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1979 USC Trojans football
National champion (Football Research)
Rose Bowl champion
Pac-10 champion
Rose Bowl, W 17–16 vs. Ohio State
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
1979 record11–0–1 (6–0–1 Pac-10)
Head coachJohn Robinson (4th season)
CaptainDennis Johnson
CaptainCharles White
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum (c. 94,500, grass)
Seasons
← 1978
1980 →
1979 Pacific-10 football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#2 USC 6 0 1     11 0 1
#11 Washington 5 2 0     9 3 0
Arizona 4 3 0     6 5 1
Oregon 4 3 0     6 5 0
California 5 4 0     6 6 0
Stanford 3 3 1     5 5 1
Arizona State 3 4 0     6 6 0
UCLA 3 4 0     5 6 0
Washington State 2 6 0     3 8 0
Oregon State 1 7 0     1 10 0
† – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

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]

The team was named national champion by the College Football Researchers Association, an NCAA-designated major selector.[3]:114

Schedule[]

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 8at Texas Tech*No. 1W 21–752,991
September 15at Oregon StateNo. 1ONTVW 42–532,000
September 22Minnesota*No. 1W 48–1461,766
September 29at No. 20 LSU*No. 1W 17–1278,322
October 6Washington StateNo. 1
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 50–2155,117
October 13StanforddaggerNo. 1
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)
T 21–2176,067
October 20at No. 9 Notre Dame*No. 4ABCW 42–2359,075
October 27at CaliforniaNo. 3W 24–1476,780
November 3ArizonaNo. 3
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 34–762,054
November 10at No. 15 WashingtonNo. 4ABCW 24–1760,527
November 24UCLANo. 4
KABCW 49–1488,214
January 1vs. No. 1 Ohio State*No. 3NBCW 17–16105,526
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries[]

Notre Dame[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
USC 0 7 14 21 42
Notre Dame 0 7 7 9 23

Washington[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
USC 0 10 7 7 24
Washington 3 0 7 7 17

[4]

Roster[]

1979 USC Trojans football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 33 Allen, MarcusMarcus Allen So
TE 89 Brenner, HobyHoby Brenner Jr
G 71 Budde, BradBrad Budde Sr
WR 86 Butler, RayRay Butler Sr
C 68 Foote, ChrisChris Foote Sr
G 64 Foster, RoyRoy Foster So
TE 85 Hunter, JamesJames Hunter Jr
C 66 Matthews, BruceBruce Matthews Fr
QB 16 McDonald, PaulPaul McDonald Sr
T 72 Mosebar, DonDon Mosebar Fr
T 77 Munoz, AnthonyAnthony Munoz Sr
WR 26 Garcia, DannyDanny Garcia Sr
T 68 Van Horne, KeithKeith Van Horne Jr
RB 12 White, CharlesCharles White Sr
WR 8 Williams, KevinKevin Williams Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 51 Banks, ChipChip Banks So
DT 94 Darby, BryonBryon Darby Fr
S 47 Browner, JoeyJoey Browner Fr
LB 54 Busick, SteveSteve Busick Jr
LB 87 Curley, AugustAugust Curley Fr
CB 40 Fisher, JeffJeff Fisher Jr
CB 23 Ward, HerbHerb Ward Sr
LB 56 Johnson, DennisDennis Johnson Sr
DT 96 Lapka, MyronMyron Lapka Sr
FS 42 Lott, RonnieRonnie Lott Jr
LB 58 McDonald, MikeMike McDonald Sr
LB 57 McGrew, LarryLarry McGrew Sr
LB 81 Scoggins, EricEric Scoggins Jr
DB 49 Smith, DennisDennis Smith Jr
DT 93 Thomas, KellyKelly Thomas Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

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
  • Ray Butler
  • Brad Budde
  • Hoby Brenner
  • Larry McGrew
  • Mike Mcdonald
  • Dennis Johnson
  • Paul McDonald
  • Byron Darby
  • Steve Busick
  • Roy Foster

Awards and honors[]

  • Brad Budde, Lombardi Award
  • Charles White, Heisman Trophy[5]
  • Charles White, Maxwell Award
  • Charles White, Walter Camp Award

References[]

  1. "Southern California Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/s/southern_california/1975-1979_yearly_results.php. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. "1979 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/southern-california/1979.html. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records. Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2018/FBS.pdf. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  4. "USC Wins Bowl Berth Unless...". The Register-Guard (Eugene). November 11, 1979.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-04-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20070411031301/http://www.heisman.com/winners/hsmn-winners.html. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
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