The 1967 UCLA vs. USC football game was an American college football game played during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season on November 18, 1967. The UCLA Bruins, 7–0–1 and ranked No. 1, with senior quarterback Gary Beban as a Heisman Trophy candidate, played the USC Trojans, 8–1 and ranked No. 4, with junior running back O. J. Simpson also as a Heisman candidate. This game is widely regarded as the signature game in the UCLA–USC rivalry as well as one of the 20th-century Games of the Century.Coach of the Year (2007) – hosted by Keith Jackson "Keith Jackson has been broadcasting college football since 1952 and has reported games like the "Game of the Century" between UCLA and USC in 1967."Crosstown rivalry over the years – USC-UCLA, 1967. Los Angeles Times. In 1967, the L.A. rivals played what was billed as the Game of the Century The 64-yard run by Simpson for the winning touchdown is regarded as one of the greatest run plays in college football.Guiremand, Steve – 25 YEARS AGO O.J. SIMPSON MADE RUN THAT IS HALLMARK OF USC-UCLA GAME LORE. Knight-Ridder Newspapers Deseret News. November 21, 1992. Quote:" It is arguably the biggest play in the storied 104-year history of Southern Cal (sic) football."

Introduction

1965–66

In 1965, sixth-ranked USC (led by Mike Garrett) met seventh-ranked UCLA (led by All-Conference sophomore quarterback Gary Beban), with a berth in the 1966 Rose Bowl on the line. The scoring opened with All-American Tailback Mel Farr running 49 yards for a Bruin touchdown. The extra point was blocked, Despite dominating in the statistics, USC led only 16–6 with less than four minutes left in the game (In the first 3 1/2 quarters, USC penetrated inside the UCLA 25-yard line seven times; three times they fumbled, threw one interception in the end zone, settled for a short field goal, and scored two touchdowns, missing the extra point on one). On 3rd and 23, UCLA linebacker Dallas Grider hit USC quarterback Troy Winslow and caused a fumble. UCLA scored on a Beban touchdown pass to Dick Witcher and successfully converted a two-point conversion to make the score 16–14 (A tie would have sent USC to the Rose Bowl, hence the reason UCLA went for two). Then Grider then recovered an onside kick, and two plays later, Beban hit Kurt Altenberg, a decoy for Mel Farr, on a 49-yard touchdown bomb to win the game, 20–16.Lonnie White. Grider made big plays for Bruins – Los Angeles Times. November 28, 2007. Linebacker (Dallas Grider) came up with a big hit and recovery of onside kick to help UCLA rally in 1965Wolf, Al – Altenberg Was 'Decoy' on Winning TD Pass. Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1965. One of the new plays UCLA put in for Saturday's Rose Bowl decider with USC was a pass in which Mel Farr was the intended receiver and Kurt Altenberg a deep decoy and secondary target.Zimmerman, Paul – BEBAN PULLS THE TRIGGER, AND PRESTO!... ...Prothro's in the Rose Bowl Again It's Bombs Away! Bruins Win, 20–16. Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1965. Like a badly mauled fighter getting up off the floor, UCLA's fantastic football team came from behind to defeat USC 20 to 16 before 94,085 unbelieving fans at Memorial Coliseum Saturday. In the final polls, UCLA was ranked 4th in the AP and 5th in the UPI. UCLA upset #1-ranked Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl, 14–12. USC finished ranked #9 in the AP poll.UCLA Athletics 1964–1965 . UCLA English Department. GE Cluster 60CW Seminar 7 – UCLA in the 1960s last updated: 6/13/2005"Snapshots in Time". UCLA History Project. May 1, 2005 Garrett would win the Heisman Trophy, but not get to play in the Rose Bowl.Hall, John – GARRETT RUNS OFF WITH HEISMAN TROPHY – USC Ace Praises His Team – GARRETT HEISMAN WINNER. Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1965

In 1966, due to uneven scheduling that left out new AAWU members Oregon and Oregon State, UCLA was 3–1 in conference games and 8-1 overall. The Bruins lost only one game, at Washington 16–3. USC was 5–0, but lost out of conference to Miami (Florida). It was widely assumed that the winner of the 1966 game between 8th ranked UCLA and 7th ranked USC would go to the 1967 Rose Bowl. UCLA star QB Gary Beban was out with a broken ankle, but backup Norman Dow, making his first and only start at QB, led UCLA to a 14–7 win.John Hall – BRUINS DO IT AGAIN! AWAIT BOWL BID: Dow's Heroics Spill Trojans in 14–7 Upset. Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1966John Hall – Bruins Hope to Celebrate Bowl Bid. Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1966 A vote the next Monday among the AAWU conference athletic directors put USC in the Rose Bowl. It was speculated that this was to make up for 1964 when Oregon State (8-2 overall, 4-1 in conference) was voted in ahead of USC (7-3 overall, 4-1 in conference) despite USC's 20-17 upset of #1 Notre Dame in the season's final game; the Oregon State coach at the time was Tommy Prothro, who became UCLA's coach in 1965. In addition, the directors believed Beban could not play for UCLA in the Rose Bowl due to the broken ankle, thereby giving the Big 10 representative (Purdue) a better chance to win.Paul Zimmerman – Rose Bowl Voting Has Long History of 'Controversy'. Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1966Jim Murray – A Thorny Problem. Los Angeles Times, November 22, 1966 UCLA students protested by blocking the Northbound lanes of I-405 at Wilshire Boulevard. A week after the athletic directors' vote, USC failed to validate that decision as they lost to Notre Dame 51–0. At the time, that was the worst defeat in USC Trojan football history.Becker, Bill - Irish Trouncing of U.S.C. Worst in Trojans' History; Notre Dame Routs U.S.C., 51-0; Worst Defeat in Trojan History Chronicle of the Rout. New York Times, November 27, 1966 USC entered the Rose Bowl unranked and lost to Purdue, 14–13. Ironically, Beban's ankle had healed and he could have played. UCLA finished fifth in both polls.

1967 season

USC and UCLA began the season ranked seventh and eighth respectively. USC had been ranked #1 for six weeks since beating #5 Texas and later Michigan State. USC notched a 24–7 victory over #5 Notre Dame on October 14, 1967. UCLA opened its season with a last minute 20-16 win over #7 Tennessee (the Vols only loss that regular season), and reached #2 before tying Oregon State 16–16 on November 4. A week later in a downpour in Corvallis, Oregon, Oregon State would beat top-ranked USC 3–0, as O.J. Simpson could not get going on the muddy field. USC dropped to #2 in the UPI and #4 in the AP, while UCLA ascended to the top ranking after their 48–0 win over Washington. It was the first time since the 1955 season that UCLA was ranked #1, and only the fourth AP weekly poll in the history of the school. UCLA's tie and USC's loss were both inflicted by the Oregon State Beavers and their famed "Giant Killers" team. This same Oregon State team had defeated #2 ranked Purdue. But a 13–6 loss to Washington earlier in the season ultimately cost the Beavers the conference title and Rose Bowl berth.Time Magazine: The Spoilers (the 1967 Oregon State Beaver Football Team)Oregon State University Football Media guide – PDF copy available at www.osubeavers.com

What was at stake This game was for the championship of the AAWU (then informally known as the Pac-8While the AAWU had been widely known to the general public as the "Pac-8" since the two Oregon schools joined in 1964, the conference did not formally adopt "Pacific-8" as its name until 1968. and now the Pac-12), a berth in the Rose Bowl game, and for the likelihood that the winner of the game would be the AP Poll national champion, as the final 1967 wire service polls were to be published at the end of the regular season two weeks later. This was despite that No. 1 UCLA and AP No. 2 Tennessee each played games this week and the following final week of the season. Life Magazine declared it "the college football season's most decisive game."Bonfante, Jordan - The Technocrat - Sports / Gary Beban is the Master of Cool Football Life Magazine, November 17, 1967, pg 90A The next year, the final poll would be published after the bowl games.

Aside from conference standings, the top Heisman vote getter from the previous season, Beban, would meet Simpson, one of the most explosive running backs of that season. And as with all USC-UCLA games, the "championship" of Los Angeles and bragging rights within the city were also at stake. USC was the established football power with seven national championships, the most recent in 1962. UCLA was regarded as an upstart, but had one national championship in 1954.

"Home" game Both teams played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 1982, when UCLA first went outside the city of Los Angeles to play at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The 1967 game would be a USC "home" game, which meant that USC fans sat on the North side of the Coliseum, while the UCLA fans sat on the South (press box) side of the Coliseum. Both teams also wore their home uniforms when meeting at the Coliseum, UCLA in Powderkeg blue and USC in Cardinal.

National television coverage The American Broadcasting Company began showing college football on television in color the previous season. By the NCAA rules, only 8 national and 5 regional telecasts were allowed during the season. This game would be the ABC-TV game of the week and would be presented live in color and feature the ABC sports "Slo Mo replay". ABC's No. 1 broadcast team of Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson called the action.

Scoring UCLA opened the scoring when running back Greg Jones scored on a 12-yard run. Sophomore Zenon Andrusyshyn kicked the extra point to make it 7–0. After a USC punt, Beban had the Bruins on the move again at the USC 41-yard line. The next play, Beban took a one step drop, rolled to the right, and faked a sideline pass to the right, then wheeled around and blindly threw a pass in the left flat intended for running back Greg Jones. However, USC linebacker Pat Cashman was not fooled by the fake to the right and jumped in front of Jones to take an interception return 55 yards for a USC touchdown. Rikki Aldridge kicked the extra point to tie the game. While O.J. Simpson's 64-yard run became famous, this play by Cashman turned the game around.

In the second quarter, after a UCLA missed field goal, Earl McCullouch would run 52 yards on a flanker reverse; he fumbled near the end of the play but USC recovered. He then caught another 13-yard pass. This set up O. J. Simpson for a weaving 12-yard touchdown run through most of the UCLA defensive unit in which he dragged two tacklers to the end zone. USC led at halftime 14-7.

In the third quarter Gary Beban hit George Farmer for a touchdown pass for 53 yards to tie the score. UCLA continued to dominate in the second half, despite the fact Beban had to be helped off the field numerous times after getting hit on his injured ribs (Beban had a bad bruise and a piece of detached cartilage). Twice he drove the Bruins into field goal range. However, USC head coach John McKay had noticed that UCLA kicker Andrusyshyn kicked with a low trajectory, so he put 6'8" Bill Hayhoe in the middle of the line on the Trojans field goal defense unit; Hayhoe blocked two field goals to keep the game tied.

With the game tied 14–14 early in the fourth quarter, an injured Beban gamely threw a touchdown pass to Dave Nuttall. The extra point attempt by Andrusyshyn was tipped by Hayhoe and went wide, resulting in a 20–14 UCLA lead.

The big play