1978 Michigan State Spartans football team
American college football season
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The 1978 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1978 Big Ten football season. In their third season under head coach Darryl Rogers, the Spartans compiled an 8–3 record (7–1 in conference games), tied with Michigan for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 411 to 170. After losing three of their first four games, they defeated No. 5 Michigan and won their final seven games. They were ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll.[1][2] The Michigan State football program was placed on three years of probation in January 1976 and was therefore ineligible to be included in the 1978 UPI coaches poll or to play in a bowl game after the 1978 season.[3][4]
| 1978 Michigan State Spartans football | |
|---|---|
Big Ten co-champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 8–3 (7–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | George Dyer (1st season) |
| MVP | Ed Smith |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Spartan 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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On offense, the Spartans gained an average of 242.1 rushing yards and 239.2 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 165.8 rushing yards and 125.5 passing yards per game.[5] The individual statistical leaders included quarterback Ed Smith with 2,226 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns (both tops in the Big Ten), Steve Smith with 772 rushing yards, flanker Kirk Gibson with 802 receiving yards (tops in the Big Ten), and kicker Morten Andersen with 73 points scored (52 of 54 extra points, 7 of 16 field goals).[5] Smith was selected as the team's most valuable player;[6] he finished his collegiate career as the Big Ten's all-time leader with 5,706 passing yards.[7]
Ten Spartans were selected by either the Associated Press (AP) or the United Press International (UPI) as first- or second-team players on the 1978 All-Big Ten Conference football teams: flanker Kirk Gibson (AP-1, UPI-1); split end Eugene Byrd (AP-1, UPI-1); tight end Mark Brammer (AP-1, UPI-1); offensive tackle Jim Hinsley (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive lineman Melvin Land (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive back Tom Graves (AP-1, UPI-1); punter Ray Stachowicz (AP-2, UPI-1); quarterback Ed Smith (AP-2, UPI-2); safety Mark Anderson (AP-2, UPI-2); and linebacker Dan Bass (AP-2).[8][9]
The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | at Purdue | L 14–21 | 60,365 | [10] | ||
| September 23 | Syracuse* | W 49–21 | 74,511 | [11] | ||
| September 29 | at No. 3 USC* | L 9–30 | 65,319 | [12] | ||
| October 7 | Notre Dame* |
| L 25–29 | 77,087 | [13] | |
| October 14 | at No. 5 Michigan | W 24–15 | 105,132 | [14][15] | ||
| October 21 | Indiana |
| W 49–14 | 76,013 | [16] | |
| October 28 | Wisconsin |
| W 55–2 | 70,114 | [17] | |
| November 4 | at Illinois | No. 18 | W 59–19 | 48,077 | [18] | |
| November 11 | Minnesota | No. 17 |
| W 33–9 | 72,122 | [19] |
| November 18 | at Northwestern | No. 16 | W 52–3 | 14,157 | [20] | |
| November 25 | Iowa | No. 14 |
| W 42–7 | 57,007 | [21] |
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Roster
| 1978 Michigan State Spartans 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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- Jon-Erik Hexum actor known for accidentally fatally shooting himself on the set of Cover Up.[22]