1978 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 1978 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth season under head coach Elliot Uzelac, the Broncos compiled a 7–4 record (5–4 against MAC opponents), finished in fourth place in the MAC, and outscored their opponents, 220 to 152.[1][2][3] The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[4]
| 1978 Western Michigan Broncos football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| 1978 record | 7–4 (5–4 MAC) |
| Head coach | Elliot Uzelac (4th season) |
| MVP | Jerome Persell |
| Captain | Jerome Persell, Keith Rogien, Greg Williams |
| Home stadium | Waldo Stadium |
| 1978 Mid-American Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included Albert Little with 828 passing yards, Jerome Persell with 1,346 rushing yards, and Tim Clysdale with 213 receiving yards.[5] Tailback Jerome Persell, fullback Keith Rogien, and safety Greg Williams were the team captains.[6] For the third consecutive year, tailback Jerome Persell received the team's most outstanding player award.[7] Persell was also named MAC offensive player of the year for the third consecutive year.[8]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Illinois State | W 27–17 | |
| September 16 | at Northern Illinois | W 44–30 | |
| September 23 | at Miami | L 3–7 | |
| September 30 | Bowling Green | W 24–20 | |
| October 7 | at Kent State | W 14–0 | |
| October 14 | Toledo | W 17–7 | |
| October 21 | Eastern Michigan | W 32–0 | |
| October 28 | Ohio | L 7–10 | |
| November 4 | at Marshall | W 24–6 | |
| November 11 | at Ball State | L 14–20 | |
| November 18 | Central Michigan | L 14–35 |
References
- "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "Football Records: Year-By-Year Results - 1970 - 79". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "1978 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "Waldo Stadium". Western Michigan University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "1978 Western Michigan Broncos Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "Football History: All-Time Captains". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "Football History: Team Awards". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- "Western's Persell, NIU's Petzke share MAC honors". Detroit Free Press. December 14, 1978. p. 2D.