The 1978 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1978 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Gary Moeller, the Illini compiled a 1–8–2 record and finished in ninth place in the Big Ten Conference.[1]
| 1978 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 1–8–2 (0–6–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | John Sullivan, Randy Taylor |
| Captain | John Sullivan, Randy Taylor |
| Home stadium | Memorial 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 team's offensive leaders were quarterback Rich Weiss with 665 passing yards, running back Wayne Strader with 389 rushing yards, and wide receiver Jeff Barnes with 270 receiving yards.[2] Linebacker John Sullivan and center Randy Taylor were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Northwestern | T 0–0 | 40,091 | [4] | |
| September 16 | at No. 4 Michigan | L 0–31 | 104,102 | [5][6] | |
| September 23 | Stanford* |
| L 10–35 | 43,143 | [7] |
| September 30 | at Syracuse* | W 28–14 | 20,101 | [8] | |
| October 7 | at Missouri* | L 3–45 | 62,062 | [9] | |
| October 14 | Wisconsin |
| T 20–20 | 51,160 | [10] |
| October 21 | No. 19 Purdue |
| L 0–13 | 50,918 | [11] |
| October 28 | at Indiana | L 10–31 | 37,355 | [12] | |
| November 4 | No. 18 Michigan State |
| L 19–59 | 48,077 | [13] |
| November 11 | at Ohio State | L 7–45 | 87,719 | [14] | |
| November 18 | at Minnesota | L 6–24 | 25,388 | [15] | |
| |||||
References
edit- ^ "1978 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "1978 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "Illinois, Northwestern play to scoreless tie". The Decatur Daily Review. September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tom Henderson (September 17, 1978). "Leach drives U-M past Illinois, 31-0". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 8E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Henry Engelhardt (September 17, 1978). "Michigan rolls past bumbling Illini, 31-0". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 12 – via Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "Cardinals followed assignments as Dils threw, Nelson ran, team won". Contra Costa Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Illinois cops first win". The Rock Island Argus. October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Missouri humbles Illinois". Quad-City Times. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Illini get their kicks in tie with Wisconsin". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Purdue's Macon and Pope run Illinois aground 13–0". The Courier-Journal. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Indiana seniors lead Hoosiers past Illini". Journal and Courier. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan State romps past Illinois 59–19". The Muskegon Chronicle. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Frosh tops Illini". The Belleville News-Democrat. November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Soph Barber tops 1,000 as Minnesota hammers Illinois". The Rock Island Argus. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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