1979 USC Trojans football team
The 1979 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled an 11–0–1 record (6–0–1 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 389 to 171.[1] The team was ranked #2 in both the final AP Poll and the final UPI Coaches Poll.
Quarterback Paul McDonald led the team in passing, completing 164 of 264 passes for 2,223 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. Charles White led the team in rushing with 332 carries for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns. Dan Garcia led the team in receiving with 29 catches for 492 yards and three touchdowns.[2]
Schedule
Date |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
September 8 |
at Texas Tech* |
No. 1 |
Jones Stadium • Lubbock, TX |
|
W 21–7 |
52,991 |
September 15 |
at Oregon State |
No. 1 |
Parker Stadium • Corvallis, OR |
ONTV |
W 42–5 |
32,000 |
September 22 |
Minnesota* |
No. 1 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
|
W 48–14 |
61,766 |
September 29 |
at No. 20 LSU* |
No. 1 |
Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA |
|
W 17–12 |
78,322 |
October 6 |
Washington State |
No. 1 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
|
W 50–21 |
55,117 |
October 13 |
Stanford |
No. 1 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
|
T 21–21 |
76,067 |
October 20 |
at No. 9 Notre Dame* |
No. 4 |
Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Rivalry) |
ABC |
W 42–23 |
59,075 |
October 27 |
at California |
No. 3 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA |
|
W 24–14 |
76,780 |
November 3 |
Arizona |
No. 3 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
|
W 34–7 |
62,054 |
November 10 |
at No. 15 Washington |
No. 4 |
Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA |
ABC |
W 24–17 |
60,527 |
November 24 |
UCLA |
No. 4 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell) |
KABC |
W 49–14 |
88,214 |
January 1 |
vs. No. 1 Ohio State* |
No. 3 |
Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) |
NBC |
W 17–16 |
105,526 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Game notes
Notre Dame
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
• USC |
0 |
7 | 14 | 21 |
42 |
Notre Dame |
0 |
7 | 7 | 9 |
23 |
- Date: October 20
- Location: South Bend, IN
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
2 |
| USC | Garcia 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick) | USC 7-0 |
|
2 |
| ND | Ferguson 1-yard run (Male kick) | Tied 7-7 |
|
3 |
| USC | White 3-yard run (Hipp kick) | USC 14-7 |
|
3 |
| USC | White 1-yard run (Hipp kick) | USC 21-7 |
|
3 |
| ND | Ferguson 21-yard run (Male kick) | USC 21-14 |
|
4 |
| USC | Williams 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick) | USC 28-14 |
|
4 |
| ND | Stone 2-yard run (kick failed) | USC 28-20 |
|
4 |
| USC | White 1-yard run (Hipp kick) | USC 35-20 |
|
4 |
| USC | White 1-yard run (Hipp kick) | USC 42-20 |
|
4 |
| ND | Male 42-yard field goal | USC 42-23 |
|
Washington
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
• USC |
0 |
10 | 7 | 7 |
24 |
Washington |
3 |
0 | 7 | 7 |
17 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
| WASH | Lansford 30-yard field goal | WASH 3-0 |
|
2 |
| USC | Garcia 8-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick) | USC 7-3 |
|
2 |
| USC | Hipp 31-yard field goal | USC 10-3 |
|
3 |
| USC | K. Williams 19-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick) | USC 17-3 |
|
3 |
| WASH | Flick 1-yard run (Lansford kick) | USC 17-10 |
|
4 |
| WASH | Skansi 12-yard pass from Flick (Lansford kick) | Tied 17-17 |
|
4 |
| USC | M. Allen 10-yard run (Hipp kick) | USC 24-17 |
|
[3]
1979 Team Players in the NFL
- Marcus Allen
- Chip Banks
- Joey Browner
- Ronnie Lott
- Dennis Smith
- Jeff Fisher
- Bruce Matthews
- Don Mosebar
- Anthony Munoz
- Keith Van Horne
- Charles White
Awards and honors
- Brad Budde, Lombardi Award
- Charles White, Heisman Trophy[4]
- Charles White, Maxwell Award
- Charles White, Walter Camp Award
References
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |
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Pacific Coast | |
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AAWU | |
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Pacific-8 | |
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Pacific-10 | |
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Pac-12 | |
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National championships in bold |