1978 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
American college football season
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The 1978 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1978 Big Ten football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Bob Commings, the Hawkeyes compiled a 2–9 record (2–6 in conference games), finished in eighth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 291 to 125.[1][2]
- Bob Commings (5th season)
| 1978 Iowa Hawkeyes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 2–9 (2–6 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Larry Coyer (4th season) |
| MVP | Brad Reid |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Kinnick Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Michigan + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan State + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Purdue | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 6 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 8 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1978 Hawkeyes gained 1,366 rushing yards and 1,083 passing yards. On defense, they gave up 2,054 rushing yards and 1,947 passing yards.[3] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jeff Green (41-of-103 passing for 556 yards), fullback Jon Lazar (423 rushing yards, 18 receptions for 72 yards), Brad Reid (36 points scored), and linebacker Tom Rusk with 106 total tackles.[4] Lazar, Rusk, linebacker Tim Gutshall, and defensive back Dave Becker were the team captains.[5] Split end Brad Reid (168 rushing yards, 322 receiving yards) was selected as the team's most valuable player.[6]
Two days after the final game of the season, the program's 17th consecutive losing season, Commings was fired. He had compiled a 17–38 record in five years as the Hawkeyes' head football coach.[7] Less than two weeks later, Hayden Fry was introduced as the new head coach.[8]
The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Home attendance totaled 319,289, an average of 53,214 per game.[9]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | Northwestern | W 20–3 | 56,840 | [10][11] | |
| September 23 | No. 20 Iowa State* |
| L 0–31 | 60,075 | [12][13] |
| September 30 | at Arizona* | L 3–23 | 46,851 | [14] | |
| October 7 | Utah* |
| L 9–13 | 51,170 | [15] |
| October 14 | at Minnesota | L 20–22 | 51,381 | [16][17] | |
| October 21 | at Ohio State | L 7–31 | 87,326 | [18] | |
| October 28 | No. 17 Purdue |
| L 7–34 | 57,640 | [19] |
| November 4 | No. 8 Michigan |
| L 0–34 | 49,120 | [20] |
| November 11 | at Indiana | L 14–34 | 33,167 | [21] | |
| November 18 | Wisconsin |
| W 38–24 | 44,444 | [22][23] |
| November 25 | at No. 14 Michigan State | L 7–42 | 57,007 | [24][25] | |
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Game summaries
Northwestern
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| Hawkeyes | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: September 16
- Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- Game attendance: 56,840
| 1 | IOWA | Brad Reid 55-yard pass from Rod Morton (Schilling kick) | Iowa 7–0 | |
| 2 | 4:44 | IOWA | Todd Simonsen 4-yard fumble return (Schilling kick) | Iowa 14–0 |
| 2 | NW | Nick Mirkopulos | Iowa 14–3 | |
| 3 | 2:15 | IOWA | Brad Reid 5-yard run (kick failed) | Iowa 20–3 |
Iowa State
At Arizona
Utah
At Minnesota
At Ohio State
Purdue
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 17 Boilermakers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Hawkeyes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: October 28
- Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- Game attendance: 57,460
| 1 | PUR | Sovereen 39-yard field goal | Purdue 3–0 | |
| 1 | PUR | Pope 11-yard run (Sovereen kick) | Purdue 10–0 | |
| 2 | PUR | Young 25-yard pass from Herrmann (Sovereen kick) | Purdue 17–0 | |
| 3 | IOWA | Reid 57-yard run (Schilling kick) | Purdue 17–7 | |
| 4 | PUR | Burrell 11-yard pass from Herrmann (Sovereen kick) | Purdue 24–7 | |
| 4 | PUR | Sovereen 27-yard field goal | Purdue 27–7 | |
| 4 | PUR | Eubank 3-yard pass from Herrmann (Sovereen kick) | Purdue 34–7 | |
Michigan
At Indiana
Wisconsin
At Michigan State
Roster
| 1978 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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1979 NFL draft
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Rusk | LB | 9 | 227 | New York Giants |