The 1973 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Members of the Pacific-8 Conference, the Bruins were led by third-year head coach Pepper Rodgers and played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Quarterbacks Mark Harmon and John Sciarra ran the wishbone offense, and the Bruins were 9–2 overall and 6–1 on the Pac-8. After an opening loss at fourth-ranked Nebraska,[1] the Bruins won nine straight, but lost again to USC in the season finale.[2] UCLA repeated as conference runner-up, but the Pac-8 did not allow a second bowl team until the 1975 season. They were ranked twelfth in the final AP poll, ninth in the UPI coaches poll.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|
| September 8 | | at No. 4 Nebraska* | No. 10 | | ABC | L 13–40 | 74,966 | [3] |
| September 22 | | Iowa* | No. 18 | | | W 55–18 | 34,546 | [4] |
| September 29 | | at Michigan State* | No. 17 | | | W 34–21 | 60,850 | [5] |
| October 6 | | Utah* | No. 16 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| | W 66–16 | 32,697 | [6] |
| October 13 | 1:35 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 15 | | | W 59–13 | 55,000 | [7] |
| October 20 | | at Washington State | No. 13 | | | W 24–13 | 32,200 | [8] |
| October 27 | 3:00 p.m. | California | No. 13 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)
| | W 61–21 | 35,492 | [9] |
| November 3 | | Washington | No. 10 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| | W 62–13 | 30,063 | [10] |
| November 10 | | at Oregon | No. 9 | | | W 27–7 | 21,200 | [11] |
| November 17 | | Oregon State | No. 8 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| | W 56–14 | 18,540 | [12] |
| November 24 | | at No. 9 USC | No. 8 | | ABC | L 13–23 | 88,037 | [13] |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Pacific time
|
[14][15]
Game summaries
at No. 4 Nebraska
No. 10 UCLA at No. 4 Nebraska
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Bruins |
6 |
7 | 0 | 0 |
13 |
| • No. 4 Cornhuskers |
14 |
6 | 6 | 14 |
40 |
Iowa
Iowa at No. 18 UCLA
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawkeyes |
10 |
0 | 0 | 8 |
18 |
| • No. 18 Bruins |
3 |
21 | 10 | 21 |
55 |
Scoring summary |
| 1 | | UCLA | Herrera 24-yard field goal | UCLA 3–0 |
| Iowa | Kokolus 45-yard field goal | Tied 3–3 |
| Iowa | Rollins 11-yard pass from Skogman (Kokolus kick) | Iowa 10–3 |
|
| 2 | | UCLA | James McAlister 1-yard run (Herrera kick) | Tied 10–10 |
| UCLA | Harmon 1-yard run (Herrera kick) | UCLA 17–10 |
| UCLA | John Sciarra 2-yard run (Herrera kick) | UCLA 24–10 |
|
| 3 | | UCLA | Kermit Johnson 9-yard run (Herrera kick) | UCLA 31–10 |
| UCLA | Herrera 44-yard field goal | UCLA 34–10 |
|
| 4 | | UCLA | Tyler 4-yard run (Lantry kick) | UCLA 41–10 |
| Iowa | Skogman 5-yard run (Jenson pass from Skogman) | UCLA 41–18 |
| UCLA | Raymond Burks 46-yard pass from John Sciarra (Herrera kick) | UCLA 48–18 |
| UCLA | John Sciarra 7-yard run (Herrera kick) | UCLA 55–18 |
vs. No. 9 USC
No. 8 UCLA vs. No. 9 USC
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Bruins |
3 |
7 | 0 | 3 |
13 |
| • No. 9 Trojans |
7 |
10 | 3 | 3 |
23 |
- Date: November 24, 1973
- Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles, CA - Game attendance: 88,037
Scoring summary |
| 1 | | USC | Davis 4 yard run (Limahelu kick) | USC 7–0 |
| UCLA | Herrera 42 yard field goal | USC 7–3 |
|
| 2 | | USC | McKay 16 yard pass from Haden (Limahelu kick) | USC 14–3 |
| UCLA | Johnson 3 yard run (Herrera kick) | USC 14–10 |
| USC | Limahelu 35 yard field goal | USC 17–10 |
|
| 3 | | USC | Limahelu 32 yard field goal | USC 20–10 |
|
| 4 | 4:30 | UCLA | Herrera 27 yard field goal | USC 20–13 |
| 1:07 | USC | Limahelu 28 yard field goal | USC 23–13 |
[16]
Roster
Awards and honors
- First Team All Americans: Jimmy Allen (DB), Efrén Herrera (K), Kermit Johnson (RB, Consensus selection), James McAlister (RB), Fred McNeill (DE)[17]
- All Conference First Team: Jimmy Allen (DB), James Bright (DB), Kermit Johnson (RB), Ed Kezirian (OT), Steve Klosterman (OG), Fulton Kuykendall (LB), Fred McNeill (DE), John Nanoski (DB), Al Oliver (OT), Cal Peterson (DE)
References
- ^ "Cornhuskers too much for Bruins". Eugene Register-Guard. location. Associated Press. September 9, 1973. p. 1C.
- ^ "Another Pasadena visit for USC..." Eugene Register-Guard. location. Associated Press. November 25, 1973. p. 1D.
- ^ "Huskers explode; Rip UCLA 40–13". The Spokesman-Review. September 9, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UCLA steamrolls Iowa". Santa Cruz Sentinel. September 23, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Johnson's 3 TDs lift UCLA past Spartans". Oakland Tribune. September 30, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UCLA on 66–16 tear of Utah". Oakland Tribune. October 7, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bruins get 621 yards rushing in romp at Stanford". Ventura County Star. October 14, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bruins sputter, but beat WSU 24–13". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. October 21, 1973. p. 2B. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "UCLA mauls Cal Bears 61–21". The Columbian. October 28, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fan decrease, point increase in UCLA win". Independent Press-Telegram. November 4, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Oregon rain-soaker; No razzle-dazzle as UCLA beats Ducks". The Fresno Bee. November 11, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bruins rip OSU 54–14 in rain". Tri-City Herald. November 18, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "For the Roses, it's USC and (choose one)". The Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ College Football @ Sports-Reference.com
- ^ "Schedule/Results (1973 UCLA)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ "Trojans Triumph, 23-13". The New York Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ^ 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975
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