The 1978 Arizona State Sun Devils football team was an American football team that represented Arizona State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their 21st season under head coach Frank Kush , the Sun Devils compiled a 9–3 record (4–3 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for fourth place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 347 to 236.[ 1] [ 2]
The team's statistical leaders included Mark Malone with 1,305 passing yards and 705 rushing yards and Chris DeFrance with 617 receiving yards.[ 3]
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 9 Pacific (CA) * W 42–769,527 [ 4]
September 16 BYU * Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ W 24–1770,311 [ 5]
September 23 at Washington State L 26–5133,507 [ 6]
September 30 UTEP * Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ W 27–069,497 [ 7]
October 7 Northwestern * W 56–1417,009 [ 8]
October 14 No. 2 USC Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ W 20–770,138 [ 9]
October 28 Washington No. 12 L 7–4154,866 [ 10]
November 4 California Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ W 35–2170,876 [ 11]
November 11 Stanford Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ L 14–2151,000 [ 12]
November 18 at Oregon State W 44–2223,500 [ 13]
November 25 Arizona W 18–1758,090 [ 14]
December 16 vs. Rutgers * W 34–1833,402 [ 15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 16]
1
2 3 4 Total
USC
0
0 0 7
7
• Arizona St
0
3 14 3
20
Date: October 14Location: Sun Devil StadiumGame attendance: 71,138
Scoring summary Q2 ASU Hicks 40 yard field goal ASU 3–0
Q3 ASU Malone 1 yard run (Hicks kick) ASU 10–0
Q3 ASU Mistler 16 yard pass from Malone (Hicks kick) ASU 17–0
Q4 ASU Hicks 28 yard field goal ASU 20–0
Q4 USC Garcia 31 yard pass from McDonald (Jordan kick) ASU 20–7
[ 17]
Mark Malone threw a pair of touchdown passes and Bill Zivic's 45-yard field goal attempt missed wide left in the final seconds to secure the Sun Devil victory.[ 18]
MVP: John Mistler
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
ASU
RU
1
Rutgers
Dorn 47-yard touchdown run, Startzell kick good
0
7
1
Rutgers
46-yard field goal by Startzell
0
10
2
Arizona St
Weathers 14-yard touchdown reception from Malone, Hicks kick good
7
10
3
Arizona St
Mistler 26-yard touchdown reception from Malone, Hicks kick good
14
10
3
Arizona St
DeFrance 53-yard touchdown reception from Malone, Hicks kick good
21
10
4
Arizona St
Malone 1-yard touchdown run, Hicks kick good
28
10
4
Rutgers
Blackwell 5-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good
28
18
4
Arizona St
Malone 4-yard touchdown run, kick no good
34
18
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
34
18
1978 Arizona State Sun Devils football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
^ "1978 Arizona State Sun Devils Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2016 .
^ "2016 ASU Football Media Guide" . Arizona State University. 2016. p. 123. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
^ "1978 Arizona State Sun Devils Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2016 .
^ "Malone spearheads ASU" . The Oregonian . September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Sun Devils stop BYU" . The Salt Lake Tribune . September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Throwin' Samoan drills Devils, 51–26" . The Arizona Republic . September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "A-State blanks Miners" . The Arizona Daily Star . October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Sun Devils hammer winless Northwestern" . The Sioux City Journal . October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Arizona State shocks USC, 20–7" . The Blade-Tribune . October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tyler scores 2 TDs as tough Huskie defense buries Wildcats" . The Fresno Bee . October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Arizona State stymies Bears" . The Modesto Bee . November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Nelson injured as Cards beat ASU" . Oakland Tribune . November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Devils bury Beavers 44–22" . The Spokesman-Review . November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Arizona St. nips Arizona" . The Patriot-News . November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Arizona State stymies Rutgers" . The Star-Ledger . December 17, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1978 Arizona State Sun Devils Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 23, 2024 .
^ "Devils' first Pacific-10 win shocks USC." Eugene Register-Guard. 1978 Oct 15. Retrieved 2017-Oct-09.
^ 10 Memorable Sun Devil Performances in the Territorial Cup Rivalry . Retrieved 2018-Dec-25.