1978 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

1978 Arkansas Razorbacks football
Fiesta Bowl, T 10–10 vs. UCLA
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 11
Record	9–2–1 (6–2 SWC)
Head coach	Lou Holtz (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Monte Kiffin (2nd season)
Captains	Ron Calcagni Ben Cowins Larry Jackson Jimmy Walker
Home stadium	Razorback Stadium War Memorial Stadium

1978 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Houston $	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 11 Arkansas	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
No. 9 Texas	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Texas Tech	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 19 Texas A&M	4	–	4	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
SMU	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Baylor	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Rice	2	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
TCU	0	–	8	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1978 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks compiled a 9–2–1 record (6–2 against SWC opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the SWC, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 336 to 147. The Razorbacks' only losses were to SWC champion Houston by a 20–9 score and to Texas by a 28–21 score. The team advanced to 1978 Fiesta Bowl, playing to a 10–10 tie with UCLA.^[1][2] Arkansas was ranked #11 in the final AP Poll and #10 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.

The team was described as having "tremendous talent at all skill positions" with a "swift" defense. The team was also described as being loaded at the wide receiver position.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	Vanderbilt*	No. 2	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR		W 48–17	55,718	[4]
September 23	at Oklahoma State*	No. 2	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK		W 19–7	49,500	[5]
September 30	Tulsa*	No. 2	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR		W 21–13	45,428	[6]
October 7	TCU	No. 4	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR		W 42–3	54,430	[7]
October 21	at No. 8 Texas	No. 3	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	ABC	L 21–28	78,000	[8]
October 28	at No. 11 Houston	No. 9	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX		L 9–20	50,913	[9]
November 4	Rice	No. 17	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR		W 37–7	45,709	[10]
November 11	at Baylor	No. 16	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX		W 27–14	45,000	[11]
November 18	No. 14 Texas A&M	No. 13	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR (rivalry)	ABC	W 26–7	54,118	[12]
November 25	at SMU	No. 11	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		W 27–14	43,301	[13]
December 2	No. 16 Texas Tech	No. 8	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR (rivalry)		W 49–7	44,147	[14]
December 25	vs. No. 15 UCLA*	No. 8	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	NBC	T 10–10	55,202	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

• QB Ron Calcagni, Sr.
• Dan Hampton
• QB Kevin Scanlon, Jr.
• G George Stewart
• WR TE Gene Ratliff
• P Bruce Lahay

References

1. "Arkansas Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
2. "1978 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
3. Freeman, Denne (1978), Holtz Wary but Arkansas Still Favored, web: The Sacramento Bee, retrieved March 13, 2023
4. "Razorbacks cover Vandy 48–17". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Cowboys scare Hogs". Springfield Leader and Press. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Arkansas blows past Hurricane". Abilene Reporter-News. October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Arkansas routs TCU". The Billings Gazette. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "McEachern passes Texas past Arkansas". Argus-Leader. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Davis sparks Houston past Arkansas, 20–9". Lincoln Journal Star. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Calcagni sparks Arkansas offense". The Flint Journal. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Arkansas continues comeback by posting win over Baylor". The Commercial Appeal. November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Hogs' defense fit for a Fiesta". Tulsa World. November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Arkansas rallies to clip SMU, 27–14". The Odessa American. November 26, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Arkansas rips Texas Tech". The Orlando Sentinel Star. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "UCLA, Arkansas battle to 10–10 in Fiesta Bowl". The Charlotte Observer. December 26, 1978. Retrieved October 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.