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Postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Lehigh Engineers
College football game
The 1979 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Lehigh Engineers (now the Lehigh Mountain Hawks ). The game was played on December 15, 1979, at Orlando Stadium (now Camping World Stadium ) in Orlando, Florida . The culminating game of the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season , it was won by Eastern Kentucky, 30–7.[ 3]
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1979 I-AA Playoffs , which began with a four-team bracket .[ 4]
Eastern Kentucky Colonels [ edit ] Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (5–1 in conference); their losses were to East Tennessee State of Division I-A and conference rival Murray State .[ 5] AP Poll for I-AA,[ 6] at-large selection to the four-team playoff; they defeated Nevada , the West selection, by a score of 33–30 in double overtime to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game.
Lehigh also finished their regular season with a 9–2 record; they had lost to Colgate of Division I-A and Delaware of Division II .[ 7] [ 6] Murray State , the South selection, by a 28–9 score to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Lehigh in a Division I-AA championship game.
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
LEH
EKU
1
3:37
EKU
Bill Hughes 1-yard touchdown run, David Flores kick good
0
7
2
EKU
Nicky Yeast 1-yard touchdown run, Flores kick good
0
14
2
LEH
Bob Romeo 1-yard touchdown run, Ted Iobst kick good
7
14
3
EKU
Dale Patton 2-yard touchdown run, Flores kick good
7
21
4
EKU
29-yard field goal by Flores
7
24
4
EKU
Tony Braxton 14-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed
7
30
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
7
30
[ 1] [ 3]
1
2
3
4
Total
Engineers
0
7
0
0
7
Colonels
7
7
7
9
30
Orlando Stadium , site of the 1979 I-AA title game
Statistics
LEH
EKU
First downs
10
16
Plays–yards
56–204
74–338
Rushes–yards
33–102
69–289
Passing yards
102
49
Passing: comp –att –int
6–23–4
1–5–2
Time of possession
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Lehigh
Passing
Rich Andres
6–19, 102 yds, 2 INT
Rushing
Joe Rabuck
17 car, 55 yds
Receiving
Paul Anastasio
2 rec, 42 yds
Eastern Kentucky
Passing
Bill Hughes
1–5, 49 yds, 2 INT
Rushing
Dale Patton
21 car, 121 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
Jerry Parrish
1 rec, 49 yds
[ 1] [ 3]
^ a b c "E. Kentucky whips Lehigh for I-AA title" . Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida . AP . December 16, 1979. p. 5F. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.^ Henniger, Paul (December 15, 1979). "Viewing Sports" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com. ^ a b c "Lehigh Routed By 30-7" . The New York Times AP . December 16, 1979. Retrieved May 12, 2019 .^ "Eastern Kentucky Gains Football Playoff Berth" . The Tennessean Nashville, Tennessee . December 3, 1979. p. 36. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.^ "Eastern Kentucky Colonels 1979 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Retrieved May 12, 2019 .[permanent dead link ] ^ a b "1-AA Top 10" . The Victoria Advocate Victoria, Texas . AP . November 27, 1979. p. 2B. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.^ "Lehigh Mountain Hawks 1979 Schedule" . cfbinfo.com . Retrieved May 12, 2019 .[permanent dead link ]
Games through 2009 were played in December. Subsequent games have been played in January (*) or May (†).
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Venues Bowls & rivalries People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1979–80 NCAA Division I championships
† Inaugural championship – Until 1981–82, all championships for men only
