1965 UCLA Bruins football team

1965 UCLA Bruins football
AAWU champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 14–12 vs. Michigan State
Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities
Ranking
Coaches No. 5
AP No. 4
1965 record 8–2–1 (4–0 AAWU)
Head coach Tommy Prothro (1st season)
Home stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1965 AAWU football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 UCLA $ 4 –0 –0  8 –2 –1
No. 10 USC 4 –1 –0  7 –2 –1
Washington State 2 –1 –0  7 –3 –0
Washington 4 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Stanford 2 –3 –0  6 –3 –1
California 2 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Oregon State 1 –3 –0  5 –5 –0
Oregon 0 –5 –0  4 –5 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1965 UCLA Bruins football team represented University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1965 college football season. The team was coached by Tommy Prothro, who replaced William F. Barnes. Under freshman quarterback Gary Beban, the team finished the season with a 8–2–1 record and the conference championship.[1]

Regular season

The Bruins lost their season opening game 13–3 at Michigan State, who then rose to become the top-ranked team in the country. The unheralded Bruins would go on a seven-game undefeated streak, surprising national powers like Syracuse and Penn State. Going into the 1965 UCLA-USC rivalry football game ranked #7, the conference championship and 1966 Rose Bowl were on the line. #6 USC, led by Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett led 16–6 until UCLA got a touchdown on a pass from Gary Beban to Dick Witcher with four minutes to play. After the two-point conversion made it 16–14, UCLA recovered an onside kick. Beban then hit Kurt Altenberg on a 50-yard bomb and UCLA won, 20–16. Integrated UCLA then faced all-white Tennessee in the newly built Liberty Bowl stadium in Memphis, Prothro's native city. On the last play of the game, Tennessee defensive back Bob Petrella intercepted a UCLA pass to save a Volunteer win by a score of 37–34. Tennessee's winning drive was aided by a controversial pass interference call, the clock had questionably stopped twice, and a dropped pass that appeared to be a lateral was recovered by UCLA but was later ruled an incomplete forward pass. After the game, Prothro stated, "For the first time in my life, I am ashamed to be a Southerner."

The Bruins went to the 1966 Rose Bowl as a 14½ point underdog in a rematch with undefeated and #1 ranked powerhouse Michigan State. UCLA, now dubbed "The Miracle Bruins" by Sports Illustrated, vanquished the heavily favored Spartans 14–12. That victory gave UCLA an 8–2–1 mark, prevented the Spartans from winning the AP title, and resulted in Prothro earning Coach of the Year accolades from his coaching colleagues. UCLA finished #4 that season, and due to their small size, earned the moniker "Gutty little Bruins."

Schedule

Date Opponent# Rank# Site Result Attendance
September 18 at Michigan State* Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI L 3-13   51,279
October 2 at Penn State* Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA W 24-22   46,345[2]
October 9 Syracuse* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA W 24-14   27,729[3]
October 16 at Missouri* Faurot Field • Columbia, MO T 14-14   47,000[4]
October 23 California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Rivalry) W 56-3   39,5424
October 30 at Air Force* Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO W 10-0   28,234[5]
November 6 Washington No. 8 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA W 28-24   46,084
November 13 at Stanford No. 7 Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA W 30-13   20,500
November 20 at No. 6 USC No. 7 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell) W 20-16   94,085
December 4 at No. 7 Tennessee* No. 5 Memphis Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN L 34-37   44,495[6]
January 1 vs. No. 1 Michigan State* No. 5 Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) W 14-12   100,087
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Pacific Time.

[7]

Game summaries

USC

1 2 3 4 Total
UCLA 6 0 0 14 20
USC 0 7 0 9 16

Michigan State (Rose Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total
#5 UCLA 0 14 0 0 14
#1 Michigan State 0 0 0 12 12

1st quarter scoring: No scoring

2nd quarter scoring: UCLA — Gary Beban 1-yard run (Kurt Zimmerman kik); UCLA — Beban 1-yard run (Zimmerman kick)

3rd quarter scoring: No scoring

4th quarter scoring: MSU — Bob Apisa 38-yard run (Jimmy Raye pass fail); MSU — Juday 1-yard run (Apisa run fail)

Statistics

Team StatsUCLAMichigan St.
First Downs1013
Net Yards Rushing65204
Net Yards Passing147110
Total Yards212314
PC–PA–Int.8–20–08–22–3
Punts–Avg.11–39.95–42.4
Fumbles–Lost3–23–2
Penalties–Yards9–861–14

Awards and honors

  • All-Coast/Conference First Team: Kurt Altenberg (E), Russ Banducci (T), Gary Beban (QB), Jim Colletto (E), Mel Farr (H), John Richardson (G), Bob Stiles (H)[8]

References

  1. ↑ 2013 UCLA Football Media Guide, UCLA, 2013
  2. ↑ "UCLA stops penn state's late rush". Chicago Tribune. 3 October 1965.
  3. ↑ Wolf, Al (10 October 1965). "Bruins' explosive start surprises syracuse, 24-14". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ↑ Wolf, Al (17 October 1965). "Bruins foiled, 14-14, by long missouri runs". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ "UCLA fumbles eight times but shuts out air force, 10-0". The Washington Post. 31 October 1965.
  6. ↑ Zimmerman, P. (14 November 1965). "BRUINS STAY ON ROAD TO ROSE BOWL". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ↑ "2015 UCLA Bruins Football Media Guide Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  8. ↑ 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975


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