# 1978 Navy Midshipmen football team

The 1978 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach George Welsh.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 16 | at Virginia | | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | W 32–0 | 28,472 |
| September 23 | at Connecticut | | Memorial StadiumStorrs, CT | W 30–0 | 6,804 |
| September 30 | at Boston College | | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | W 19–8 | 24,082 |
| October 7 | at Air Force | | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) | W 37–8 | 30,482 |
| October 14 | Duke | | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | W 31–8 | 21,431 |
| October 21 | William & Mary | No. 17 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | W 9–0 | 20,193 |
| October 28 | Pittsburgh | No. 18 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD | W 21–11 | 32,909 |
| November 4 | vs. No. 15 Notre Dame | No. 11 | Municipal StadiumCleveland, OH (rivalry) | L 7–27 | 63,780 |
| November 11 | at Syracuse | No. 18 | Archbold StadiumSyracuse, NY | L 17–20 | 26,429 |
| November 18 | at Florida State | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | L 6–38 | 45,795 |
| December 2 | vs. Army | | John F. Kennedy StadiumPhiladelphia, PA (Army–Navy Game) | W 28–0 | 79,026 |
| December 22 | vs. BYU | | San Diego StadiumSan Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | W 23–16 | 52,500 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### At Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Navy (3–0) | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 37 |
| Air Force (2–2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
* Attendance: 30,482
* Navy scored on six of its first seven possessions, gained over 400 yards of total offense and held Air Force to 75 yards through three quarters
* Navy's best start since 1960
* NAVY: Tata 47 FG
* NAVY: McConkey 19 run (Tata kick)
* NAVY: Tata 39 FG
* NAVY: McConkey 36 pass from Leszczynski (Tata kick)
* NAVY: Tata 43 FG
* NAVY: Gainer 17 run (Tata kick)
* AFA: Fortson 11 run (pass good)
* NAVY: Callahan 39 run (Tata kick)

### At Florida State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Navy | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Florida St | 0 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 38 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: November 18, 1978
* Game time: 12:50 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,795
* Referee: W.T. Miller
* TV: ABC
* Box Score
* Navy accepted bid to Holiday Bowl
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Navy | Passing | Bob Leszczynski | 10/20, 188 Yds, INT |
| Navy | Rushing | Kevin Tolbert | 5 Rush, 27 Yds |
| Navy | Receiving | Sandy Jones | 2 Rec, 51 Yds |
| Florida St | Passing | Jimmy Jordan | 15/27, 280 Yds, 4 TD |
| Florida St | Rushing | Greg Ramsey | 5 Rush, 51 Yds, TD |
| Florida St | Receiving | Sam Platt | 6 Rec, 145 Yds, 3 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NAVY | FSU |
| 1 | 0:48 | 4 | 35 | | Navy | 43-yard field goal by Bob Tata | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 4:10 | 3 | 60 | | Florida St | Greg Ramsey 12-yard touchdown run, Dave Cappelen kick good | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | 2:28 | 6 | 77 | | Navy | 46-yard field goal by Bob Tata | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | 11:58 | 4 | 28 | | Florida St | 38-yard field goal by Dave Cappelen | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | 9:38 | 3 | 11 | | Florida St | Sam Platt 4-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good | 6 | 17 |
| 3 | 6:55 | 4 | 56 | | Florida St | Sam Platt 36-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good | 6 | 24 |
| 4 | 13:50 | 5 | 90 | | Florida St | Sam Platt 51-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good | 6 | 31 |
| 4 | 9:00 | 7 | 53 | | Florida St | Grady King 23-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Jordan, Dave Cappelen kick good | 6 | 38 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 6 | 38 |

### vs Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Army | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Navy | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at JFK Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 2
* Game attendance: 79,026
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | ARMY | NAVY |
| 1 | | | | | Navy | Bob Leszczynski 3-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | | | | | Navy | Steve Callahan 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | | | | | Navy | Bob Leszczynski 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Tata kick good | 0 | 21 |
| 3 | | | | | Navy | Steve Callahan 18-yard touchdown reception from Bob Leszczynski, Bob Tata kick good | 0 | 28 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 28 |