Illini Smash Huskies, 17-7
By: Ed O'Neil
Thursday, January 02, 1964
PASADENA, Calif. Illinois continues to reign as a Rose Bowl terror, Washington's paralyzing influence on the Big Ten is ended and lift a tall one, happy days are here again.
Illinois' team of the future, maybe 1964 national champions, if they aren't already the best in this nation, used brute force in the second half to hammer down Washington's Huskies and win the 50th anniversary Rose Bowl, 17-7, before 96,957 and some 75 million more trading glossy stares with their TV tubes.
It was the vaunted Illini muscle you have loved all year, coupled with timely passing, the fantastic lateral trampoline work of sophomore fullback Jim Grabowski and a ferocious defense sparked by George Donnelly back deep and guards Ed Washington and Wylie Fox up front that tried out a new recipe — chewed up Husky meat.
This was the third time the Western conference has entrusted its honor to the fighting Illini, and that trust has never been bobbled.
For the Big Ten, which had lost three of four, the pounding Illini triumph, which could have been worse except for some jitters, it was the signal to come out of the bomb shelters and laugh once again.
You can imagine there were pockets of great laughter in these parts New Year's night, for midwesterners a night to outdo the eve of the spanking new calendar.
Grabowski, who is the best soph fullback if not the best fullback in college ball, won the most valuable player award on the press box vote.
He feasts on West Coast lines, you can see. Wednesday it was his 125 yards in 23 carries, his greatest running day of an illustrious first year. The only other time he topped 100 yards was the 104 against UCLA on this coast during the season.
And, as valuable in the clutch, he played some linebacker when Don Hansen was reinjured in the second half.
The Illini defense kept Washington adjusting its teeth. There were three fumble recoveries and three pass interceptions, making a total of 41 turnovers which the Illini have captured in this happiest season in 12 years.
This was a game to celebrate, although it wasn't the best technical football ever produced in this bowl. At times, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the grand marshal of the tournament of roses parade, established in the honor seat at mid-field, must have thought back to his shavetail days when some plays turned out like a recruit drill.
But in the big moments, the Illini came through with vital plays to wrest the rose-laden cup from the Huskies, who have Pasadena a personal shooting gallery.
The clinching score was set up by the first of two George Donnelly interceptions and a tying or go-ahead bid by Washington was frustrated by the tall safetyman who will co-captain the team next season. This was a great display of "follow me" leadership to pave the way for his captaincy.
Jim Plankenhorn put the Illini on the board as time ran out in the first half with a 32-yard field goal, his eighth in 11 tries.
Jimmy Warren and Grabowski delivered the touchdowns.
Washington was operating as a branch of Pasadena Memorial Hospital what with Junior Coffey forced to play on a still mending foot bone, quarterback Bill Douglas hammered out of action by Bill Pasko on the 12th play of the game as the Huskies were surging toward a fast touchdown and fullback Mike Kuklenski, promoted to No. 2 because of Coffey's injury, hauled off the premises on a stretcher with a broken leg, just two plays after Douglas had his knee dislocated.
Even so, Washington forced Illinois to come from behind. They took the opening kickoff from their own 33 to the Illini 19 before 164-pound Mike Mike Dundy knocked 6-5 Al Libke loose from a completed pass and Fox covered it on the 9.
After a trade of punts, with Illinois still in miserable field position, the Orange and Blue surged out to its own 43 where Al Wheatland fumbled into the air and end Pete Greenlee picked it off with a dive over a pile of humanity.
Fox evened up for that mistake by stealing the ball out of quarterback Bill Siler's hands at the Illini 27.
Illinois had to punt but so did Washington — twice — getting a life on a holding call that wound up putting the Illini back to their own 28.
On the first down Fred Custardo, later to play a key role in loosening up Washington's defenses, fumbled a handoff from center and John Stupey recovered on the 27. Siler kept for three yards, then he hit Joe Mancuso for 18 yards to the Illini 6.
Charlie Browning, highly touted but inconspicuous on this day, lost one. But Siler rolled, raised his arm to fake a pass and pitched to halfback Dave Kopay, who squirted across the left side as halfback Ron Medved laid a great block on Dundy. Medved's kick made it 7-0 with 8:26 left in the half.
Characteristically undismayed, the Illini drove from their 19 to the Washington 6. Custardo hit three big passes to sustain the drive and Grabowski began to assert his power. There was a fumble at the 6 and Fox saved it on the 8.
Then, on the fourth down, Custardo faded, hesitated and was caught from the blind side by Mancuso on the 12.
Two plays later the Illini got a chance to go on the board, though. Siler fumbled an exchange from center and Bruce Capel pounced on it at the 14.
There were only 20 seconds left and the clock was running as the Illini came out. Taliaferro tried a pass to Mike Summers on the goal line but it was incomplete.
So Plankenhorn booted his second-longest field goal of the season from the 22, a total of 32 yards — through the hot, still air.
Time was gone by the time the official raised his arms to signal three points and the Illini trailed 7-3.
In the second half, they just overpowered Washington, allowing the Huskies only 27 offensive plays. In fact, 19 of the 57 plays the Huskies initiated came in the first period.
After the Illini failed to move with their first series of the second half, Washington went to the air to get going. Siler aimed a pass for Libke, but he fell while making his final cut. And in the gap beyond his prostrate form was Donnelly.
He nailed the ball at the Illini 49 and pumped back to the Husky 32.
After Grabowksi and Warren teamed up for a close first down, Taliaferro faked a pass to Warren and kept for 11 yards. When Washington piled on him, it carried the ball on to the 5 1/2.
All-American center Dick Butkus saved the drive after Grabowski fumbled on the 3. Butkus was there to overpower two Huskies and haul in the ball.
Grabowski advanced it one more yard and then Taliaferro rolled right, but had to take his pitch option to Warren. Only one trouble. Referee Mike Delaney was trapped in the traffic and couldn't get out of Mike's way. One Husky came for Taliaferro's elbow, but somehow he got the pitch off perfectly to Warren, marking time several yards away.
The New Orleans senior hauled it in, shifted gears and raced toward the flag. He tumbled over it with the winning score, 6:57 into the period.
Plankenhorn converted to make it 10-7.
After a trade of punts once more, Washington got position from a great 55-yard punt by All-American guard Rick Redman and started a sequence from the Illini 38. Siler fumbled but tackle Jim Norton saved it. Then Coffey got in his first serious licks of the day, helping power it down to the 9. Offside on third down pushed the Huskies back. Needing seven yards they went to the air, but Donnelly was the man who made it complete, hauling it in on the 5 and roaring along the sidelines to the 15. Washington was in motion on the play, too, but George's grab kept them from getting a field goal pop.
The Illini decided to buy some insurance, powering 85 yards in 18 plays in their display of the kind of football the Big Ten is supposed to deliver. Grabowski provided 46 yards in the drive, but it took a third-and-four flat pass from Taliaferro to Ron Fearn to keep the drive alive at Washington's 43. Then Taliaferro on a third-and-eight, again hit Fearn, this time ranging open in the middle, on the Washington 30.
No more passes were needed. Price went seven and five around a four-yard plunge by Grabo. Then Grabowski found daylight at the 12, burst through and tugged through two tackles before he was ganged at the 2. he almost tore away from the final roadblock but was outnumbered.
He took two pops to come within inches. Then Taliaferro kept to give him a breather and was stacked up. Butkus, resting on offense, came on then to lead a wedge and Archie Sutton put Redman on his shoulder and toted him out of the way to allow Grabowski to bank in with 6:59 left in the game. Planky again converted.
Washington got a chance for one more bit of trouble when little Steve Bramwell, a fireball at at 5-4 squirted 52 yards with the next kickoff to the Illini 36. But Butkus ended that nonsense with a great interception of a Siler pass. Rugged Richard caught the ball on the dead run. "I wanted a chance to carry the ball, but some guy had the back of my shirt," he lamented. That would be a sight, Butkus on a broken field.
The Illini reserves then got a chance and Ron Acks dazzled with a 21-yard keeper around right end and piled up 32 yards in three plays but fumbled after a five-yard gain to Washinton's 17.
But by then, even Acks could not be unhappy with the way the day had gone.