# 1979 Stanford Cardinals football team

The 1979 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-10 Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Rod Dowhower, the Cardinals had a 5–5–1 overall record (3–3–1 in Pac-10, sixth).
Senior starting quarterback Turk Schonert split time with freshman John Elway.
Dowhower was promoted to head coach in January; he was previously the receivers coach for two seasons under Bill Walsh, who left for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. After the season in January 1980, Dowhower left to become the offensive coordinator with the NFL's Denver Broncos, and was succeeded by alumnus Paul Wiggin.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | at Tulane* | No. 13 | Louisiana SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA | L 10–33 | 41,251 |
| September 15 | San Jose State* | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | W 45–29 | 46,789 |
| September 22 | Army* | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | L 13–17 | 43,345 |
| September 29 | Boston College* | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | W 33–14 | 36,412 |
| October 6 | UCLA | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | W 27–24 | 70,205 |
| October 13 | at No. 1 USC | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | T 21–21 | 76,067 |
| October 20 | at Arizona | | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | W 30–10 | 55,000 |
| October 27 | at Oregon State | | Parker StadiumCorvallis, OR | L 31–33 | 16,000 |
| November 3 | Arizona State | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | W 28–21 | 40,184 |
| November 10 | Oregon | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | L 7–16 | 45,219 |
| November 17 | California | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (Big Game) | L 14–21 | 85,577 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### San Jose State

Mike Dotterer became the first freshman in school history to score three touchdowns in one game during Stanford's 45–29 victory. The Spartans were led by first-year head coach Jack Elway, father of John, who became Stanford's head coach after the 1983 season.

### At Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Stanford | 7 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 30 |
| Arizona | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |

### California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| California | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Stanford | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
* Date: November 17
* Game attendance: 85,577
* Referee: John Barger
* Source:
Game information :
First quarter
CAL – Jack Rose 23-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Mick Luckhurst kick). California 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 81 yards.
CAL – Greg Woodard 28-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Mick Luckhurst kick). California 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards.
Second quarter
STAN – Vincent White 17-yard pass from Turk Schonert (Ken Naber kick). California 14–7. Drive: 13 plays, 82 yards.
Third quarter
STAN – Andre Tyler 16-yard pass from Turk Schonert (Ken Naber kick). Tie 14–14. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards.
Fourth quarter
CAL – Jack Rose 17-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Mick Luckhurst kick). California 21–14. Drive:
Top passers
CAL – Rich Campbell – 23/33, 315 yards, 3 TD, int
STAN – Turk Schonert – 22/32, 225 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CAL – Paul Jones – 24 rushes, 92 yards
STAN – Vincent White – 10 rushes, 26 yards
Top receivers
CAL – Jack Rose – 8 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD
STAN – Ken Margerum – 6 receptions, 61 yards :