American college football season
The 1978 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season . Led by third-year head coach Ron Meyer , the Mustangs compiled an overall record 4–6–1 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the SWC.[1]
With sagging attendance in recent years, including a dismal 6,918 against conference foe Rice, SMY athletic director Russ Potts orchestrated "Mustang Mania." Potts wanted to make SMU more visible in the Dallas area . Average attendance at SMU home games jumped from 25,644 in the previous year to 51,960 in the 1978 season. This was the highest average attendance for SMU home games since 1950 .[2] [3]
Schedule [ edit ] Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 9 TCU W 45–1441,112 September 16 vs. Florida * W 35–2534,101 [4] September 23 at No. 3 Penn State * L 21–2677,404 October 7 at No. 14 Ohio State * T 35–3587,712 October 14 at Baylor W 28–2136,500 October 21 No. 11 Houston * L 28–4264,871 October 28 at No. 7 Texas L 3–2265,289 November 4 Texas A&M L 17–2057,208 November 11 at Rice W 58–014,000 November 18 at Texas Tech L 16–1945,101 November 25 Arkansas L 14–2744,647 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
1978 SMU Mustangs football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 27 Charles Bruton So DL 99 Eric Ferguson Fr DB 9 Mark Gibson So DL 80 Byron Hunt So DL 61 Charles Hunt Jr DB 20 James Mobley Fr
Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt
Team players in the NFL [ edit ] Player Position Round Pick NFL club D. K. Perry Defensive back 8 200 New York Giants
References [ edit ]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold