1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
Postseason college football game
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The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28.[3]
| 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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| I-AA National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 16, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Wichita Falls, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 13,604[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC Sports | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,[4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls.
Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.
Florida A&M Rattlers
In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.[5]
Florida A&M finished their regular season with a 9–1 record; their only loss was to Tennessee State.[6] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff. They defeated Jackson State, the South selection, by a score of 15–10 to reach the final.
UMass Minutemen
UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers.[8] Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff. They defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a 44–21 score to reach the final.
Game summary
The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20–25 miles per hour (32–40 km/h).[9] It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked.[9] UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions;[10] he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns.
Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals.[11]
Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 14,000 (estimated);[10][12] NCAA records indicate 13,604.[1]
Scoring summary
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Game statistics
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rattlers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Minutemen | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 28 |
| Statistics | FAMU | MASS |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 11 |
| Plays–yards | 83–470 | 69–241 |
| Rushes–yards | 76–470 | 45–116 |
| Passing yards | 0 | 125 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 0–7–2 | 8–24–1 |
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida A&M | Passing | Albert Chester | 0–7, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Mike Solomon | 27 car, 207 yds, 3 TD | |
| Receiving | none | — | |
| UMass | Passing | Mike McEvilly | 8–24, 125 yds, 2 TD 1 INT |
| Rushing | Hank Sareault | 16 car, 71 yds | |
| Receiving | Chris Kurtz | 2 rec, 46 yds, 1 TD |