1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1978 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Tangerine Bowl, Loss, 17-30, North Carolina 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)
Seasons « 1977 1979 »

1978 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
No. 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
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	WTAE	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		at Notre Dame		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	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		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	ABC	L 10-17	77,465
Sat. Dec. 23		vs. North Carolina State		Orlando Stadium • Orlando, FL (Tangerine Bowl)		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 in 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