The 1978 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division II football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–0, winning the FWC for the eighth consecutive season. 1978 was the team's ninth consecutive winning season. With the 5–0 conference record, they stretched their conference winning streak to 28 games dating back to the 1973 season. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the second consecutive season, where they lost to eventual national champion Eastern Illinois in the first round. The team outscored its opponents 304 to 156 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.
| 1978 UC Davis Aggies football | |
|---|---|
FWC champion | |
NCAA Division II Quarterfinal, L 31–35 vs. Eastern Illinois | |
| Conference | Far Western Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 4 (NCAA Division II) |
| Record | 8–3 (5–0 FWC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Toomey Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 UC Davis $^ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal State Hayward | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Humboldt State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chico State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacramento State | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | at Pacific (CA)* | W 31–14 | 12,442 | ||||
| September 23 | at Nevada* | L 7–12 | 12,093 | [1] | |||
| September 30 | at Puget Sound* |
| W 28–13 | 3,700 | |||
| October 7 | Cal State Hayward | No. 9 | W 29–14 | 9,300 | |||
| October 14 | at Sacramento State | No. 6 | W 39–0 | 6,000 | |||
| October 21 | Humboldt State | No. 9 |
| W 19–6 | 8,000 | ||
| October 28 | Santa Clara* | No. 5 |
| L 20–26 | 6,300 | ||
| November 4 | at San Francisco State | No. 4 | W 40–12 | 2,683 | |||
| November 11 | No. 3 Cal Poly* | No. 6 |
| W 29–22 | 9,600 | ||
| November 18 | at Chico State | No. 4 |
| W 31–2 | 4,429 | ||
| November 25 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 5 Eastern Illinois* | No. 4 |
| L 31–35 | 8,500 | [2][3][4] |
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NFL Draft
editThe following UC Davis Aggies players were selected in the 1979 NFL draft.[7][8]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL team |
| Casey Merrill | Defensive End - Defensive tackle | 5 | 113 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Mike Moroski | Quarterback | 6 | 154 | Atlanta Falcons |
| Rich Martini | Wide receiver | 7 | 190 | Oakland Raiders |
References
edit- ^ "Nevada Information Guide" (PDF). p. 129. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ Dunning, Bob (November 20, 1978). "Aggies, E. Illinois Meet In Playoffs". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. C2. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Dunning, Bob (November 26, 1978). "Ags Fall Short To EIU, 35-31". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. D1. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Dunning, Bob (November 26, 1978). "Aggies (continued)". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. D6. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Final 1978 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "UC Davis Football 2015: Team Information Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ "1979 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ "Draft History: California-Davis". Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
