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1985 UCLA Bruins football team

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1985 UCLA Bruins football
Pac-10 champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 45–28 vs. Iowa
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record9–2–1 (6–2 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith (8th season)
Co-defensive coordinators
Home stadiumRose Bowl
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 UCLA $ 6 – 2 – 0 9 – 2 – 1
Arizona 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 1
Arizona State 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Washington 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
USC 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 6 – 0
Oregon 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Washington State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Stanford 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Oregon State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
California 2 – 7 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 UCLA Bruins football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth year under head coach Terry Donahue, the Bruins compiled a 9–2–1 record (6–2 Pac-10), finished in first place in the Pacific-10 Conference, and were ranked #7 in the final AP Poll.

UCLA defeated defending national champion BYU 27–24 in Provo to start the season, and tied eventual SEC and Sugar Bowl champion Tennessee. The Bruins opened the Pac-10 season by losing 21–14 at Washington. They later got two key wins, the first against Arizona State, the second at Arizona. For much of the season, the rushing defense was ranked second in the nation, behind Oklahoma.[1][2] They won the rest of their games leading to the 1985 USC vs UCLA game.

Needing a win against 4–5 USC, UCLA struggled. Gaston Green and Mel Farr Jr. had fumbles in the game. UCLA was leading in the fourth quarter 13–10 when Eric Ball fumbled at the USC 1 as he was about to score what would have been the clinching touchdown.[3] Freshman quarterback Rodney Peete led USC on a drive, converting a key fourth down along the way. In the last two minutes, USC again faced a fourth down, this time at UCLA's 2-yard line. USC scored to take a 17–13 lead, then intercepted UCLA quarterback David Norrie as he tried to lead a Bruin comeback. UCLA's loss opened the door for Washington to grab the Rose Bowl berth, but they were upset by Washington State the same day, 21–20. Washington lost the advantage due to their upset home loss to Oregon State. This put Arizona State in position to win the conference as they entered their rivalry game with Arizona with only one conference loss (40–17 to UCLA). But later that evening, Arizona defeated Arizona State 16–13 to cause a tie between UCLA, Arizona State, and Arizona.[4] UCLA won the tiebreaker and the Rose Bowl berth by virtue of its wins over Arizona and Arizona State.[5][6]

UCLA ended the regular season with a record of 8–2–1, and head coach Terry Donahue had been named Pac-10 Coach of the year.[7] Five Bruin players were first team All-Pac-10: defensive tackle Mark Walen, offensive tackle Mike Hartmeier, kicker John Lee, nose guard Terry Tumey, and inside linebacker Tommy Taylor. Walen was named Pac-10 defensive player of the year. UCLA finished ranked #1 in the nation in rushing defense, at 70.3 yards per game. Oklahoma was second with 89.9 yards per game.[8]

The Bruins went on to defeat #4 Iowa in the 1986 Rose Bowl.[9] Running back Eric Ball was selected as the most valuable player in the 1986 Rose Bowl.

UCLA's offensive leaders in 1985 were quarterback David Norrie with 1,819 passing yards, running back Gaston Green with 712 rushing yards, and wide receiver Karl Dorrell with 565 receiving yards.[10]

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 7at No. 8 BYU*No. 20
ESPNW 27–2465,455[11]
September 14at Tennessee*No. 10
ABCT 26–2694,370[12]
September 21San Diego State*No. 12
W 34–1654,625[13]
September 28at WashingtonNo. 13
CBSL 14–2160,801[14]
October 5Arizona State
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
CBSW 40–1750,494[15]
October 12at Stanford
W 34–963,000[16]
October 19at Washington StateNo. 18
KNBCW 31–3032,302[17]
October 26CaliforniaNo. 17
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
TBSW 34–761,530[18]
November 9at ArizonaNo. 14
W 24–1957,779[19]
November 16Oregon StateNo. 13
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
W 41–045,102[20]
November 23at USCNo. 8
L 13–1790,064[21]
January 1, 1986vs. No. 4 Iowa*No. 13
NBCW 45–28103,292[22]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

[edit]

At BYU

[edit]

At Tennessee

[edit]

San Diego State

[edit]

At Washington

[edit]
1 234Total
UCLA 7 700 14
• Washington 0 11100 21
  • Date: September 28
  • Location: Husky Stadium, Seattle
  • Game attendance: 60,801
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C)
Scoring summary
1UCLASherrard 26-yard pass from Norrie (Lee kick)UCLA 7-0
2WASHJaeger 31-yard field goalUCLA 7-3
2UCLADorrell 26-yard pass from Norrie (Lee kick)UCLA 14-3
2WASHHill 31-yard pass from Millen (Millen to Trimble pass)UCLA 14-11
3WASHJaeger 37-yard field goalTied 14-14
3WASHToy 1-yard run (Jaeger kick)WASH 21-14
See also: 1985 Washington Huskies football team

[23]

Arizona State

[edit]

At Stanford

[edit]

At Washington State

[edit]

California

[edit]
See also: 1985 California Golden Bears football team and California–UCLA football rivalry
California Golden Bears (3–4) at #17 UCLA Bruins (5–1–1)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
California 7 0 007
UCLA 3 17 7734

at Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California

  • Date: October 26
  • Game attendance: 61,530
  • [24]
Game information

UCLA moved into first place in the Pac-10 with the win.

At Arizona

[edit]

Oregon State

[edit]

At USC

[edit]
See also: 1985 USC Trojans football team and Victory Bell (UCLA–USC)
#8 UCLA Bruins (8–1–1) at USC Trojans (4–5)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
UCLA 7 6 0013
USC 7 0 3717

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: November 23
  • Game attendance: 90,064
  • [25]
Game information

Vs. No. 4 Iowa (Rose Bowl)

[edit]
#13 UCLA vs. #4 Iowa
1 234Total
• Bruins 10 14714 45
Hawkeyes 7 3711 28
Scoring summary
17:02IOWADavid Hudson 1-yard run (Rob Houghtlin kick)IOWA 7-0
13:23UCLAEric Ball 30-yard run (Lee kick)Tied 7-7
11:11UCLAJohn Lee 42-yard field goalUCLA 10-7
27:43IOWARob Houghtlin 24-yard field goalTied 10-10
26:19UCLAEric Ball 40-yard run (Lee kick)UCLA 17-10
21:36UCLAEric Ball 6-yard run (Lee kick)UCLA 24-10
312:19IOWAChuck Long 4-yard run (Rob Houghtlin kick)UCLA 24-17
36:25UCLAMike Sherrard 6-yard pass from Matt Stevens (J. Lee kick)UCLA 31-17
413:25UCLAEric Ball 32-yard run (Lee kick)UCLA 38-17
410:51IOWARob Houghtlin 52-yard field goalUCLA 38-20
46:38UCLAMatt Stevens 1-yard run (Lee kick)UCLA 45-20
43:11IOWABill Happel 11-yard pass from Chuck Long (Harmon run)UCLA 45-28
Main article: 1986 Rose Bowl
See also: 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

[26]

Personnel

[edit]
1985 UCLA Bruins football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 83 Willie Anderson So
RB 21 Eric Ball Fr
WR Dave Clinton
OT 72 Robert Cox
WR Paco Craig
WR 8 Karl Dorrell Jr
FB 22 Mel Farr So
RB Greg Francois
RB Bob Garabaldi
C 69 Joe Goebel
RB 44 Gaston Green So
RB 45 Marcus Greenwood Jr
G 63 Mike Hartmeier
OT Robert Jenkins Sr
OT 70 John Kidder
QB Brendan McCracken
G 77 Jim McCullough
QB 9 David Norrie Sr
TE Jeff Nowinski
RB James Primus
WR 82 Mike Sherrard Sr
QB 11 Matt Stevens Jr
TE 81 Derek Tennell Jr
RB Danny Thompson
OL Jim Warnick
WR Al Wilson
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DL Frank Batchkoff
DB Joe Gasser
DL Jeff Glasser
CB 2 Darryl Henley Fr
LB 59 Melvin Jackson
LB 99 Steve Jarecki Sr
LB 7 Chance Johnson
DB 31 Carnell Lake Fr
DB 37 Chuckie Miller Jr
LB 41 Ken Norton Jr. So
DB Dennis Price
DB Craig Rutledge
LB Eric Smith
LB 42 Tommy Taylor Sr
NG 40 Terry Tumey So
DB 23 Marcus Turner  Fr
DL Jim Wahler
DT 95 Mark Walen Sr
DB James Washington
DL Doug Wassel
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Ted Henderson
K 25 John Lee Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

1986 NFL draft

[edit]

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.

Player Position Round Pick Franchise
Mike Sherrard Wide receiver 1 18 Dallas Cowboys
John Lee Kicker 2 32 St. Louis Cardinals
Mark Walen Defensive tackle 3 74 Dallas Cowboys
Tommy Taylor Linebacker 4 97 San Diego Chargers
Robert Jenkins Tackle 6 144 Los Angeles Rams
Steve Jarecki Linebacker 8 195 Los Angeles Rams

[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dodds, Tracy – True Grit on Ground : Walen Anchors UCLA's Ranked Rushing Defense. Los Angeles Times, November 6, 1985
  2. ^ Dodds, Tracy – UCLA Bruins, Alias Smith and Jackson : Sophomore Outside Linebackers Have Earned the Respect of Their Coaches Los Angeles Times, November 13, 1986
  3. ^ Dodds, Tracy – Wildcats Find the Way to Lift Bruins' Spirits. Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1985
  4. ^ Oates, Bob – Strange Plays Beat Sun Devils : To UCLA's Benefit, Arizona State Was Own Worst Enemy. Los Angeles Times, November 25, 1985
  5. ^ Dodds, Tracy – Donahue Says UCLA Didn't Back In : Coach Points Out Bruins Finished With the Best Record. Los Angeles Times, November 25, 1985
  6. ^ UCLA had a record of 6–2, both ASU and Arizona were 5-2 having played one fewer conference games. The University of Arizona football Media Guide in the 2013 season lists the Wildcats as finishing tied for second place. The Arizona State University Media Guide in the 2013 season listed the Sun Devils as having finished in third place. The Pac-12 Media guide lists ASU and Arizona having tied for second with UCLA in sole possession of first place.
  7. ^ Donahue and Walen Win Honors in Pacific-10 Conference. Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1985
  8. ^ University of Oklahoma Football Media Guide. University of Oklahoma Athletic Department. Norman, Oklahoma: University Printing Services 1986
  9. ^ "1985 UCLA Bruins Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  10. ^ "1985 UCLA Bruins Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "UCLA beats BYU, ending Cougars' win streak at 25". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 8, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "UCLA's comeback kids are at it again, 26–26". The Los Angeles Times. September 15, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Steve Dolan (September 22, 1985). "Aztecs watch as ball bounces in UCLA's favor, 34–16". The Los Angeles Times. p. III-1. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Huskies bite UCLA 21–14". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 29, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "UCLA handles ASU". The Daily Breeze. October 6, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "UCLA rips Stanford 34–9; Muster gone?". The Sacramento Bee. October 13, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Luck eludes Cougars, UCLA wins 31–30". The Sunday Oregonian. October 20, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "UCLA leads Pacific-10". Statesman-Journal. October 27, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "UCLA escapes Tucson with 24–19 victory". The Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "UCLA, Lee not perfect, just winners". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 17, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Trojans shock Bruins 17–13". The Sacramento Bee. November 24, 1985. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "UCLA has too much for Iowa". Spokane Chronicle. January 2, 1986. Retrieved April 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Huskies jolt Bruins, 21-17". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 29, 1985. p. 9B.
  24. ^ "UCLA spins Cal to hold the top." Eugene Register-Guard. 1985 Oct 27. Retrieved 2019-Jan-08.
  25. ^ UCLA-Southern Cal Box Score. Gainesville Sun. 1985 Nov 24. Pg. 4F. Retrieved 2020-Dec-12.
  26. ^ "ROSE BOWL; U.C.L.A. WALLOPS IOWA". New York Times. January 2, 1986. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  27. ^ "1986 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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