# 1979 USC Trojans football team

The 1979 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled an 11–0–1 record (6–0–1 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 389 to 171. The team was ranked #2 in both the final AP Poll and the final UPI Coaches Poll.
Quarterback Paul McDonald led the team in passing, completing 164 of 264 passes for 2,223 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. Charles White led the team in rushing with 332 carries for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns. Dan Garcia led the team in receiving with 29 catches for 492 yards and three touchdowns.
The team was named national champion by the College Football Researchers Association, an NCAA-designated major selector.$^{:114}$

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | at Texas Tech* | No. 1 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX | | W 21–7 | 52,991 |
| September 15 | at Oregon State | No. 1 | Parker StadiumCorvallis, OR | ONTV | W 42–5 | 32,000 |
| September 22 | Minnesota* | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 48–14 | 61,766 |
| September 29 | at No. 20 LSU* | No. 1 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | | W 17–12 | 78,322 |
| October 6 | Washington State | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 50–21 | 55,117 |
| October 13 | Stanford | No. 1 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | | T 21–21 | 76,067 |
| October 20 | at No. 9 Notre Dame* | No. 4 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh) | ABC | W 42–23 | 59,075 |
| October 27 | at California | No. 3 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | | W 24–14 | 76,780 |
| November 3 | Arizona | No. 3 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 34–7 | 62,054 |
| November 10 | at No. 15 Washington | No. 4 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | ABC | W 24–17 | 60,527 |
| November 24 | UCLA | No. 4 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (Victory Bell) | KABC | W 49–14 | 88,214 |
| January 1, 1980 | vs. No. 1 Ohio State* | No. 3 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | NBC | W 17–16 | 105,526 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Oregon State

Paul McDonald completed eight of nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns in just one half of action while Charles White watched from the sidelines with an injured shoulder. McDonald led the Trojans to touchdowns on their first five possessions before he and the rest of USC starters sat for the second half.

### Stanford

* Charles White 32 rushes, 221 yards

### At Notre Dame

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 42 |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: October 20
* Game attendance: 59,075
* TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson & Frank Broyles
* Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Oct 21.
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
USC – Garcia 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 7–0.
ND – Ferguson 1-yard run (Male kick). Tie 7–7.
Third quarter
USC – White 3-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 14–7
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 21–7.
ND – Ferguson 21-yard run (Male kick). USC 21–14.
Fourth quarter
USC – Williams 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 28–14.
ND – Stone 2-yard run (kick failed). USC 28–20.
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 35–20.
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 42–20.
ND – Male 42-yard field goal. USC 42–23.
Top rushers
USC – Charles White – 44 rushes, 261 yards, 4 TD :

### At California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
| California | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California
* Date: October 27
* Game attendance: 76,780
Game information :
First quarter
USC – James Hunter 3-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Eric Hipp kick). USC 7–0.
Second quarter
CAL – Darnell Chapman 74-yard blocked field goal return (Mick Luckhurst kick). Tie 7–7.
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 14–7.
CAL – Matt Bouza 13-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Mick Luckhurst kick), 5:24. Tie 14–14.
USC – Eric Hipp 45-yard field goal, 2:46. USC 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards.
USC – Charles White 5-yard run (Eric Hipp kick), 0:02. USC 24–7.
Top passers
USC – Paul McDonald – 15/35, 212 yards, TD
CAL – Rich Campbell – 24/40, 266 yards, TD
Top rushers
USC – Charles White – 44 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD
CAL – Paul Jones – 13 rushes, 36 yards
Top receivers
USC – Ray Butler – 4 receptions, 56 yards
CAL – Matt Bouza – 7 receptions, 101 yards, TD :

### At Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Washington | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington
* Date: November 10
* Game attendance: 60,527
* TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson & Frank Broyles
Game information :
First quarter
WASH – Lansford 30-yard field goal. Washington 3–0.
Second quarter
USC – Garcia 8-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 7–3.
USC – Hipp 31-yard field goal. USC 10–3.
Third quarter
USC – K. Williams 19-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 17–3.
WASH – Flick 1-yard run (Lansford kick). USC 17–10.
Fourth quarter
WASH – Skansi 12-yard pass from Flick (Lansford kick). Tie 17–17.
USC – M. Allen 10-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 24–17.
Top rushers
USC – Charles White – 38 rushes, 243 yards :

### Vs. UCLA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UCLA | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| USC | 14 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
* Date: November 24
* Game attendance: 88,214
Game information :
First quarter
USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 7–0.
USC – Ronnie Lott 30-yard interception return (Eric Hipp kick). USC 14–0.
Second quarter
USC – Charles White 1-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 21–0.
USC – Charles White 26-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 28–0.
USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 35–0.
Third quarter
UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell 79-yard pass from Rick Bashore (Peter Boermeester kick). USC 35–7.
USC – Vic Rakhshani 5-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Eric Hipp kick). USC 42–7.
Fourth quarter
UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell 5-yard pass from Rick Bashore (Peter Boermeester kick). USC 42–14.
USC – Michael Hayes 54-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 49–14.
Top passers
UCLA – Rick Bashore – 9/17, 224 yards, 2 TD, INT
USC – Paul McDonald – 17/23, 199 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
UCLA – Freeman McNeil – 30 rushes, 120 yards
USC – Charles White – 35 rushes, 194 yards, 4 TD
Top receivers
UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell – 5 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD
USC – Rod Garcia – 3 receptions, 42 yards :

### Rose Bowl (vs. Ohio State)

* Charles White 39 rushes, 247 yards

## 1979 team players in the NFL

* Marcus Allen
* Chip Banks
* Hoby Brenner
* Joey Browner
* Brad Budde
* Steve Busick
* Ray Butler
* Dennis Johnson
* Myron Lapka
* Ronnie Lott
* Jeff Fisher
* Chris Foote
* Roy Foster
* Bruce Matthews
* Paul McDonald
* Larry McGrew
* Don Mosebar
* Anthony Muñoz
* Eric Scoggins
* Dennis Smith
* Keith Van Horne
* Charles White

## Awards and honors

* Brad Budde, Lombardi Award
* Charles White, Heisman Trophy
* Charles White, Maxwell Award
* Charles White, Walter Camp Award