1978 Idaho Vandals football team
Coordinates: 46°43′34″N 117°01′05″W / 46.726°N 117.018°W
1978 Idaho Vandals football | |
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Conference | Big Sky Conference |
1978 record | 2–9 (2–4 Big Sky) |
Head coach | Jerry Davitch (1st season) |
Offensive coordinator | Bill Tripp (1st season) |
Offensive scheme | Veer |
Defensive coordinator |
Greg McMackin (2nd season) |
Base defense | 5–2 |
Home stadium | Kibbie Dome |
1978 Big Sky football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#7 Northern Arizona $ | 6 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#7 Montana State | 4 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montana | 4 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boise State | 3 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weber State | 2 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho State | 0 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1978 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by new head coach Jerry Davitch and were members of the Big Sky Conference. They played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho. Davitch was previously an assistant at the Air Force Academy for five seasons under longtime head coach Ben Martin, preceded by four years as a high school head coach in Tucson, Arizona.
With sophomore quarterbacks Jay Goodenbour and Mike McCurdy running the veer offense,[1][2] the Vandals were 2–9 overall and 2–4 in the Big Sky in 1978.[3][4] Projected starter Rocky Tuttle injured an ankle in the final scrimmage and redshirted; as a fifth-year senior in 1979, he started as a running back and receiver.
The final win was an unplayed forfeit by Idaho State for a scheduled night game in Moscow in November. Flying from Pocatello to the Palouse on the afternoon of the game because of unavailable lodging, one of ISU's two chartered Convair 440 aircraft had carburetor problems soon after takeoff and had to land. It carried the defensive players; the other with the offense landed safely at the Moscow-Pullman airport two hours later.[5][6] After difficulties in arranging a viable makeup date, a forfeit win was awarded to the Vandals.[7][8] It was the conference finale for both teams,[9] and Idaho State finished winless in the Big Sky.
This was the first season for the newly created Division I-AA,[10] which the Big Sky joined. It was previously a Division II conference for football, except for Division I member Idaho, which moved down to I-AA this season. Idaho had maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing Division I non-conference opponents.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | ||||
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September 9 | 7:00 pm | at San Jose State (Div. I-A)* | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | L 14–31 | 10,011 | ||||
September 16 | 1:00 pm | at Washington State (Div. I-A)* | Martin Stadium • Pullman WA (Battle of the Palouse) | L 0–28 | 16,950 | ||||
September 23 | at Wichita State (Div. I-A)* | Cessna Stadium • Wichita, KS | L 6–28 | ||||||
September 30 | 7:00 pm | No. 9 Northern Arizona | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | L 29–34 | 8,200 | ||||
October 7 | 7:30 pm | at UNLV (Div. I-A)* | Silver Bowl • Las Vegas, NV | L 14–53 | 18,944 | ||||
October 14 | 1:00 pm | at Montana | Dornblaser Field • Missoula, MT (Little Brown Stein) | W 34–30 | 8,286 | ||||
October 21 | 7:00 pm | No. 1 Montana State | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | L 21–57 | 9,000 | ||||
October 28 | 2:00 pm | Weber State |
Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | L 6–51 | 13,500 | ||||
November 4 | 12:30 pm | at Boise State | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (rivalry) | L 10–48 | 20,235 | ||||
November 11 | 7:00 pm | Idaho State | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | W 1–0 | Forfeit | ||||
November 18 | 7:00 pm | Fresno State (Div. I-A)* | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | L 28–41 | 5,600 | ||||
*Non-conference game. |
Roster
1978 Idaho Vandals football team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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NFL Draft
No Vandals were selected in the 1979 NFL Draft, which lasted twelve rounds (330 selections).
One Vandal junior was later selected in the 1980 NFL Draft,[13][14] also twelve rounds (333 selections).
Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
Mark McNeal | DE | 6th | 153 | Seattle Seahawks |
References
- ↑ Stewart, Chuck (September 11, 1978). "'Future' arrives fast for young Vandal QB". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 21.
- ↑ "McCurdy snares quarterback job". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. September 26, 1978. p. 17.
- ↑ Barrows, Bob (November 20, 1978). "Idaho football". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
- ↑ Payne, Bob (November 26, 1978). "Vandals kiss this sort of season goodbye". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C5.
- ↑ Barrows, Bob (November 12, 1978). "No Vandal game, ISU can't make it". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
- ↑ "One platoon arrived, one did not – sorry". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. November 12, 1978. p. C2.
- ↑ "Bengals forfeit to Idaho". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. November 14, 1978. p. 15.
- ↑ Drosendahl, Glenn (November 12, 1978). "Vandals claim a forfeit". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1B.
- ↑ Barrows, Bob (November 11, 1978). "Vandals, Idaho State try to salvage something". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 3B.
- ↑ "Big schools win battle". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. Associated Press. January 13, 1978. p. 5C.
- ↑ "Rosters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 16, 1978. p. 21.
- ↑ Payne, Bob (November 17, 1978). "Vandals to end frustrating season". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 35.
- ↑ "NFL Draft: Two Palouse players go in early rounds". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). April 30, 1980. p. 1B.
- ↑ "Patera: We got the best". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 30, 1980. p. C2.
External links
- Gem of the Mountains: 1979 University of Idaho yearbook – 1978 football season
- Idaho Argonaut – student newspaper – 1978 editions