As I mentioned earlier this week, it’s the 50th anniversary of the 1967 national championship team. Some members should be at Friday’s Salute to Troy. Of course, USC dodged the O.J. Simpson issue because he is still in jail until October. Here is the Oregon game . . . in color, of course.
Dodged? Really blogger? Dodged? Exactly how did they dodge?
Helton when asked said the administration policy was that Simpon would not be welcome. Odd way to do an issue.
Poor ucla. O.J. Simpson ruined the little gutty football program for all-time.
In 1966, ucla won a great Rose Bowl over MICH ST, 14-12. The famous Bobby Stiles game.
1967 rolled around and O.J. brutally took it to ucla and the bruins haven’t done diddly squat ever since.
The 64-yd Simpson TD run (“The only person who could catch him was blocking for him,” deadpanned Tommy Prothro) has been re-run more on TV than any other football run in the history of the tube.
Go O.J. Go! Now that’s chin music to every bruin’s ears! Hah, hah, hah.
Simpson’s shorter run where just about every ucla defensive player tried to tackle him but couldn’t get him down was more impressive.
True, but it didn’t win the game.
USC was actually looking very much on the ropes before the 64-yder. They couldn’t throw the ball. The bruins were sniffing their 3rd straight win and were #1 in the country.
The Trojans were stuck at 3rd and 7 on their own 36 with under 11 mins to play. The bruins, who had all the momentum, decided to double cover USC WR Ron Drake, thinking pass.
Toby Page immed audibled to 23 Blast, an O.J. staple. O.J. was exhausted actually, and didn’t think the audible was a good call. He later said he was too tired to even run a pass pattern.
And then, like a giant snake, he wound his way upfield, got a great block from Danny Scott, then suddenly lurched left towards the sideline, then perfectly timed a switch back across to open field, with the whole world watching the long gallup in.
The 64-yder had a lot more magic to it because of all the distance and it just gutted the little gutties, right when their spirits were high. It was as if the entire ucla team suddenly realized what they were up against, God with a football.
USC’s D totally abused Beban after that. It was as if USC thought destiny had finally arrived for them, after two years of brutal, and I mean brutal losses to Prothro.
I was at the 1965 Beban Bomb game. It was my first USC/ucla game in person and we were sitting on the 50 in my friend’s All-America dad’s seats. It was a remarkable and sudden late 4th Q loss to say the least. Long drive home.
But the 64-yder was college football history at its finest. Timing’s everything in life. The 64-yder was all about timing. I can still hear Chris Schenkel calling the play. What a game!
It didn’t win the game but it was still a better run
I recall Dave Levy telling me years ago that a little known factor of that play is that a heralded SC lineman missed his assignment and as a result he was technically out-of-position, but turned out to be in the ideal position to make a key block. Some times being lucky is better than being good.
OJ’s junior year might even have been better than his senior Heisman year. He was some RB.
Some RB? OJ transcended football. Until June 12 1994 he was the most beloved sports personality in the world.
There is hardly anyone left in the f uuclan fan base that was around for their one championship 63 years ago.
Is Haden going to be there?
Look at the USC blocker, his form is exactly what the linemen in the Tudor electric football game looked like
That was the legal blocking technique of the era.
It sure was
Steve Sogge always gets overlooked in these moments. He did more than feed the Juice. He could scramble and hit Chandler when needed.