1972 UCLA Bruins football team

The 1972 UCLA Bruins football team represented University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Members of the Pacific-8 Conference, the Bruins were led by second-year head coach Pepper Rodgers and played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

1972 UCLA Bruins football
ConferencePacific-8
Ranking
CoachesNo. T–17
APNo. 15
1972 record8–3 (5–2 Pac-8)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith (1st season)
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1972 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 USC $ 7 –0 –0  12 –0 –0
No. 15 UCLA 5 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
No. 19 Washington State 4 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
Washington 4 –3 –0  8 –3 –0
California 3 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
Oregon 2 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Stanford 2 –5 –0  6 –5 –0
Oregon State 1 –6 –0  2 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The new quarterback this season was Mark Harmon, a junior college transfer and son of Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon.[1][2] In his first game for the Bruins, Harmon led the wishbone offense and gained a late night upset of top-ranked Nebraska at the Coliseum. An 18-point underdog, UCLA was never behind; Nebraska had five turnovers but fought back to tie the score before halftime at ten and again early in the fourth quarter at seventeen. In their final drive, Harmon drove UCLA into field goal range and Efren Herrera made a 29-yarder in the final half minute for the 20–17 win.[1][2] It halted the two-time defending national champion Huskers' unbeaten streak at 32 games and vaulted the previously unranked Bruins (2–7–1 in 1971) to eighth in the AP Poll, as Nebraska slid to tenth.[3]

Two weeks later, the Bruins lost at home to Michigan, but then won six straight and improved to 8–1 overall. An upset loss to Washington at Husky Stadium in Seattle and an expected one to top-ranked rival USC in the Coliseum ended UCLA's season at 8–3.[4][5] The Pac-8 runner-up, they were ranked fifteenth in the final AP poll;[6] the conference did not allow a second bowl team until the 1975 season.

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendance
September 9No. 1 Nebraska*
W 20–1767,702
September 16at Pittsburgh*No. 8
W 38–2824,315
September 23No. 12 Michigan*No. 6
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA [8]
L 9–2657,129
September 29OregonNo. 15
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA [9]
W 65–2030,309
October 7Arizona*No. 14
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
W 42–3127,321
October 14at Oregon StateNo. 14
W 37–723,109
October 21at CaliforniaNo. 11
W 49–1333,000
October 28Washington StateNo. 9
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA [12]
W 35–2029,950
November 4StanfordNo. 8
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA [13]
W 28–2347,276
November 11at WashingtonNo. 8
L 21–3059,500
November 18vs. No. 1 USCNo. 14
L 7–2459,151
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll
  • Prior to the 1975 season, the Pac-8 and Big Ten conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.

Roster
1972 UCLA Bruins football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
G 65 Brian Goodman Sr
QB 7 Mark Harmon Jr
WR 82 Brad Lyman Sr
RB 32 James McAlister Jr
QB 15 John Sciarra Fr
RB 21 Rob Scribner Sr
T 74 Bruce Walton Sr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 20 Jimmy Allen Jr
FS 24 Jim Bright Jr
DB 29 Alan Ellis Sr
DB 22 Mike Fryer Jr
DE 92 Fred McNeill Jr
DE 90 Cal Peterson Jr
DT 66 Bill Sandifer Jr
LB 8 Jack Jorgensen So
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P 44 Bruce Barnes So
K 1 Efren Herrera Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Awards and honors
  • All-Conference First Team: Bruce Barnes (P), Allan Ellis (DB), Kermit Johnson (RB), Steve Klosterman (OG), James McAlister (RB), Fred McNeill (DE), Bruce Walton (OT)[15]

References
  1. Jenkins, Dan (September 18, 1972). "Young Harmon makes his mark". Sports Illustrated. p. 32.
  2. "Bruins upend Cornhuskers on Herrera's field goal, 20-17". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 10, 1972. p. 3C.
  3. "USC vaults into lead; UCLA 8th". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 10, 1972. p. 1C.
  4. "Trojans roll past Bruins, 24-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 19, 1972. p. 5B.
  5. 2013 UCLA Football Media Guide, UCLA, 2013
  6. Nissenson, Herschel (January 3, 1973). "It's official: Trojans No. 1 grid team". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. p. 48.
  7. "Bruins use strong start to down Pitt, 38-28". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). New York Times news service. September 17, 1972. p. 1B.
  8. "Michigan grinds out victory over Bruins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 24, 1972. p. 2B.
  9. Cawood, Neil (September 30, 1972). "Bruins roll past defenseless Webfoots, 65-20". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  10. "It's 37-7 for Bruins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 15, 1972. p. 2, sports.
  11. "Johnson paces Bruins, 49-13". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 22, 1972. p. 4C.
  12. "Bruins stay perfect in Pacific-8 chase". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 29, 1972. p. 4C.
  13. "Bruins rally, trip Stanford". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 5, 1972. p. 5D.
  14. "Huskies surprise UCLA". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 12, 1972. p. 2C.
  15. 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975


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