American college football season
1978 Oklahoma Sooners football Conference Big Eight Conference Coaches No. 3 AP No. 3 1978 record 11–1 (6–1 Big 8) Head coach Barry Switzer (6th season)Offensive coordinator Galen Hall (6th season)Offensive scheme Wishbone Defensive coordinator Rex Norris (1st season)Base defense 5–2 Captains
Daryl Hunt
Thomas Lott
Greg Roberts
Phil Tabor
Home stadium Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 71,187)Seasons
1978 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
No. 3 Oklahoma +
6
–
1
–
0
11
–
1
–
0
No. 8 Nebraska +
6
–
1
–
0
9
–
3
–
0
No. 15 Missouri
4
–
3
–
0
8
–
4
–
0
Iowa State
4
–
3
–
0
8
–
4
–
0
Kansas State
3
–
4
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Oklahoma State
3
–
4
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
Colorado
2
–
5
–
0
6
–
5
–
0
Kansas
0
–
7
–
0
1
–
10
–
0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
The 1978 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1978 NCAA Division I-A season . Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where it has played its home games since 1923.[1] The team posted an 11–1 overall record and a 6–1 conference record to earn a share of the conference title under head coach Barry Switzer . This was Switzer's sixth conference title in six seasons since taking the helm in 1973.[2] [3]
The team was led by All-Americans Billy Sims (who won the Heisman Trophy ),[4] Daryl Hunt ,[5] Reggie Kinlaw ,[6] and Greg Roberts ,[7] The Sooners started the season with nine consecutive wins before losing to Nebraska .[3] During the season, OU faced ranked opponents four times (#14 Missouri , #6 Texas , and #4 & #6 Nebraska); four different opponents finished the season ranked. Its only defeat came against Nebraska in their regular season match.[3] The Sooners were able to avenge that loss as an at-large selection to the Orange Bowl against conference co-champions Nebraska, who had claimed the automatic berth by virtue of their victory over OU.[8]
Sims led the nation in scoring with 132 points (based on per game average of 10.9, which includes 120 in 11 games).[9] Sims led the team in rushing with a record-setting 1896 yards, Thomas Lott led the team in passing with 487 yards, Bobby Kimball led the team in receiving with 207 yards, Hunt led the team with 157 tackles and Darrol Ray posted 8 interceptions .[10]
The 5001 yards rushing remain second in Oklahoma football history behind the 1971 team's 5635.[11] The defense set the school's all-time record with 28 interceptions and tied the record of 50 forced turnovers . Daryl Hunt set the school record for career tackles.[13] Billy Sims became the only Sooner to post four 200-yard games in a season. Sims' 1896 yards stood as the Sooner record until Adrian Peterson posted 1925 in 2004.
Billy Sims became the sixth junior to win the Heisman Trophy. Sims was the nation's leading rusher and scorer for 1978. He averaged 160.1 yards and 10.9 points. He set the Big Eight Conference single season rushing record of 1,762 yards on 231 carries for an average of 7.6 yards. Sims was the only back in the nation's top 50 to average 7.0 per carry, and became the first player in Big Eight history to rush for more than 300 yards in three straight games.[14]
Schedule [ ]
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 9 at Stanford * No. 4 Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA W 35–2958,883
September 16 West Virginia * No. 3 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 52–1071,885
September 23 Rice * No. 3 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 66–771,774
September 30 No. 14 Missouri No. 1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry ) W 45–2372,371
October 7 vs. No. 6 Texas * No. 1 Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Red River Shootout )ABC W 31–1072,032
October 14 at Kansas No. 1 Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS W 17–1644,450
October 21 at Iowa State No. 1 W 34–649,862
October 28 Kansas State No. 1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK W 56–1972,105
November 4 at Colorado No. 1 W 28–752,506
November 11 at No. 4 Nebraska No. 1 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry )ABC L 14–1774,657
November 18 Oklahoma State No. 4 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (Bedlam Series ) W 62–772,339
January 1, 1979 vs. No. 6 Nebraska No. 4 NBC W 31–2466,365
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[15]
Roster [ ]
Game summaries [ ]
Stanford [ ]
#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Stanford Cardinals
1
2 3 4 Total
• #4 Oklahoma
14
14 0 7
35
Stanford
7
3 10 9
29
Date: Saturday, September 9Location: Stanford Stadium Game attendance: 58,883
Scoring summary 1 OKLA Sims 2-yard run (von Schamann kick) OKLA 7-0
1 OKLA Rhodes 70-yard pass from Lott (von Schamann kick) OKLA 14-0
1 STAN Margerum 7-yard pass from Dils (Naber kick) OKLA 14-7
2 STAN Naber 43-yard field goal OKLA 14-10
2 OKLA Lott 19-yard run (von Schamann kick) OKLA 21-10
2 OKLA Kimball 17-yard pass from Lott (von Schamann kick) OKLA 28-10
3 STAN Banks 4-yard pass from Dils (Naber kick) OKLA 28-17
3 STAN Naber 49-yard field goal OKLA 28-20
4 OKLA Lott 1-yard run (von Schamann kick) OKLA 35-20
4 STAN Safety, von Schamann intentionally downed ball in end zone OKLA 35-22
4 STAN Margerum 11-yard pass from Dils (Naber kick) OKLA 35-29
West Virginia [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
West Virginia
0
3 0 7
10
• Oklahoma
17
14 14 7
52
Date: September 16Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Game attendance: 71,885
Rice [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Rice
0
0 0 7
7
• Oklahoma
17
35 7 7
66
Date: September 23Location: Oklahoma Memorial StadiumGame attendance: 71,774
Missouri [ ]
Missouri Tigers at Oklahoma Sooners
1
2
3 4 Total
Missouri
0
7
2 14 23
Oklahoma
21
7
17 0 45
at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma
Texas [ ]
See also: Red River Rivalry
#1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. #6 Texas Longhorns
1
2 3 4 Total
#6 Texas
0
3 7 0
10
• #1 Oklahoma
7
10 7 7
31
Date: Saturday, October 7Location: Cotton Bowl , Dallas, Texas Game attendance: 72,032Game weather: SunnyTelevision network: ABC
Scoring summary 1 OKLA Billy Sims 18-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick)OKLA 7-0
2 OKLA Billy Sims 1-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick) OKLA 14-0
2 TEX Russell Erxleben 26-yard field goalOKLA 14-3
2 OKLA Uwe von Schamann 35-yard field goal OKLA 17-3
3 OKLA Bobby Kimball 24-yard pass from Thomas Lott (Uwe von Schamann kick)OKLA 24-3
3 TEX Johnny Lam Jones 25-yard run (Russell Erxleben kick)OKLA 24-10
4 OKLA David Overstreet 2-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick)OKLA 31-10
Statistics
OU: Billy Sims 25 Rush, 131 Yds (Sims had been injured in two previous meetings)
Kansas [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Oklahoma
10
0 0 7
17
Kansas
0
7 0 9
16
Date: October 14Location: Memorial Stadium Game attendance: 44,450
Iowa State [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Oklahoma
21
6 7 0
34
Iowa St
0
6 0 0
6
Date: October 21Location: Clyde Williams Field Game attendance: 49,82
Kansas State [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Kansas St
0
7 12 0
19
• Oklahoma
21
14 0 21
56
Date: October 28Location: Oklahoma Memorial StadiumGame attendance: 72,105
Colorado [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• #1 Oklahoma
7
0 14 7
28
Colorado
0
7 0 0
7
Date: November 4Location: Folsom Field Game attendance: 53,553
Scoring summary 1 OU Lott 1-yard run (von Schamann kick) OU 7-0
2 COL Mayberry 4-yard run (Dadiotis kick) Tied 7-7
3 OU Sims 59-yard run (von Schamann kick) OU 14-7
3 OU Valora 20-yard pass from Lott (von Schamann kick) OU 21-7
4 OU King 74-yard run (von Schamann kick) OU 28-7
[16]
Nebraska [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Oklahoma
7
0 7 0
14
• Nebraska
0
7 7 3
17
Date: November 11Location: Memorial Stadium Game attendance: 74,567
Oklahoma State [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
Oklahoma St
7
0 0 0
7
• Oklahoma
7
21 21 13
62
Date: November 18Location: Oklahoma Memorial StadiumGame attendance: 72,339
Orange Bowl [ ]
1
2 3 4 Total
• Oklahoma
7
7 17 0
31
Nebraska
7
0 3 14
24
Date: January 1Location: Orange Bowl Game attendance: 66,365
Rankings [ ]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Final
AP
4
3
3 т
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
4
4
4
3
Coaches Poll
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
3
4
4
3
Awards and honors [ ]
All-American : Billy Sims ,[4] Daryl Hunt ,[5] Reggie Kinlaw ,[6] Greg Roberts ,[7]
Greg Roberts, Outland Trophy [7]
Billy Sims, Associated Press College Player of the Year
Billy Sims , Heisman Trophy[17]
Billy Sims, Sports Magazine's Player of the Year
Billy Sims, United Press College Player of the Year
Billy Sims, Walter Camp Foundation's Player of the Year[18]
Big 8 rushing champion: Sims[4]
NCAA DI scoring champion: Sims[4]
NCAA team rushing leaders[7]
NCAA team scoring leaders[7]
Postseason [ ]
NFL draft [ ]
The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.[19]
Player
Position
Round
Pick
Franchise
Greg Roberts
Guard
2
33
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Reggie Mathis
Linebacker
2
38
New Orleans Saints
Sam Claphan
Tackle
2
47
Cleveland Browns
Kenny King
Running back
3
72
Houston Oilers
Phil Tabor
Defensive end
4
90
New York Giants
Victor Hicks
Tight end
5
122
Los Angeles Rams
Daryl Hunt
Linebacker
6
143
Houston Oilers
Thomas Lott
Running back
6
144
St. Louis Cardinals
Uwe von Schamann
Kicker
7
189
Miami Dolphins
Reggie Kinlaw
Defensive tackle
12
284
Oakland Raiders
References [ ]
^ "Memorial Stadium" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ "OU Football Tradition – 42 Conference Titles" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ a b c "1978 Football Season" . SoonerStats.com. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ a b c d "All-American: Billy Sims" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010 .
^ a b "All-American: Daryl Hunt" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010 .
^ a b "All-American: Reggie Kinlaw" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010 .
^ a b c d e "All-American: Greg Roberts" . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010 .
^ "OU Stings Nebraska in Big 8 Clash" . Orange Bowl Committee. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ "2009 Division I Football Records Book: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association . p. 47. Retrieved July 9, 2010 .
^ "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF) . Big 12 Conference. p. 175. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF) . Big 12 Conference. p. 165. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ "2009 Football Record Book" (PDF) . Big 12 Conference. p. 167. Retrieved June 30, 2010 .
^ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved March 26, 2016 .{{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )
^ "1978 OU Football Season Schedule - SoonerStats - Historical scores, records, and stats for Oklahoma Sooners football, basketball, baseball, and softball" .
^ "Sims Ignites Oklahoma." Palm Beach Post. November 5, 1978.
^ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007 .{{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )
^ "Football" .
^ "1979 NFL Draft Listing" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved November 29, 2020 .
External links [ ]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
MVIAA Big Six Big Seven Big Eight National championships in bold