1979 Miami Hurricanes football team

The 1979 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Hurricanes played their home games at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Miami finished the season with a record of 5–6.

1979 Miami Hurricanes football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Howard Schnellenberger (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Kim Helton (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Rick Lantz (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Miami Orange Bowl
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15		Louisville	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 24–12	41,129
September 22		at No. 14 Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)		L 23–40	47,679
September 29		Louisiana Tech	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 6–0	20,069	^[1]
October 6		at Florida A&M	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL		L 13–16	34,743
October 13		at San Diego State	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA		L 20–31	40,126
October 20		Boston College	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 19–8	15,013	^[2]
October 27		at Syracuse	Rich Stadium Orchard, Park, NY		L 15–25	7,729
November 3		at No. 19 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA		W 26–10	77,532
November 17		at No. 1 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	ABC	L 0–30	54,500	^[3]
November 24	11:00 p.m.	vs. Notre Dame	Korakuen Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl) (rivalry)		L 15–40	62,674	^[4]
December 1		Florida	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)		W 30–24	28,051	^[5]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1979 Miami Hurricanes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Gregory Anderson OL Don Bailey TE Andy Baratta OL Clem Barbarino WR Rocky Belk RB Albert Bentley RB James Bigbie RB Gary Breckner WR Larry Brodsky OL John Canaei OL John Fenton OL Frank Frazier OL Steve Grady RB Chris Hobbs WR 13 Jim Joiner Jr OL Art Kehoe QB 12 Jim Kelly Fr OL Jim Pokorney RB Smokey Roan QB Mike Rodrique RB Mark Rush WR Malcolm Simmons RB Taylor Timmons WR Pat Walker	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Mozell Axson LB Jay Brophy DL Jim Burt DL Tony Chickillo DB Gene Coleman LB Charles Cook DL Johnny Daniels DL Tim Flanagan DL Barry Gonzalez DB David Jefferson DB 31 Fred Marion So DT 91 Bob Nelson So LB Scott Nicolas DB 11 Mark Smith Jr DB 2 John Swain Jr DL Lester Williams	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P Greg LaBelle K Dan Miller	Head coach Howard Schnellenberger Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

Game summaries

Alabama

See also: 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	0	0	0	0	0
Alabama	10	0	7	13	30

at Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• Date: November 17, 1979
• Game attendance: 54,500
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels and Frank Broyles

Game information

Scoring Passing MIA: Mike Rodrique 4/13, 37 yards, 2 INT, Jim Kelly 2/15, 10 yards, 3 INT ALA: Steadman Shealy 9/15, 187 yards Rushing MIA: Chris Hobbs 9–44, Gary Breckner 3–22, Mike Rodrique 3–21 ALA: Steve Whitman 11–70, Steadman Shealy 14–28, Mitch Ferguson 4–27, Major Ogilvie 9–26, TD Receiving MIA: Larry Brodsky 1–15, Jim Joiner 2–10, Andy Baratta 1–9, Chris Hobbs 1–9 ALA: Keith Pugh 7–126, Tim Travis 1–56

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Miami (FL) Alabama 1 Alabama Tim Travis 56-yard touchdown reception from Steadman Shealy, Alan McElroy kick good 0 7 1 Alabama 24-yard field goal by Alan McElroy 0 10 3 Alabama Major Ogilvie 1-yard touchdown run, Alan McElroy kick good 0 17 4 Alabama 25-yard field goal by Alan McElroy 0 20 4 Alabama 40-yard field goal by Alan McElroy 0 23 4 Alabama James Haney 5-yard touchdown run, Alan McElroy kick good 0 30 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 0 30

Statistics

Passing

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT
Rodrique	94	201	1,197	2
Kelly	48	104	721	5

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	TD
Hobbs	105	406
Roan	97	307
Breckner	47	179

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards	TD
Brodsky	30	495
Walker	24	625
Joiner	24	293

^[6]

References

1. "Hurricanes win lackluster game on 2 field goals". The Palm Beach Post. September 30, 1979. Retrieved July 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Miami Gets Job Done". The Palm Beach Post-Times. October 21, 1979. p. E1, E4 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bowl-bound(?) Bama demolished Hurricanes". The Palm Beach Post. November 18, 1979. Retrieved February 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Irish run to victory over Miami". The Kokomo Tribune. November 26, 1979. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Coleman picks off Gators, 30–24". The Miami Herald. December 2, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Broyles, Bob and Paul Guido. 50 Years of College Football: A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport.