1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
Postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen
This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) champions, see 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.
This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,[4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls.
Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.
In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.[5]
Florida A&M finished their regular season with a 9–1 record; their only loss was to Tennessee State.[6] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff. They defeated Jackson State, the South selection, by a score of 15–10 to reach the final.
UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers.[8] Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff. They defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a 44–21 score to reach the final.
Game summary
The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20–25 miles per hour (32–40 km/h).[9] It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked.[9] UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions;[10] he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns.