devaney as the head coach. Since Tom Osborne, Devaney’s offensive coordinator, had taken over, the Cornhuskers kept winning, but not at that level.

Osborne came into the season 0-5 against Oklahoma and after consecutive major bowl victories following the 1973-74 regular seasons, Nebraska had been off the New Year’s stage for two years—including in 1976 when they opened as the preseason #1. This time around, they were ranked 10th to start the year.

Both offenses were built on the ground game, but OU’s went to an extreme. The wishbone attack, best compared to the read-option offenses of the 21st century, but with three backs in the backfield, churned out big plays. Billy Sims ran for over 1,700 yards, led the Big Eight in rushing by over 600 yards and won the Heisman Trophy.

Kenny King, a future NFL starter, was the #2 back. He and quarterback Thomas Lott each finished in the conference’s top 10 in rushing yardage. Lott threw only 55 passes all season, and backup J.C. Watts only threw 38.

Nebraska ran a power-I formation that relied on a great offensive line and backs who could read holes. Rick Berns and I.M. Hipp each went for over 1,000 yards and finished 3-4 among the conference rush leaders. Thus did the Sooners and Cornhuskers have half of the Big Eight’s ten most productive runners.

All-Americans dotted the lineups elsewhere, from OU linebacker George Cumby to Nebraska tight end Junior Miller to Sooner kicker Uwe von Schamann. The two programs were loaded for bear and eyeing their November 11 date in Lincoln.

Nebraska challenged itself right away when they visited preseason #1 Alabama, and it didn’t go well, in a 20-3 loss. The pollsters didn’t penalize the Huskers, although they slipped to #12 a week later after surviving mediocre Cal 36-26. Then Osborne’s team started churning, blowing out Hawaii and Indiana to set the stage for conference play.

Oklahoma played a pretty good Stanford team on the road. The Cardinal had a coach by the name of Bill Walsh who was one year away from making the jump to the NFL and becoming a legend, and a productive quarterback in Steve Dills. The Sooners had to survive 35-29.

Switzer’s team quickly found its second gear the next two weeks, smashing West Virginia and woeful Rice. In the meantime, Alabama was upset by USC, second-ranked Arkansas struggled and third-ranked Penn State also failed to impress in a win. That, combined with Oklahoma’s reputation, moved them to the top of the polls for the start of the Big Eight schedule.

Missouri was a good team that was going to make their mark on this race before it was over, and they were ranked #14 when they visited OU on September 30. But the Sooners won decisively 45-23, and prepared for the annual rivalry battle with sixth-ranked Texas.

Sims set the tone of the Red River War early, with an 18-yard touchdown run. He ran for 131 yards on the day and the Sooners overall rushed for 311 yards. They led 17-3 at half, 24-3 in the third quarter and were never threatened in a 31-10 win.

One week later, Oklahoma had to survive a letdown scare from lowly Kansas, the worst team in the Big Eight and the Sooners only won 17-16. But they got back on track and rolled over a pretty good Iowa State team, Kansas and Colorado and were still atop the polls when they prepared for Nebraska.

In the meantime, the Huskers were rolling through the Big Eight themselves. They went to Iowa State at a time when the Cyclones, who would eventually win eight games, were still ranked #15, and won 23-0. Nebraska blasted Kansas State and Colorado, looked pedestrian in a 22-14 win over a bad Oklahoma State team and then dropped 63 on Kansas. Nebraska was #4 when the rivalry day came.

Sims again looked to set the tone of a big game, bolting 44 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. But a turnover, when Lott’s pitch on the option went awry, set up Nebraska for the tying touchdown. It would prove to be a pattern—the Sooners fumbled nine times on this day and the Cornhuskers recovered six of them.

The game was tied 14-14 early in the fourth quarter when Nebraska got a field goal that marked their first fourth quarter points against Oklahoma since 1971. OU still drove down to the three-yard line with less than five minutes left and looked ready to win it. In a fitting conclusion, Sims fumbled, the Huskers recovered and the Orange Bowl bid was theirs.

Nebraska was now #2 and they were in position to the new #1 team, Penn State, for the national title. But another order of business remained—a home game with Missouri one week later. The Tigers were not only an eight-win team and bowl-bound themselves, but they had two future NFL stars—running back James Wilder and eventual Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. Osborne was worried and he had every reason to be.

The Cornhuskers got the game off to a strong start, when Berns romped 82 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play. Berns would run for 255 yards, a single-game Nebraska record and he also became the program’s all-time rush leader. But what should have been a day of celebration—the records and an outright Big Eight title went off the rails.

After leading 21-7, the Nebraska defense couldn’t contain Wilder, who scored four touchdowns on the day. Winslow caught a TD pass and Missouri pulled a 35-31 upset. In the meantime, Oklahoma was taking out its frustrations by scoring 62 points against Oklahoma State.

The Sooners and Huskers were co-champs of the Big Eight. Nebraska still had the automatic bid to the Orange Bowl by virtue of the head-to-head win, but now the question of whom to invite loomed. Penn State was redirected to the Sugar Bowl, where Alabama had moved back up to #2. The Orange Bowl Committee, in a decision that justifiably enraged Nebraska, decided to invite Oklahoma and create a rematch.

A rematch always favors the team that lost the previous game, especially when the teams are comparably matched and the unfairness stands out even more when the second game is the only one that will be remembered (unlike a regular home-and-home among NFL divisional rivals where it’s just part of the standard schedule). That proved to be the case here.

The fairer solution would have been to invite seventh-ranked Clemson, with its 10-1 record and passionate fan base. Oklahoma could have gone to the Cotton Bowl over three-loss Notre Dame. But bowl politics then make today look like a golden age, and there was no way Clemson was getting anywhere on New Year’s Day ahead of the Sooners or Fighting Irish.

For the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma made a strategic adjustment and ran in more of a convoy, keeping people around the ballcarrier in the event of a fumble. It turned out to be unnecessary—the only fumbled once. After spotting the Huskers the first touchdown, OU scored the next 24 points and led 31-10 before a couple late Nebraska touchdowns made the final score respectable at 31-24.

Oklahoma finished #3 in the polls and Nebraska finished #8. But the 1979 Orange Bowl will always be most remembered for the rare rematch and second chance it offered the Sooners.

The Road To The 1978 Rose Bowl: Washington & Michigan

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The 1978 Rose Bowl was a coming out party for the Washington Husky program under Don James and for his quarterback, Warren Moon. It was a study in frustration for Michigan head coach Bo Schembecler, who couldn’t seem to find a way to win in Pasadena.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Washington wasn’t on anyone’s radar when the 1977 college football season began. The Huskies had not reached the Rose Bowl since 1963 and James had gone 11-11 his first two years in Seattle. They were unranked and then lost three of their four non-conference games to start the season, none to a team that would finish with any more than seven wins.

When Pac-8 play began, it was a like a switch flipped. After a 54-0 win over lowly Oregon, Washington hosted Stanford. The Cardinal were coached by Bill Walsh and their own quarterback, Guy Benjamin, would share conference Player of the Year honors with Moon at season’s end. Moon outgunned him 45-21 in this game.

The Huskies edged lowly Oregon State and lost 20-12 to conference contender UCLA. On November 5, Washington went to Berkeley to face 17th-ranked Cal. Moon’s offense unleashed again and won 50-31. They were set to host USC on November 12 and winning the Pac-8 was amazingly on the table.

Washington’s offense was more than Moon. Joe Steele and Ron Gipson provided a balanced rushing attack, and the passing game was targeted to receiver Spider Gaines and tight end Scott Greenwood. Blair Bush, who played 17 years in the NFL, was at center. But compared to other programs that would make it to the major bowl games, the Huskies weren’t dotted with All-Americans through the lineup.

What the Huskies were doing was peaking at the right time, something that could not said be said for Southern Cal, who had been undefeated and ranked #1 as late as October, but was fading fast, and now down to #14. Washington facilitated the decline, with the first big win of the James era, 28-10. They were tied for first, and finally in the polls, at #19.

Washington closed the season by winning the Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington State. The Huskies then had to wait six days. They had clinched a share of the league title, but UCLA could still clinch the other half and take the Rose Bowl bid on the tiebreaker. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Bruins lost to USC and Washington was outright champs and going to Pasadena.

Michigan wasn’t going to sneak up on anyone. They had gone to the Rose Bowl in 1976 and were ranked #2 in the country to start the season. They would get All-American seasons from linebacker John Anderson, guard Mark Donahue and center Walt Downing. They had a 1,000-yard rusher in Russell Davis and Harlan Huckleby tacked on over 700 more. Rick Leach was good enough to get by with at quarterback.

After beating Illinois 37-9 to start the year, Michigan was elevated to the top of the polls when #1 Oklahoma struggled to get by Vanderbilt. The Wolverines then struggled themselves, in beating Duke and Navy, and were moved down to #3 when they hosted Texas A&M on October 1.

The Aggies were ranked fifth, and would finish the season behind only undefeated Texas and Orange Bowl-bound Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference. Michigan took Texas A&M apart. Davis rushed for 110 yards and Leach had 216 all-purpose yards. Ron Simpkins was everywhere on defense, with 14 tackles and the linebacker helped punctuate the 41-3 win in the fourth quarter when he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

Michigan then beat a pretty good Michigan State team 24-14. The Wolverines buried #14 Wisconsin 56-0, and the Badgers plummeted to a sub-.500 record. Michigan was back to the top of the polls and controlled their fate for a national title.

One year earlier, Michigan had been in this same situation and they were upset by Purdue. This time it was Minnesota that did the deed. The Gophers, the only conference team besides Michigan and Ohio State to make a bowl game, pulled a 16-0 upset in the Twin Cities and the Wolverines fell to #6.

Schembecler’s team came back strong, rolling through Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue and scoring 63 points in each of the latter two games. Michigan was set to host Ohio State in the season-ending finale. The Buckeyes had a share of the conference crown already sewn up, but the Wolverines would take the other half and the tiebreaker with a win.

Michigan won with red-zone execution. In the first three quarters-plus, Ohio State got down inside the 20 three times, but came with just two field goals. Michigan got touchdowns on its trips and led 14-6 when the Buckeyes launched one more drive. They had 1st-and-goal on the Michigan 8-yard line and the Wolverines needed one more red zone stop.

A tie was as good as a loss for Michigan, and Anderson came up with the big play. He forced a fumble, the Wolverines recovered and the 14-6 win was secure. They had been outgained 352-196, but were going to the Rose Bowl ranked fourth in the nation.

By the time the traditional late-afternoon kickoff arrived, the national title picture had been thrown into chaos. Top-ranked Texas, the only unbeaten team in the country, had been crushed by Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Michigan was a part of a group of one-loss teams that could stake a claim with a decisive win.

Only it was Washington came out ready to play. They built a 27-7 lead, keyed by Moon going 28 yards over the top to Gaines. Michigan came roaring back, closed to 27-20 and got inside the red zone in the closing minutes. But a diving interception by linebacker Michael Jackson preserved the upset win.

Washington finished #10 in the country. Moon, after first going to the Canadian Football League for six years, had a productive NFL career, primarily with the old Houston Oilers. Schembecler had three more years to wait for that elusive first win in Pasadena.