1978 UC Davis Aggies football team

The 1978 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division II football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Jim Sochor, UC Davis compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–0, winning the FWC for the eighth consecutive season. 1978 was the team's ninth consecutive winning season. With the 5–0 conference record, they stretched their conference winning streak to 28 games dating back to the 1973 season. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the second consecutive season, where they lost to eventual national champion Eastern Illinois in the first round. The team outscored its opponents 304 to 156 for the season. The Aggies played home games at Toomey Field in Davis, California.

1978 UC Davis Aggies football
FWC champion
NCAA Division II Quarterfinal, L 31–35 vs. Eastern Illinois
Conference	Far Western Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 4 (NCAA Division II)
Record	8–3 (5–0 FWC)
Head coach	Jim Sochor (9th season)
Home stadium	Toomey Field
Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 Far Western Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 UC Davis $^	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Cal State Hayward	4	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Humboldt State	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Chico State	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Sacramento State	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
San Francisco State	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16		at Pacific (CA)*		Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 31–14	12,442
September 23		at Nevada*		Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	L 7–12	12,093	[1]
September 30		at Puget Sound*		Baker Stadium Tacoma, WA	W 28–13	3,700
October 7		Cal State Hayward	No. 9	Toomey Field Davis, CA	W 29–14	9,300
October 14		at Sacramento State	No. 6	Charles C. Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA (rivalry)	W 39–0	6,000
October 21		Humboldt State	No. 9	Toomey Field Davis, CA	W 19–6	8,000
October 28		Santa Clara*	No. 5	Toomey Field Davis, CA	L 20–26	6,300
November 4		at San Francisco State	No. 4	Cox Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 40–12	2,683
November 11		No. 3 Cal Poly*	No. 6	Toomey Field Davis, CA (rivalry)	W 29–22	9,600
November 18		at Chico State	No. 4	University Stadium Chico, CA	W 31–2	4,429
November 25	1:00 p.m.	No. 5 Eastern Illinois*	No. 4	Toomey Field Davis, CA (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	L 31–35	8,500	[2][3][4]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[5][6]

NFL Draft

The following UC Davis Aggies players were selected in the 1979 NFL draft.^[7][8]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Casey Merrill	Defensive End - Defensive tackle	5	113	Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Moroski	Quarterback	6	154	Atlanta Falcons
Rich Martini	Wide receiver	7	190	Oakland Raiders

References

1. "Nevada Information Guide" (PDF). p. 129. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
2. Dunning, Bob (November 20, 1978). "Aggies, E. Illinois Meet In Playoffs". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. C2. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
3. Dunning, Bob (November 26, 1978). "Ags Fall Short To EIU, 35-31". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. D1. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
4. Dunning, Bob (November 26, 1978). "Aggies (continued)". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. D6. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
5. "Final 1978 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
6. "UC Davis Football 2015: Team Information Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
7. "1979 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
8. "Draft History: California-Davis". Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2017.