ILLINI ROUT UCLA, 45-14
By: PAT HARMON
Thursday, January 02, 1947
SCORE ALMOST
AT WILL, DRUB
WEST'S BEST
Entire Squad Used In
One Of Rose Bowl's
Most Decisive
Triumphs
PASADENA, CALIF., Jan 2 -- Illinois, the child scorned, hit the coast right on the kisser at the big New Year's day football party held in the Rose bowl.
The Illini, chastised, insulted and snubbed by the west coast pressure group of sports writers, knocked the spots off the UCLA Bruins, 45-14 in of their greatest exhibitions.
A sellout crowd of 90,000 saw the Illini beat UCLA so decisively as to take rank with the Notre Dame Four Horsemen, the Southern California powerhouses of the '30s, and fine Alabama legions which have in the past made the most impressive Rose bowl victories.
Illinois' 45 points was the third highest in Rose bowl history, exceeded only by Michigan's 49-0 thrashing of Stanford in 1902 and by Southern Cal's 47-14 rout of Pittsburg in 1930.
UCLA Weak on Defense
It was a strong blow for sectional football supremacy, for Illinois handled UCLA easier than it had any Big Nine foe except Purdue. UCLA was a pretty fair offensive team but woefully weak on defense. Its linemen, outweighing Illinois 21 pounds per man, were slapped back on their heels by the vicious charge of the midwest forwards.
UCLA had averaged five touchdowns a game through its regular schedule and had beaten the second best coach team, 60-7. Illinois had barely slid through its tough schedule to the championship on hairline scores of 16-7, 7-0, 13-9, and 27-21. The way it looked today not only Illinois but five or six Big Nine teams could have beaten UCLA. The UCLA line, though it averages 212 pounds per man, could not stand up to a typical midwest pounding.
UCLA was undefeated out here, while Illinois had lost two games in midwest competition. If UCLA is the best and it whipped the No. 2 team 50-7, we'd hate to see other members of the Coast league this year.
The Illini were a fighting mad team as they took the field. Coach Ray Eliot reminded the players of the Los Angeles newspapermen who had scored them, had picked UCLA to win by two touchdowns, and had demanded some sort of a recount so they could get Army into the Rose bowl as the eastern representative.
Don't Want Army Now
They are not demanding Army today. Illinois is tough enough.
Illinois set two new Rose bowl records -- one for the most first downs, 28, and the other for the most yards gained by rushing, 320. The old first down record was 22, set against UCLA by Georgia in 1943. The former mark for yards rushing was Oregon's 298 against Harvard in 1920.
In a game marked by long runs and brilliant Illinois line play, UCLA, too, set one record. Its 150-pound scatback, Al Hoisch, took a kickoff back 103 yards, the longest run in Rose bowl history. Previously the record was 79 yards, by Pittsburgh's Bill Daddio in 1937.
Illinois scored quickly, fell behind 7-6, then surged forward to three second-quarter touchdowns and a 25-14 halftime lead. There was no scoring in the third but Illinois grabbed 20 more points in the fourth, which was completed with fourth-stringers on the field.
UCLA got only 62 yards by rushing against the mighty Illinois line. Its main asset was passes and kick returns. It completed 13 of 29 passes for 176 yards. UCLA also returned 11 kicks for a total 274 yards. Speedy Hoisch had a return of 50 yards in addition to his one of 103.
Illinois' offense clicked as well as at any time this year. Eliot gave the team a series of new plays, one of which was a spread formation from which Buddy Young gained 16 yards and set up his team's second touchdown.
Pulls Favorite Weapon
Illinois pulled its favorite weapon of the 1946 season, a long pass on the first play, and almost made it go for a touchdown. Moss fired the ball 40 yards down the field to Julie Rykovich, who was wide open and was finally hauled down from the side on the UCLA 16-yard line. The play, which caught UCLA unexpectedly, gained 44 yards. From the 16, Illinois marched straight in, Rykovich scoring from the one-foot line.
Don Maechtle's placekick for extra point went wide, and this cost Illinois the lead temporarily, for UCLA struck back on a 51-yard march, kicked the extra point, and went ahead 7-6. The clutch play of this series was a surprise. UCLA had been stopped at the Illinois 35, and Case went back in punt formation. Instead of kicking, he passed the ball quickly to Hoisch, who sidestepped Dike Eddleman and ran 33 yards to the Illinois 2. Case went over center for a touchdown and he also placekicked the seventh point.
Illinois made its conquest in the second period. The Illini made three touchdowns and ten first downs in this chapter Rykoviich, Young, and Ray Grierson piled up the distance on a 76-yard march.
Eliot called the clutch play on this drive from the bench. With Illinois standing third down and 11 on thte UCLA 38, he sent in four substitutes with instructions to call for the spread play which the team had practiced on this week. Three players lined up wide to the right, with Young ten yards back of them. Moss shot Young a long lateral and Young swept around to his left -- just opposite the direction from where UCLA expected him to run. Blockers rose up all around him and he zigzagged 16 yards to the UCLA 22. This set up the touchdown which Young himself made from the 2. Maechtle came in to boot the point, and Illinois was ahead, 13-7.
Illinois scored again on a 52-yard march. Rykovich ran for two games of 9 yards, Paul Patterson for 9, Art Dufelmeier for 8 and Moss passed to Bill Huber for 9. Patterson scored from the 4, cutting through a big hole at UCLA right tackle and right end. This made the score 19-7.
A 50-yard march produced Illinois touchdown No. 4. Patterson circled end for 19 and went again for 17 on a Statue of Liberty handoff from Moss. Moss went over from the one, and Illinois led 25-7.
Little Hoisch chased Illinois' next kickoff into the end zone, picked it up, and ran down the west sideline 103 yards with fine blocking to score. He outran Tommy Stewart the last 50 yards. Case placekicked the extra point, and Illinois led, 25-14, as the half ended.
In the third period, Illinois marched 85 yards to the UCLA one, where Young rushed the ball over on the first play of the fourth period. Young had set u p the touchdown with runs of 14, 13, 6, and 6, and 5 yards. Rykovich also threw in games of 8, 7 and 5, while Russ Steger ran for 18. Maechtle's placekick boosted the score to 32-14.
Illinois added the last two touchdowns on pass interceptions. One of Case's throws was grabbed by Steger and run back 68 yards. Amptjer desperation toss by Case from his own goal line was taken by Stanley Gree, reserve tackle, who ran 16 yards to score.
That was it, 45-14, Illinois going away. Illinois finished with its fourth-stringers. Even Tom Gallagher, who was unable to take full action because of a recurrence of his chest ailment, was sent in to hold the ball for extra points and thus get his name in the lineup. In the closing minutes, UCLA marched 68 yrds to the one-yard line where Illinois held on downs.
All Illini played superior football. They looked like Big Nine champions. Sam Zatkoff played smartly at left end, Lou Agase at left tackle and John Wrenn at left guard. The whole line was much too fast for UCLA's behemoths.
Now the Coast knows the brand of football played this year by the Big Nine.