1977 Memphis State Tigers football team

The 1977 Memphis State Tigers football team represented Memphis State University (now known as the University of Memphis) as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In its third season under head coach Richard Williamson, the team compiled a 6–5 record and outscored opponents by a total of 228 to 194.^[2][3] The team played its home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

1977 Memphis State Tigers football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Richard Williamson (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Ragland (3rd season)
Captain	Keith Butler
Home stadium	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–				10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Lloyd Patterson with 1,336 passing yards, James King with 626 rushing yards, Earnest Gray with 826 receiving yards, and Rusty Bennett with 60 points scored (21 extra points, 13 field goals).^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at Ole Miss	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	L 3–7	45,500	[5]
September 10	Tulane	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 27–9		[6]
September 17	Utah State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 31–26	21,364	[7]
September 24	Virginia Tech	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 21–20	20,463	[8]
October 1	Louisville	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	L 13–14	22,750	[9]
October 15	Mississippi State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	W 21–13	48,432	[10]
October 22	North Texas State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 19–20	30,065	[11]
October 29	Southern Miss	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Black and Blue Bowl)	W 42–14	28,420	[12]
November 5	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	L 14–27	82,573	[13]
November 12	at No. 16 Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 9–30	40,167	[14]
November 19	at Wichita State	Cessna Stadium Wichita, KS	W 28–14	25,819	[15]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game