COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : UCLA : 1946 Game Was One to Remember
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Memorable UCLA-USC games?
How about 1946, played in the Coliseum on a field so soggy that sawdust was scattered to soak up the water?
The box seats were flooded and ticket holders had to sit on the asphalt track around the field.
UCLA won, 13-6, in a game in which Coach Bert LaBrucherie refused requests by his players to open up the offense. Instead, he had the Bruins punt on first down, trusting the defense.
It worked--barely. The Bruins scored first when Bill Chambers blocked Verl Lillywhite’s punt and Don Malmberg scooped up the ball and ran in from 16 yards out. USC countered with Don Doll’s touchdown in the second quarter.
UCLA scored on Ernie Case’s one-yard run and an extra-point kick.
After stopping another USC drive, UCLA punted on first down and the Trojans went to work. Mickey McCardle had Gordon Gray open for a pass, but misfired, and the closest Bruin defender, Jerry Shipkey, retrieved the ball from the mud and kissed it.
The victory put UCLA in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Illinois, 45-14, the Bruins’ only loss of the season.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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