1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Tangerine Bowl, L 17–30 vs. NC State
Conference	Independent
Record	8–4
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Don Boyce (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Split backs
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Johnson (2nd season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium
Seasons ←  1977 1979  →

1978 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
No. 7 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Florida State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Temple		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Georgia Tech		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Hawaii		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Memphis State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Air Force		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Colgate		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Boston College		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Panthers competed in the 1978 Tangerine Bowl.

Coach Jackie Sherrill stated in the pre-season that he expected to have "another outstanding football team". ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	8:30 p.m.	at Tulane	No. 14	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA		W 24–6	32,658	[2]
September 23	1:30 p.m.	Temple	No. 11	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 20–12	43,445	[3]
September 30	1:30 p.m.	North Carolina	No. 9	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	W 20–16	50,439	[4]
October 7	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 9	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 32–15	21,673	[5]
October 14	12:30 p.m.	at Notre Dame	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ABC	L 17–26	59,075	[6]
October 21	1:30 p.m.	Florida State	No. 15	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 7–3	55,104	[7]
October 28	2:00 p.m.	at 18 Navy	No. 15	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		L 11–21	32,909	[8]
November 4	1:00 p.m.	at Syracuse	No. 19	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY (rivalry)		W 18–17	26,037	[9]
November 11	1:30 p.m.	West Virginia	No. 20	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)		W 52–7	53,074	[10]
November 18	1:30 p.m.	Army	No. 18	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 35–17	45,297	[11]
November 25	1:30 p.m.	at 1 Penn State	No. 15	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 10–17	77,465	[12]
December 23	8:00 p.m.	vs. NC State	No. 16	Orlando Stadium Orlando, FL (Tangerine Bowl)	Mizlou	L 17–30	31,356	[13]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[14]

Coaching staff

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching staff Jackie Sherrill – Head coach Jimmy Johnson – Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Don Boyce – Offensive coordinator/offensive line Foge Fazio – Linebackers Larry Holton – Defensive backs Pat Jones – Defensive Front Joe Moore – Offensive backs Joe Pendry – Quarterbacks Dave Wannstedt – Receivers			Support staff Alex Kramer – Executive Assistant Bob Matey – Scouting coordinator Kevin Dickey – Graduate assistant Gary Davis – Graduate assistant Tony Wise – Graduate assistant			Strength and conditioning staff Bob Matey – Weight Program

^[15]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Gordon Jones	Wide receiver	2	34	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Walt Brown	Center	5	131	Detroit Lions
Jeff Delaney	Defensive back	7	190	Los Angeles Rams
Al Chesley	Linebacker	11	296	Philadelphia Eagles
David Logan	Nose Tackle	12	307	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

^[16]

References

1. Pitt Strong Again; Lions Up in Air, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
2. "Panthers rough up Tulane, 24–6". The Pittsburgh Press. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Pitt rallies by Temple". The State. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Jacobs, Trocano rally Pitt 20–16". The Palm Beach Post. October 1, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Pitt Thumps Boston College, 32–15". The Pittsburgh Press. October 8, 1978. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Irish overcome Pittsburgh". The Montana Standard. October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Jacobs' jaunt jolts Seminoles for Pitt". Daily Press. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Navy impressive in defeating Pitt, 21–11". The Hartford Courant. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Pittsburgh clips Syracuse, 18–17". The Indianapolis Star. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Pitt attack finally erupts, crushes West Va., 52–7". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Pitt rolls to 35–17 conquest of Cadets". The Patriot-News. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Paterno takes gamble, keeps Penn St. No. 1". The Miami Herald. November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Wolfpack rips Panthers, in Tangerine Bowl upset". The Tampa Tribune. December 24, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1978 Pitt Panthers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
15. "Coaches Biographies". 1978 Pitt Football. University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. 1978. pp. 19–24. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
16. "1979 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.