1978 UMass Minutemen football team
American college football season
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The 1978 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1978 season was the first after the NCAA split Division I football into two subdivisions, and the first that featured a postseason playoff for Division I-AA. The Minutemen reached this inaugural championship game, losing to Florida A&M, 35–28. UMass finished the season with a record of 9–4 overall and 5–0 in conference play.
| 1978 UMass Minutemen football | |
|---|---|
Yankee Conference champion Lambert Cup winner | |
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 28–35 vs. Florida A&M | |
| Conference | Yankee Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. T–4 |
| Record | 9–4 (5–0 Yankee) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Jim Reid (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Alumni Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–4 UMass $^ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Rhode Island | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston University | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Hampshire | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maine | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | Villanova* | L 21–25 | 8,800 | [1] | |||
| September 23 | at Maine | W 40–6 | 7,200 | [2] | |||
| September 30 | at Harvard* | L 0–10 | 12,200 | [3] | |||
| October 7 | Morgan State* |
| W 38–6 | 6,700 | [4] | ||
| October 14 | at No. 5 Boston University |
| W 31–7 | 3,570 | [5] | ||
| October 21 | at No. 8 Rhode Island | No. 10 | W 19–17 | 7,995 | [6] | ||
| October 28 | Connecticut | No. 6 |
| W 17–10 | 14,200 | [7] | |
| November 4 | Rutgers* | No. 4 |
| L 11–21 | 9,800 | [8] | |
| November 11 | at Holy Cross* | W 33–8 | 20,614 | [9] | |||
| November 18 | New Hampshire | No. 9 |
| W 34–7 | 11,300 | [10] | |
| November 25 | Boston College* | No. T–4 |
| W 27–0 | 7,950 | [11] | |
| December 9 | at No. 1 Nevada* | No. T–4 | W 44–21 | 14,026 | [12] | ||
| December 16 | vs. No. 3 Florida A&M* | No. T–4 | ABC | L 28–35 | 13,604 | [13][14][15] | |
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