1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Tangerine Bowl, Loss, 17–30, NC State Wolfpack
Conference	Independent
1978 record	8–4
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator	Don Boyce (1st year)
Offensive scheme	Split Backs
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Johnson (2nd year)
Base defense	52
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium (Capacity: 56,500)

1978 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#4 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
North Texas		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
#7 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Florida State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Temple		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Georgia Tech		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Hawaii		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Miami		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Memphis State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Air Force		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Colgate		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Boston College		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Panthers competed in the 1978 Tangerine Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Sat. Sep. 16	8:30 p.m.	at Tulane		Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA		W 24–6	32,658
Sat. Sep. 23	1:30 p.m.	Temple		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 20–12	43,445
Sat. Sep. 30	1:30 p.m.	North Carolina		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA	ABC	W 20–16	50,439
Sat. Oct. 7	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA		W 32–15	21,673
Sat. Oct. 14	12:30 p.m.	at Notre Dame		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rivalry)	ABC	L 17–26	59,075
Sat. Oct. 21	1:30 p.m.	Florida State		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 7–3	55,104
Sat. Oct. 28	2:00 p.m.	at Navy		Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD		L 11–21	32,909
Sat. Nov. 4	1:00 p.m.	at Syracuse		Archbold Stadium • Syracuse, NY (Rivalry)		W 18–17	26,039
Sat. Nov. 11	1:30 p.m.	West Virginia		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)		W 52–7	53,074
Sat. Nov. 18	1:30 p.m.	Army		Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA		W 35–17	45,297
Sat. Nov. 25	1:30 p.m.	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Rivalry)	ABC	L 10–17	77,465
Sat. Dec. 23	8:00 p.m.	vs. NC State		Orlando Stadium • Orlando, FL (Tangerine Bowl)	Mizlou	L 17–30	31,356
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Coaching staff

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
	Coaching Staff Jackie Sherrill – Head Coach Jimmy Johnson – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Don Boyce – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Foge Fazio – Linebackers Larry Holton – Defensive Backs Pat Jones – Defensive Front Joe Moore – Offensive Backs Joe Pendry – Quarterbacks Dave Wannstedt – Receivers			Support Staff Alex Kramer – Executive Assistant Bob Matey – Scouting Coordinator Kevin Dickey – Graduate Assistant Gary Davis – Graduate Assistant Tony Wise – Graduate Assistant			Strength and Conditioning Staff Bob Matey – Weight Program

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Gordon Jones	Wide Receiver	2	34	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Walt Brown	Center	5	131	Detroit Lions
Jeff Delaney	Defensive Back	7	190	Los Angeles Rams
Al Chesley	Linebacker	11	296	Philadelphia Eagles
David Logan	Nose Tackle	12	307	Tampa Bay Buccaneers