1975 UCLA Football: Vermeil’s Rose Bowl Season

Dick Vermeil came to UCLA in 1974 to take over a football program that, while generally successful, labored in the backdrop of its powerhouse basketball program. And, more importantly, labored in the backdrop of crosstown rival USC, who consistently dominated the Pac-8 Conference, as it was then called. Vermeil’s 6-3-2 showing in ’74 more or less aligned with what the program had been producing over the previous eight seasons.

With legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden having stepped down in the spring of 1975 after yet another national championship, the school’s fan base needed the football program to step up and carry its weight. And the 1975 UCLA football team did—after a rocky start, they got their first Rose Bowl trip since 1965 and then delivered an upset that shook the national championship race.

SCIARRA & TYLER POWER THE VEER

John Sciarra led the way. The quarterback ran the veer offense, which was built around the option. Sciarra ran for over 800 yards. While he didn’t throw a lot, he generated 8.7 yards-per-attempt.

There are a lot of statistics that can illuminate how different this era of college football was from our modern day version, but three facts about Sciarra’s ’75 season really stand out in making the point:

*His 48% completion rate and 6-12 TD/INT ratio, while not great, really weren’t that bad in context.
*All of these numbers got him 1^st-team All-American honors
*Being the consensus best quarterback in the country only got you seventh place in the final Heisman Trophy voting.

Yep, it was a different time, one built around the running backs. And UCLA had a good one in future pro Wendell Tyler. With over 1,200 yards on the ground, Tyler won the Pac-8 rushing title and averaged 6.5 yards a pop in the process. Eddie Ayers was a reliable second punch, gaining over 600 yards at nearly five per carry.

Sciarra, Tyler and Ayers all ran behind an offensive line that was strong on the interior. Randy Cross, a future All-Pro in the NFL, was second-team All-American at guard. Phil McKinnely was all-conference at the other guard.

No receiver caught more than 12 passes, but Wally Henry, Norm Andersen, and tight end Rick Walker could all stretch the field. UCLA’s offense finished 15^th nationally in points scored.

The defense was a problem. While Cliff Frazier was a solid nose tackle, making all-conference and getting some love in the All-American voting, there wasn’t a lot around him. UCLA finished 82^nd nationally for points allowed.

A ROCKY SEPTEMBER

The Bruins were ranked #14 in the polls and they hosted Iowa State to open the season. The Cyclones were coached by future Ohio State mentor Earle Bruce, they weren’t that good in 1975. UCLA cruised to a 37-21 win. The Bruins followed that up with a 34-28 home win over Tennessee. While the Vols would ultimately lose five games, they were ranked #10 at the time. This win moved UCLA into the national top 10.

But disaster loomed on a trip to Colorado Springs to play Air Force. This was a bad Falcon team, but the Bruins played them to a 20-20 tie. After that display, what happened at home against Ohio State a week later was no surprise—UCLA took a 41-20 shellacking. They were 2-1-1 and unranked going into conference play. There was no reason to think 1975 would be a special season.

BOUNCING BACK IN THE PAC-8

A road trip to Stanford began the Pac-8 schedule. The Cardinal were a conference contender, with future NFL wide receiver Tony Hill a prime target. UCLA delivered a 31-21 win to get themselves back in the national rankings. They followed that up with a trip north to Pullman and a 37-23 win over a bad Washington State team.

That set up a home date with Cal. This Golden Bear team was a good one with an explosive offense. Running back Chuck Muncie, bound for the NFL, would finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Wide receiver Wesley Walker, another future NFL contributor, was a big play threat. And quarterback Joe Roth was the league’s most prolific passer.

While Muncie ran for 100 yards, Tyler was even better. The Bruin back pounded out 143 yards and UCLA churned out a 28-14 win that would loom exceptionally large by the time all was said and done.

A BALANCED RACE SHAKES OUT

In a balanced league, Washington was another contender, and UCLA suffered a letdown a week later, dropping a 13-7 decision at home. The Bruins were 3-1 in the conference. Cal, Stanford, Washington, and USC all had one league loss. The Rose Bowl was completely up for grabs in November.

UCLA visited lowly Oregon and won 31-9. The results from elsewhere in the conference were favorable. Cal, whom UCLA enjoyed the tiebreaker over, had defeated Washington, the one team the Bruins could not afford to end up tied with. Stanford had also knocked off USC.

Thus, UCLA, Cal and Stanford were all tied for first, but the Bruins had beaten both contenders. The Rose Bowl bid was theirs for the taking.

A home game with cellar-dwelling Oregon State was an easy 31-9 win. UCLA now had a week off to get ready for their rivalry game with USC on Black Friday. The Bruins already knew the stakes would be simple—win and go to Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Lose, and there was no chance. On UCLA’s bye week, Cal beat Stanford, so it was down to the Bruins or Golden Bears.

SHOWDOWN WITH USC

UCLA and USC both played their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum, so this finale was always a neutral-site affair.

To say the Bruins had trouble taking care of the football would be something of an understatement. They put the ball on the ground eleven times, losing eight of them. But in this era of option offenses fumbles were more frequent. While this was admittedly extreme and still a record, it wasn’t something you couldn’t overcome. UCLA’s deficit was a manageable 14-6.

Sciarra stepped up with his arm. He found backup tight end Don Pederson on touchdown passes from 18 and 19 yards. The Bruins raced to a 25-14 lead. The Trojans weren’t done yet. They had Ricky Bell, the third-place finisher in the Heisman race in the backfield, and they scored and cut the lead to 25-22. But it ended there. UCLA had earned a share of the Pac-8 title with Cal and by virtue of that big head-to-head win, were going to the Rose Bowl.

UPSETTING OHIO STATE

A rematch with Ohio State loomed. No one gave UCLA, now ranked #13 much of a chance. The Buckeyes were undefeated, ranked #1 in the country and running back Archie Griffin had just won a historic second straight Heisman Trophy.

For 30 minutes, the game went more or less as scripted. The Bruins couldn’t move the ball and didn’t get a first down until the second quarter. UCLA struggled to stop Ohio State. But the maligned Bruin defense came up with two turnovers and a fourth-down stop. They only trailed 3-0 at the half.

Vermeil made a little adjustment at half that paid big dividends. He had Sciarra go to more play-action passing. For a second straight game, the running quarterback made a difference with his arm. UCLA got a tying field goal and then a go-ahead touchdown. With the score 9-3, Sciarra and Henry connected on a 67-yard TD pass.

It was 16-3 and the Buckeyes were on the run. Or, more accurately, they weren’t on the run. They had been forced to the air, and it wasn’t where Woody Hayes’ muscular team was most comfortable. While Ohio State cut the lead to 16-10, Tyler answered with a 54-yard touchdown jaunt. UCLA had a big 23-10 upset that cost the Buckeyes a national championship. For their part, the Bruins had now defeated the top 3 finishers in the Heisman voting (Griffin, Muncie, Bell) and were vaulted to #5 in the final rankings.

THE AFTERMATH

Vermeil’s coaching star was on the rise, and he took the chance to go to the NFL and coach the Philadelphia Eagles after this season. Terry Donahue took his place. While Donahue would eventually turn UCLA into the league’s most dominant program in the mid-1980s, the latter part of the 1970s did see USC re-emerge as the conference heavyweight. But 1975 was a magical memory for UCLA football.