# 1978 Clemson Tigers football team

The 1978 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its second season under head coach Charley Pell, the team compiled an 11–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents), won the ACC championship, defeated Ohio State in the 1978 Gator Bowl, was ranked No. 6 in the final AP and Coaches Polls, and outscored opponents by a total of 368 to 131. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
Steve Fuller and Randy Scott were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included Steve Fuller with 1,515 passing yards, Lester Brown with 1,022 rushing yards and 102 points scored, and Jerry Butler with 908 receiving yards.
The Gator Bowl victory became infamous because Ohio State's legendary head coach Woody Hayes punched Clemson player Charlie Bauman during the game on the Buckeyes sideline after a play. The incident was caught on live television, and Hayes resigned as Ohio State head coach the next day before the team even left Jacksonville. Hayes would never coach again.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 16 | 1:00 p.m. | The Citadel* | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | W 58–3 | 53,332–54,075 |
| September 23 | 1:30 p.m. | at Georgia* | | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (rivalry) | L 0–12 | 60,000 |
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | Villanova* | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | W 31–0 | 47,786 |
| October 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Virginia Tech* | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | W 38–7 | 53,054 |
| October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | at Virginia | | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | W 30–14 | 19,243 |
| October 21 | 1:00 p.m. | Duke | | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | W 28–8 | 51,109 |
| October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at NC State | No. 20 | Carter StadiumRaleigh, NC (rivalry) | W 33–10 | 45,000 |
| November 4 | 1:30 p.m. | at Wake Forest | No. 16 | Groves StadiumWinston-Salem, NC | W 51–6 | 30,400 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | North Carolina | No. 15 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | W 13–9 | 53,495 |
| November 18 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Maryland | No. 12 | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | W 28–24 | 51,376 |
| November 25 | 1:00 p.m. | South Carolina* | No. 10 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (rivalry) | W 41–23 | 63,050–63,479 |
| December 29 | | vs. No. 20 Ohio State* | No. 7 | Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) | W 17–15 | 72,011 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Gator Bowl (vs. Ohio State)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ohio St | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 15 |
| Clemson | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: December 29, 1978
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 72,011
* Referee: Jim Artley
* TV: ABC
* Box Score
Game information :
Second quarter
OSU – Bob Atha 27-yard field goal, 12:08. Ohio St 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards.
CLEM – Steve Fuller 4-yard run (Obed Ariri kick), 5:03. Clemson 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards.
OSU – Art Schlichter 4-yard run (kick failed), 1:21. Ohio St 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards.
CLEM – Obed Ariri 47-yard field goal, 0:05. Clemson 10–9. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards.
Third quarter
CLEM – Cliff Austin 1-yard run (Ariri kick), 2:18. Clemson 17–9. Drive: 19 plays, 84 yards.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Art Schlichter 1-yard run (run failed), 8:11. Clemson 17–15. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards.
Top passers
OSU – Art Schlichter – 16/20, 205 yards, INT
CLEM – Steve Fuller – 9/20, 123 yards
Top rushers
OSU – Art Schlichter – 18 rushes, 70 yards, 2 TD
CLEM – Tracy Perry – 14 rushes, 54 yards
Warren Ratchford – 10 rushes, 54 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Doug Donley – 3 receptions, 54 yards
CLEM – Jerry Butler – 4 receptions, 44 yards :