1978 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
| 1978 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 1–8–2 (0–6–2 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVPs |
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| Captains |
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | – | 6 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 8 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1978 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1978 Big Ten season. In their second year under head coach Gary Moeller, the Illini compiled a 1–8–2 record (0–6–2 in conference games), finished in ninth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 317 to 103.[1]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Rich Weiss (665 passing yards, 53.2% completion percentage), running back Wayne Strader (389 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry), wide receiver Jeff Barnes (22 receptions for 270 yards, and kicker Dave Finzer (23 points scored, eight of nine extra points, five of eight field goals).[2] Linebacker John Sullivan and center Randy Taylor were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| 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] | |
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References
- ^ "1978 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "1978 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "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.