1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

[6] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff.

UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers.

[8] Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff.

Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin.

Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals.