1978 VMI Keydets football team

1978 VMI Keydets football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	3–8 (1–4 SoCon)
Head coach	Bob Thalman (8th season)
Home stadium	Alumni Memorial Field
Seasons ←  1977 1979  →

1978 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Furman +	4	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Chattanooga +	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
Appalachian State	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Western Carolina	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
The Citadel	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
VMI	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Marshall	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Davidson	0	–	0	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
East Tennessee State	0	–	0	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA teams. Davidson was classified as I-AA. All the other teams were classified as I-A. Davidson and East Tennessee State were ineligible for the conference title. VMI's games against William & Mary and Richmond and Chattanooga's game against Richmond were designated as conference games and counted in the SoCon standings.

The 1978 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eighth year under head coach Bob Thalman, the Keydets compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, placing sixth in the SoCon. ^{[1] [2]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	at William & Mary [n 1]	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)	L 3–10	14,100	[4]
September 16	Bucknell *	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	W 25–14		[5]
September 23	at The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (rivalry)	L 3–14	15,980	[6]
September 30	at Virginia *	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 17–9	21,150	[7]
October 7	East Carolina *	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	L 6–19	6,900	[8]
October 14	at Richmond [n 1]	City Stadium Richmond, VA (Tobacco Bowl, rivalry)	W 23–6	20,000	[9]
October 21	Lehigh *	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	L 10–14	8,400	[10]
October 28	Western Carolina	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	L 12–41		[11]
November 4	at No. 13 Georgia *	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	L 3–41	50,200	[12]
November 11	Appalachian State	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	L 10–31	4,600	[13]
November 18	at Virginia Tech *	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA (rivalry)	L 2–28	20,000	[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

Notes

1. VMI's games against William & Mary and Richmond were designated as conference games and counted in the SoCon standings. ^[3]

References

1. "College Standings; Southern (Final)". Lebanon Daily News . Lebanon, Pennsylvania. United Press International. November 21, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved July 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com .
2. "SoCon 2024 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Southern Conference. p. 180. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
3. "1978 Southern Conference Football Schedule". Winston-Salem Journal . Winston-Salem, North Carolina. September 1, 1978. p. F28. Retrieved July 16, 2025– via Newspapers.com .
4. "W&M nudges VMI on late score 10–3". Daily Press. September 10, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "VMI rallies by Bucknell". The Daily News Leader. September 17, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Citadel whips Keydets, 14–3". The Greenville News. September 24, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Keydets struggle past Cavs, 17–9". The Herald-Sun. October 1, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Pirates defeat VMI". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 8, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "VMI crushes Richmond 23–6". Daily Press. October 15, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
10. Larimer, Terry (October 22, 1978). "Lehigh's defense gets credit for 14–10 decision". Sunday Call-Chronicle . Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Western crushes VMI 41–12 to tie for conference lead". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 29, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "McClendon sets rushing mark; Georgia romps". The Miami Herald. November 5, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
13. "VMI falls 31–10 to Appalachian". Daily Press. November 12, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Gobblers rout VMI". Daily Press. November 19, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
15. "1978 VMI Keydets football schedule". VMI Athletics. Retrieved February 2, 2022.