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The Road To The 1979 Gator Bowl: Michigan & North Carolina

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The 1979 Gator Bowl was one of the better matchups on the bowl undercard of that season. It featured Michigan and North Carolina, with the Wolverines looking to atone for a disappointing season and the Tar Heels looking to send a statement that they had arrived. Here’s a look back on how each team navigated the 1979 football season to reach Jacksonville…

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Michigan was coming off four straight major bowl appearances, the last three as the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl. All four times ended in losses, but Bo Schembecler’s program was one of the nation’s best.

The Wolverines were loaded defensively with All-Americans at end, in Curtis Greer, and linebacker with Ron Simpkins. In the defensive backfield, Mike Jolly led the way with four interceptions.

Michigan’s offense was led by a potent running game, with Butch Woolfork’s 990 yards ranking second among Big Ten running backs. Stanley Edwards and Lawrence Reid combined for over 1, 100 more. And while primary quarterback John Wangler was a classic dropback passer, Schembecler could call on B.J. Dickey to mix in a running threat behind center.

Tight end Doug Marsh was the primary target in the passing game, catching 33 passes for over 600 yards and becoming a second-round NFL draft pick the following spring. But the biggest splash came from a freshman in Anthony Carter. The most explosive receiver Schembecler ever hard, “A.C” only caught 17 passes, but they were good for over 27 yards a pop and gave the Michigan offense a new dimension.

The expectations were high as usual, especially with Ohio State seemingly in turmoil and transition following the firing of Woody Hayes after the 1978 season and bringing in Earle Bruce. Michigan was ranked #7 to start the season and opened the year up with a 49-7 thumping of Northwestern.

Ninth-ranked Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor next, and though the Irish would ultimately have a disappointing four-loss season, they didn’t suffer one of those losses here. Michigan trailed 12-10 and was in position to win, but a blocked field goal cost them to the win and dropped the Wolverines to #11 in the polls.

Victories over lowly Kansas and at mediocre Cal closed the non-conference schedule and Big Ten action resumes on October 6 at Michigan State. The Spartans would have gone to the Rose Bowl in 1978 had it not been for probation was coming off an NCAA title run in basketball the previous spring with Magic Johnson. “Little brother” was doing well and Michigan needed to make a stand.

A tough game was tied 7-7 late in the third quarter, when Dickey threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Clayton for the lead and Michigan ultimately won 21-7. They followed that up with a 31-21 win at mediocre Minnesota and a 27-7 win over a terrible Illinois team. That moved the Wolverines back into the Top 10 and set up a visit from Indiana.

The Hoosiers were coached by future ESPN personality Lee Corso and were having their best season since a 1967 Rose Bowl run. The game was tied 21-21 with six seconds left and in the days prior to overtime, it looked like a tie—one that would feel like a defeat for the Wolverines if they couldn’t convert a desperation pass from the Indiana 45-yard line.

Anthony Carter made the most legendary play of his college career, running a deep post, splitting the Hoosier defenders and catching a touchdown pass to complete an improbable 27-21 win. When Michigan followed it up by blasting a subpar Wisconsin team 54-zip, they still controlled their destiny for the Rose Bowl.

It was a three-team race, with Purdue and Ohio State. The Buckeyes were doing quite well under Bruce and were undefeated. The Boilermakers only conference loss was to Ohio State. Michigan would play both teams to close the season.

The ending was disappointing. They lost 24-21 in West Lafayette and even though the Rose Bowl bid was still in their grasp against Ohio State, lost the rivalry game 18-15, allowing a crucial blocked punt in the second half. Michigan was out of the New Year’s Day picture for the first time since 1975 and accepted the Gator Bowl bid as the #14 team in the country.

North Carolina had enjoyed a good run of success under head coach Bill Dooley, who took the program to six bowl games in eight years before leaving to take the Virginia Tech job. Dick Crum replaced him in 1978 and went 5-6 his first year. Crum needed to get things back on track and he had an exceptionally gifted outside linebacker by the name of Lawrence Taylor to build around.

Crum also had one of the ACC’s better quarterbacks in Matt Kupec, who led the conference in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt and touchdown passes. In a controlled passing game, Kupec targeted tight end Mike Chatham and running back Dough Pascal as his main targets. Pascal also ran for 835 yards as a part of a strong two-back attack that was led by 1,000-yard rusher Amos Lawrence.

There were no expectations in Chapel Hill, but UNC changed that with a strong start. They beat an eight-win South Carolina team 28-0 to start the year and two weeks later hosted Pitt. The Panthers were ranked #13 in the country and had a great defensive end in Hugh Green.

In a game played in intense heat, one that left Green cramping up in the second half, North Carolina controlled the ball on the ground with Lawrence and up-and-coming Kelvin Bryant. The Tar Heels won the game 17-7. It was Pitt’s only loss of the season and likely cost them a Sugar Bowl chance at top-ranked Alabama. North Carolina followed up the big win with blowout wins over bad teams in Cincinnati and Army, vaulting into the polls at #14.

A home date with Wake Forest brought the winning streak to an end. The Demon Deacons were on their way to an eight-win season and quarterback Jay Venuto would win ACC honors. They were led by head coach John Mackovic, a future coach of Illinois and Texas, and Wake beat North Carolina 24-19, dropping them to #19 in the polls.

The Tar Heels responded with a clutch win at a good North Carolina State team, who had a future NFL wide receiver in Mike Quick. UNC broke out to a 28-7 lead and was hanging on for dear life at 28-21 with the Wolfpack driving at midfield. Taylor then came up with a sack and forced a fumbled that UNC recovered. They scored a clinching touchdown and won 35-21.

Then the season hit a skid. North Carolina played three pretty good teams in succession, East Carolina, Maryland and Clemson. After a 24-24 tie to East Carolina, the Tar Heels lost to both ACC rivals, and took themselves out of the race for the conference championship that would end up with N.C. State. The 0-2-1 stretch also knocked them out of the rankings.

North Carolina recovered to scrape by mediocre Virginia 13-7 and then win at archrival Duke 37-16. The Heels were still unranked, but at 7-3-1 and heading for the Gator Bowl, then had an opportunity against a high-profile opponent.

The Gator Bowl was played on a Friday night between Christmas and New Year’s, and ABC’s top broadcasting team of Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles had the call. The game proved to be a worthy appetizer for the major bowls.

Michigan drove inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter, but was forced to settle for a field goal. Wangler came right back and hit Carter on a 53-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed, a point that would prove to be critical.

Even more critical was what happened on Michigan’s next possession. Deep in his own end, Wangler dropped back to pass and was sacked by Taylor. It wasn’t quite as ugly as a sack Taylor would make in 1985 for the New York Giants, when he ended the career of Washington Redskins’ quarterback Joe Theisman on Monday Night Football. But this one came close to having the same impact—Wangler tore up his knee, was gone for the game and faced a long road back.

North Carolina pulled to within 9-7 at half, and then got a 12-yard touchdown pass from Kupec to take a 14-9 lead after three quarters. A field goal early in the fourth quarter put the Tar Heels up 17-9.

Michigan’s chances of getting a win were close to gone, but they could still salvage a tie, as Dickey led a drive late in the game. With 1:28 left, he hit Carter on a 30-yard touchdown strike. But North Carolina stopped the two-point conversion and held on for the 17-15 win.

North Carolina moved back into the final rankings, finishing at #15. Michigan ended the year ranked #18. There were good times ahead for both programs. UNC grew into a solid ACC program under Crum. Wangler made it back for Michigan and even playing on mostly one leg, helped the Wolverines get back to the Rose Bowl, and finally win it in 1980.

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.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

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.