The 1979 USC Trojans football team represented the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
(USC) in the
1979 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Alabama Crimson Tide bring home a national title with a perfect 12–0 season. The title was Alabama's 11th claimed, and their 6th Associated Press awarded title.
This was an extremely dominant ...
. 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. 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.
The team was named national champion by the
College Football Researchers Association The College Football Researchers Association (CFRA) was founded in 1982 by Anthony Cusher of Reeder, North Dakota, and Robert Kirlin of Spokane, Washington. The CFRA took a vote of its members from 1982 to 1992 to select an annual college football n ...
, an NCAA-designated major selector.
Schedule
Season summary
at Texas Tech
at Oregon State
Paul McDonald completed eight of nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns in just one half of action while
Charles White watched from the sidelines with an injured shoulder. McDonald led the Trojans to touchdowns on their first five possessions before he and the rest of USC starters sat for the second half.
Minnesota
at LSU
Washington State
Stanford
*Charles White 32 rushes, 221 yards
at Notre Dame
at California
Arizona
at Washington
vs. UCLA
Rose Bowl (vs. Ohio State)
*Charles White 39 rushes, 247 yards
Personnel
1979 Team Players in the NFL
*Marcus Allen
*Chip Banks
*Hoby Brenner
*Joey Browner
*Brad Budde
*Steve Busick
*Ray Butler
*Dennis Johnson
*Myron Lapka
*Ronnie Lott
*Jeff Fisher
*Chris Foote
*Roy Foster
*Bruce Matthews
*Paul McDonald
*Larry McGrew
*Don Mosebar
*Anthony Muñoz
*Eric Scoggins
*Dennis Smith
*Keith Van Horne
*Charles White
Awards and honors
*
Brad Budde
Brad Edward Budde (born May 9, 1958) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. Budde played college football for the Unive ...
, Lombardi Award
*Charles White, Heisman Trophy
*Charles White, Maxwell Award
*Charles White, Walter Camp Award
References
{{Pac-12 Conference football champions
USC
USC Trojans football seasons
Pac-12 Conference football champion seasons
Rose Bowl champion seasons
College football undefeated seasons
USC Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 ...