1978 USC Trojans football team
The 1978 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Following the season, the Trojans were crowned national champions according to the Coaches Poll. While Alabama claimed the AP Poll title because it had defeated top-ranked Penn State on the field, the Trojans pointed out that they had also only lost once and had beaten Alabama in the regular season.
Schedule
The Trojans finished the regular season with an 11–1 record before going on to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 17–10 in the Rose Bowl.
Date |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
Result |
Attendance |
September 9 |
Texas Tech* |
No. 9 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
W 17–9 |
50,321 |
September 16 |
at Oregon |
No. 8 |
Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR |
W 37–10 |
31,000 |
September 23 |
vs. No. 1 Alabama* |
No. 7 |
Legion Field • Birmingham, AL |
W 24–14 |
77,313 |
September 29 |
Michigan State* |
No. 3 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
W 30–9 |
65,319 |
October 14 |
at Arizona State |
No. 2 |
Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ |
L 7–20 |
70,138 |
October 21 |
Oregon State |
No. 7 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
W 38–7 |
53,734 |
October 28 |
California |
No. 6 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
W 42–17 |
56,954 |
November 4 |
at Stanford |
No. 6 |
Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA |
W 13–7 |
84,084 |
November 11 |
No. 19 Washington |
No. 5 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
W 28–10 |
54,071 |
November 18 |
at No. 14 UCLA |
No. 5 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell) |
W 17–10 |
90,387 |
November 25 |
No. 8 Notre Dame* |
No. 3 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame – USC rivalry) |
W 27–25 |
84,256 |
December 2 |
at Hawaii* |
No. 3 |
Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI |
W 21–5 |
48,767 |
January 1 |
vs. No. 5 Michigan* |
No. 3 |
Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (1979 Rose Bowl) |
W 17–10 |
105,629 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Game notes
Notre Dame
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Notre Dame |
3 |
0 | 3 | 19 |
25 |
• USC |
6 |
11 | 7 | 3 |
27 |
|
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Scoring summary |
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|
1 |
| USC | Williams 50-yard pass from McDonald (kick failed) | USC 6-0 |
|
1 |
| ND | Unis 47-yard field goal | USC 6-3 |
|
2 |
| USC | Garcia 35-yard pass from McDonald (McDonald to Hunter pass) | USC 14-3 |
|
2 |
| USC | Jordan 39-yard field goal | USC 17-3 |
|
3 |
| ND | Unis 26-yard field goal | USC 17-6 |
|
3 |
7:38 | USC | White 1-yard run (Jordan kick) | USC 24-6 |
|
4 |
12:26 | ND | Haines 57-yard pass from Montana (pass failed) | USC 24-12 |
|
4 |
3:01 | ND | Buchanan 1-yard run (Unis kick) | USC 24-19 |
|
4 |
0:46 | ND | Holohan 2-yard pass from Montana (pass failed) | ND 25-24 |
|
4 |
0:02 | USC | Jordan 37-yard field goal | USC 27-26 |
|
[1]
1978 team players in the NFL
- Marcus Allen
- Chip Banks
- Rich Dimler
- Ronnie Lott
- Anthony Munoz
- Charles White
- Brad Budde
- Garry Cobb
- Larry Braziel
- Paul McDonald
- Ricky Gray
- Ray Butler
Awards and honors
Charles White: Heisman trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, UPI Player of the Year
References
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |
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Pacific Coast | |
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AAWU | |
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Pacific-8 | |
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Pacific-10 | |
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Pac-12 | |
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National championships in bold |