Posted Fri, Jun 19 9:27 am (Edited Fri, Jun 19 9:28 am)
Stephen Barnett's YouTube feed has become an amazing treasure chest of historical college football and basketball games dating back to the late-60s. Included in his feed are a bunch of UCLA games. These are the original TV broadcasts, with a lot of the commercials intact.
Just watched the 1984 Rose Bowl, led by MVP Rick Neuheisel. First time since I watched original broadcast. Biggest upset ever in the Rose Bowl game. UCLA was an 18-point underdog and they wound up doubling the spread in the other direction as they crushed #4 ranked Illinois 45-9.
Other UCLA games posted to his feed include 1988 UCLA-Nebraska 1976, 1982 and 1986 Rose Bowl 1998 Cotton Bowl 1998 Miami 1973 (Mark Harmon running the wishbone), 1981, 1990, and 1996 Southern Cal games 1978 Fiesta Bowl 1987 Aloha Bowl 1996 ASU 1985 Washington 1991 Cal 1986 Oklahoma 1979, 1980, and 1984 DePaul BB 1987 Temple BB 1995 Final Four
Bit of trivia that I forgot about with that 1984 Rose Bowl -- Rick Neuheisel played that game with the flu. Apparently, he couldn't hold any food down and had been throwing up all morning. But, still had the game of his life.
The Illini though had a far more interesting time the night before the game. Illini alum Hugh Hefner invited the team over for a party at the Playboy Mansion. Rumor has it that several players partied so hard that they missed the team bus, and had to figure their own way back to the hotel.
That story kind of goes along with the press coverage in the week leading up to the game. Hardly anyone gave UCLA a chance in that game. But, one thing I noticed was that the news reports about the Bruins came from Spaulding Field, while the Illini seemed to be going from one entertainment activity to another.
Out of all the host committee activities, UCLA only did the Lawry's Beef Bowl and the Disneyland trip. They spent the rest of the week on campus, practicing and getting ready for the game. The Illini seemed to check every available option (as did a lot of the other Big Ten teams back then), and I never saw any TV report with the team on the practice field.
I saw that the 1992 Southern Cal game got added to Barnett's YouTube feed yesterday. This looks like the full length original ESPN broadcast with all of the bumpers intact. Most of the available footage out there has been from the edited Prime Ticket broadcasts (the two-hour version from the "Best Of" series).
the '86 Arizona game had the Bruins reeling from early losses to OU and ASU. Got behind 18-0 at halftime, and didn't score until almost the end of the 3rd quarter. But, the offense led by Gaston Green caught fire in the 4th quarter, scoring 25 points and pulling out a 32-25 thriller. The following season, the Bruins would have to mount yet another epic comeback against UofA, this time with Aikman leading the offense to a 28-point 4th quarter outburst.
This looks like the original full length CBS broadcast (w/ Verne Lundquist and Pat Haden on the call), with all the commercials and bumpers.
This is the game in which Wayne Cook suffered a season-ending knee injury. Also, a breakout game for Kevin Williams and JJ Stokes, and the debut of RFr QB Rob Walker.
Game played at Neyland Stadium. RJr QB Matt Stevens had taken over the starting job from RSr QB David Norrie after engineering the Bruin comeback the week before against defending national champion BYU.
But, in the Tennessee game, Stevens wound up having a shaky start. Norrie replaced him, and led the Bruins to two late TDs (plus a couple of two-point conversions) to salvage a 26-26 tie in Knoxville. This was probably about as thrilling a tie as you'll ever see.
Norrie would start the rest of the regular season and lead the Bruins to a Rose Bowl berth.
Thriller of a QB duel between Steve Bono and Bernie Kosar. Bruins knocked off the defending national champ Hurricanes, and Kosar would move onto the NFL.
This was the day that three Pac-10 teams won New Year's Day bowl games. Capped off by the infamous Sooner Schooner incident in #4 Washington's victory over #2 Oklahoma (forward to the 2:30 mark on the video to see it unfold).
Some painful games in this mix (i.e., 87 Southern Cal and 88 Wazzu), alongside some sweet victories ('91 Southern Cal , 89 Cotton Bowl , 86 Freedom Bowl )
Sloppy, ugly game in Seattle. But, the Bruins prevailed in a gritty upset of #2 Washington. Brad Daluiso booted the winning FG with 10 seconds remaining.
With all the talk about Josh Rosen, and occasional comparisons with the Bruins' last 5* QB Ben Olson, here's a game featuring Bret Johnson at QB. Until Olson landed in Westwood, Johnson was the most decorated QB recruit to ever sign with UCLA.
That 1989 season was a turning point for the program (and not for the better). The Aikman era had ended, and Bret Johnson won the fall QB competition against Jim Bonds and Ron Caragher. The roster was stocked with highly touted recruits. But, most of them, including Johnson, did not live up to their high billing.
And in 1989, Donahue made the mistake of promoting defensive assistant Greg Robinson to offensive coordinator. The two previous seasons with Axman also featured predictable and unimaginative offenses. But, Axman had Aikman, and those teams went 20-4.
As for this game, it was a 42-7 debacle. Ronnie Veal carved up the Bruin D, and the offense sputtered. The Bruins entered the game 3-2 and ranked #22. They'd shown some signs of life after early losses to Tennessee and Michigan. But, the UA blowout loss put the Bruins into a season ending 0-5-1 tailspin.
This game was billed as a Rose Bowl showdown. #7 UA came into the game 7-0, while the #15 Bruins were 5-2 (3-1 P10) and riding five-game winning streak.
Led by college football Hall of Famers Rob Waldrop and Tedy Bruschi, the 93 Wildcats featured the famous Desert Swarm defense, which used a double eagle flex scheme. The link below quotes Homer Smith explaining that scheme. It's telling that Smith was the coordinator in that pivotal 1993 win over UA.
The Desert Swarm defense had run roughshod over everyone, and at the time of the UCLA game, UA was allowing 15.1 yards rushing and 10 points PER GAME. The ESPN broadcast said that was the best run defense in the history of college football. The Bruins wound up gaining 64 yards. But, they won the game by capitalizing on UA turnovers. The Bruin D had a stellar showing in this game.
The Bruins would win a Rose Bowl showdown against Southern Cal, while UA went 10-2 capped by a 29-0 Fiesta Bowl drubbing of defending national champion Miami.
The 1993 Pac-10 champion Bruin squad had a rough start, losing to Cal and Nebraska to open the season. But, they toughed out a win against Bill Walsh and Stanford in week 3. The San Diego State game was a Thursday night ESPN game (back when UCLA rarely played during the week), and was supposed to be a showcase for Aztec All-Americans Marshall Faulk and Darnay Scott, and Bruin AA JJ Stokes. But, the Bruins shut down Faulk and proceeded to rout the Aztecs 52-13. This sparked the Bruins to a seven-game win streak and the conference title.
The 2005 UCLA-Oregon State game was one of the easier victories that season. Maurice Drew had a great game, but this game belonged to Drew Olson who threw a school record 6 TD passes. Bruins extended their record to 7-0 with the win, and ended the season with a 10-2 record.
Went with my roommate, who had to bet on everything. The bet was $100 to the winner, plus $10 a point on everything over a 10 point spread. Illinois had a hot WR, who kept dropping passes that were hitting his hands. Having been up all night and being well liquored up, I had many choice comments on his performance. Finally, late in the 3rd quarter, the lady sitting in front of us said..."will you please stop with your nasty comments? That's my son!" Whoops...
The 1991 Sun Bowl was one of the ugliest football games I could ever recall watching. Bruins pulled out a 6-3 win in Tommy Maddox's final game as a Bruin. UCLA seemingly had the pieces in places for a great run in 1992. But, then Maddox declared for the NFL draft. And after the season started, the Bruins lost QBs Wayne Cook, Rob Walker, and Ryan Fien to injury. This left the door open for nomadic walk-on John Barnes to emerge as the starter late in the season, and into Bruin lore with his heroics in the season finale against Southern Cal.
1998 #3 UCLA vs #10 Arizona A supposed showdown between the two top teams in the Pac-10 turned into a 52-28 rout. The video jumps in the middle of the 1st quarter with no score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQI0Ajqx2i0
1984 #1 Nebraska vs #8 UCLA With QB Steve Bono taking over at QB, the two-time defending Rose Bowl champ Bruins expected to contend for the Pac-10. But, the Bruins got blown out by the Huskers 42-3. Game was so bad that PK John Lee was the Chevrolet Player of the Game for UCLA. Bruins would lose the Pac-10 opener to Stanford, but stay in contention until Oregon upset them. The Bruins would go onto beat Rose Bowl-bound Southern Cal, and defending national champion Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. They would end the season ranked #9.
Nebraska would get upset by unranked Syracuse the following week. They played their way back to #1 until Oklahoma upset them in the finale. Paved the way for BYU to win the MNC that year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIQ8s-HKA7k
2005 Sun Bowl vs Northwestern Led by Drew Olson and Maurice Jones-Drew, the Bruins came back from an early 22-0 deficit to complete the biggest comeback in school history with a 50-38 win over Northwestern. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ab9cnuh1Y
2005 #16 UCLA vs #9 Cal Early season comeback win, one of many that Drew Olson would lead that season. Trey Brown's INT in the final minute would seal the Bruin victory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Y9yosVj10
The latest videos posted to Barnett's feed have only included UCLA losses. The games though are still good for historical viewing.
1967 #1 UCLA vs #4 Southern Cal This is the most consequential game of the series. The national championship and Heisman on the line. It was on national TV back when only one game per week was televised nationally. It made the cover of Sports Illustrated. Gary Beban's gutty performance (over 300 yards passing, while playing with a rib injury) won the Heisman Trophy over OJ Simpson. While Simpson's game winning TD will be replayed into eternity, the Bruins ultimately lost the game because of breakdowns in the kicking game.
2005 #12 UCLA vs #1 Southern Cal A memorable season, with Drew Olson having a career year and leading many stunning comebacks. A very forgettable game that officially never happened, since Southern Cal had to vacate the win.
1982 #9 UCLA vs #10 Washington This was seemingly for the Pac-10 title. While QB Tom Ramsey had a career year, this was an ugly low scoring game that the Bruins ultimately lost. UCLA would win the Pac-10 when UW lost the Apple Cup a couple of weeks later. The Washington QB was Tim Cowan -- father of future Bruins Joe and Pat Cowan.
1994 UCLA vs #12 Washington This was during a six-game losing streak in the middle of the 1994 season after some key injuries, including AA WR JJ Stokes who came back for his senior year. Bright spot that year was the emergence of Kevin Jordan and Sharmon Shah.
1981 Bluebonnet Bowl #16 UCLA vs #19 Michigan This bowl loss was the start of a mini-rivalry with Michigan, whom the Bruins would play (and defeat) two more times over the next 366 days.
1993 UCLA vs #8 Nebraska The Bruins opened the season with a close loss to Cal, and then followed up that game with this excruciatingly close game against #8 Nebraska. This game saw the emergence of FR RB Skip Hicks. The Bruins would turn things around and go on a seven game win streak, and win the Pac-10. Nebraska went undefeated in the regular season and eventually lost a national championship game against #1 Florida State.
1988 #6 UCLA vs Oregon The 1988 game against Oregon up in Eugene came the week after #1 UCLA was upset by Washington State at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins played like they were in a daze, but still pulled out a victory over the Ducks thanks to the UCLA D having their way against Oregon's backup QB (future all-conference QB "Billy the Kid" Musgrave went down with a broken collarbone the week before).
2000 #23 UCLA vs #19 Oregon State This was one of the more bizarre and controversially officiated games I've seen. High scoring back-and-forth battle until the last couple of minutes saw a Bruin defensive TD negated by a false start by OSU, and then a 4th down conversion negated by a BS in-the-grasp ruling with two seconds to go. That play would have setup the Bruins for a hail mary just outside the redzone. This Bruin team started the season with a victory over #3 Alabama, followed up a couple of weeks later by a win over #3 Michigan. But, they lost a game to Oregon right after they rose to #6 in the rankings, and ended the season on a three-game skid and no bowl bid.
1996 UCLA vs #25 Washington This loss was the early part of Toledo's first season as HC and Cade McNown's sophomore year. The team was still clearly adjusting at this point and sat at 2-5 after this loss. Cade was not yet a consistent QB, and Rocky Long's confounding 3-3-5 defense was still a year away from developing into the terrifying force that would pummel the same UW team at the Rose Bowl in 1997. The Huskies were led by QB Brock Huard and RB Corey Dillon.
Several new games got posted to Stephen Barnett's feed. I did not include any of the more recent games from the Jim Mora era, since those are easier to find online.
The 84 game against Southern Cal was one of the more satisfying rivalry wins. The season hadn't gone as planned with the Bruins losing a couple of close conference games, opening the door for Southern Cal to clinch the Pac-10 the week before. But, with QB Tim Green and LB Jack Del Rio talking a lot of junk the week before the game, Donahue packed the Bruin bulletin board. UCLA proceeded to destroy Southern Cal, with 5 takeaways in a blowout win that was not as close as the final score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgzr4LhSl0
The 1989 Tennessee game was the start of the post-Aikman swoon. Highly touted freshman QB Bret Johnson made his collegiate debut in this game. The #6-ranked Bruins did not show up to play, and were blown out by the Vols' ground game. They would show signs of life in the next few weeks before ending the season on a five-game skid and "gutty little" tie against Southern Cal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIBEzeHjpdo
The 1994 Bruins returned several key players from their Pac-10 championship team, and won a tight one against #13 UT. But, injuries to JJ Stokes and others later would send UCLA into a midseason slump, before they came back and ended the year on a three-game win streak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKMLtO_AabE
The 87 Nebraska game was yet another loss to the Huskers. Bruins contained the Husker option, but QB Steve Taylor threw for 5 TDs in this game (more than half of his season total). Aikman led a Bruin comeback in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough to erase the deficit. Bruins got their revenge the next year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG-7VTCOAzw
The 97 game against Ryan Leaf and WSU was a see-saw battle that ended with the Bruins stopped on a goal line play. UCLA would lose another close one against Peyton Manning and #3 Tennessee the next game before starting their 20-game win streak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpqU_QgxCCc
The 90 game against OU was Jim Bonds' debut at QB, Homer's return at OC, and a blowout loss to the Sooners. Bonds would lose the starting job to Tommy Maddox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-nAzpatvl8
The 1998 Oregon game was the closest call during the Bruins' 20-game win streak. Ducks took the Bruins to OT before UCLA prevailed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP17OFoXOGo
2000 UCLA vs #3 Alabama The Tide had big expectations coming into the 2000 season, and the Rose Bowl was packed with Tide fans. But, the Bruins dominated the game behind DeShaun Foster and Freddie Mitchell. Foster ran for 187 yards and 3 TDs. The Tide would stumble to a 3-8 finish and Coach Mike DuBose's firing. UCLA would also stumble after knocking off #3-ranked Michigan a couple of weeks later and ascending to the #6 ranking. They would end the season 6-6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjfKDUm2gRY
1983 UCLA vs Washington This was an improbable showdown for the conference lead. After a 10-1-1 season in 1982 capped by a Rose Bowl victory over Michigan, the 1983 Bruins stumbled to a 0-3-1 start that culminated with QB Rick Neuheisel getting benched. But, when Steve Bono got injured, Neuheisel led the Bruins to a 5-game win streak to take control of the Pac-10 race.
In this game, both QBs were on fire. Steve Pelleur went 19-25 and had thrown over 120 consecutive passes without an INT. Neuheisel set the NCAA record for single-game completion percentage when he went 25-27. Seven lead changes in this game, and the Bruin defense came through at the end by breaking Pelleur's INT-free streak with under a minute to go and the Huskies driving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP83Ruccmro
1962 Rose Bowl #6 Minnesota vs UCLA UCLA went to the Rose Bowl with a 7-4 record -- only the 6-4-1 1983 team led by Neuheisel had a worse record for a Rose Bowl participant. But, unlike Neuheisel's Bruins, the 1962 RB was a loss for the Bruins. Minnesota's participation in the Rose Bowl came under unusual circumstances, because the Big 10 and national champion that year was Ohio State. But, the faculty committee at Ohio State voted not to participate in the Rose Bowl believe it or not out of academic concerns, the belief that the Rose Bowl was overcommercialized, and objections to playing UCLA a second time that season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4CO9XZWpo
