SWC75
Bored Historian
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From 1959-68 we played UCLA eight times. This was before national recruiting but both schools won national championships and the 50's and were competing for ratings and bowl games in the 60's and wanted votes from sportswriters on the opposite coasts. We won 8 of those contests but had been beaten by Gary Beban's teams in 1965 (14-24 in LA) and 12-31 here in 1966. The Bruins had just lost on of the great games of all time to USC by a point 20-21. That game was supposed to be the battle for city bragging rights, the Pac8 title, a trip to the Rose Bowl, the national championship, (the Bruins had been ranked #1, the Trojans #2) and the Heisman Trophy, (which Beban won despite being on the losing end). I remember thinking Beban was the closest thing to Johnny Unitas in the college ranks that he would be the next Johnny Unitas in the pros, (nope). But Gary and his mates had one more collegiate game to play: against a 7-2 Syracuse team that was ready for them.
Syracuse's somewhat erratic QB, Rick Cassata, totally out-performed the Heisman winner with 266 yards total offense to 9. Larry Csonka, (also, like Rick, playing in his last collegiate game), was held in check with 59 yards on 20 carries. But his teammates totally dominated the game, winning 32-14 - and they the ball in front of the UCLA goal line as time ran out. We out-gained the Bruins 462-335 and out-ran them 316-147 while they were focused on Zonk. National commentators all had the same explanation for the result: The Bruins were down after losing the big game to USC. They were probably right but this was our 'big' game and we won it going away. We finished 8-2, our best record for the next twenty years. For some reason, we didn't get a bowl game I recall we got an invite from the Liberty Bowl but turned it down because they had not paid their full guarantee when we went there in 1961.
It was the end of a great era for SU. From 1956-67, we were the 7th winning major college program and the only two power conference schools that did better than we did were segregated teams, (Mississippi and Alabama - and look at some of the names below us!):
Syracuse's somewhat erratic QB, Rick Cassata, totally out-performed the Heisman winner with 266 yards total offense to 9. Larry Csonka, (also, like Rick, playing in his last collegiate game), was held in check with 59 yards on 20 carries. But his teammates totally dominated the game, winning 32-14 - and they the ball in front of the UCLA goal line as time ran out. We out-gained the Bruins 462-335 and out-ran them 316-147 while they were focused on Zonk. National commentators all had the same explanation for the result: The Bruins were down after losing the big game to USC. They were probably right but this was our 'big' game and we won it going away. We finished 8-2, our best record for the next twenty years. For some reason, we didn't get a bowl game I recall we got an invite from the Liberty Bowl but turned it down because they had not paid their full guarantee when we went there in 1961.
It was the end of a great era for SU. From 1956-67, we were the 7th winning major college program and the only two power conference schools that did better than we did were segregated teams, (Mississippi and Alabama - and look at some of the names below us!):
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