Ohio State was a heavy favorite to win the Rose Bowl, by two touchdowns or more. UCLA Bruins In his second season as head coach, Dick Vermeil made his only Rose Bowl appearance; weeks later he left for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. In addition to the 41–20 loss to Ohio State, UCLA also fell at home to Washington and was tied by Air Force 20–20, but won their other six conference games, including a fumble-plagued 25–22 win over cross town rival USC to clinch the Rose Bowl berth. In that Friday night after Thanksgiving game, the Bruins fumbled 11 times and lost 8 of them, but their maligned defense bailed them out time and time again. UCLA ended up tied with California for the Pac-8 championship, but advanced to the Rose Bowl on the strength of their win in an October matchup with the Golden Bears. The 1975 USC-UCLA game was legendary coach John McKay's final game at the Coliseum; he left for the NFL's expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As it turned out, it was also Vermeil's last game there. This was UCLA's first Rose Bowl appearance in a full decade; in the 1966 edition, they also defeated a team which they had lost to earlier in the season, top-ranked Michigan State. Game summary Both teams wore their home uniforms, Ohio State in scarlet jerseys, and UCLA in powderkeg blue jerseys. The weather was clear and . Ohio State dominated the first half, but could only muster a field goal on its opening possession. UCLA did not gain a first down until late in the second quarter, but a couple of Ohio State turnovers and a key stop on 4th and 1 by the Bruin defense kept them in the game. The Buckeyes took a slim to the locker room The second half saw underdog UCLA open up its offense, utilizing play-action and passing on first down. This helped open up their veer option rushing attack, and on their first possession of the third quarter, the Bruins marched to a tying field goal. After stopping Ohio State, UCLA then marched for a touchdown and a 9–3 lead (missed PAT). After stopping the Buckeyes again, the Bruins struck for the big play, a 67-yard touchdown pass from Sciarra to speedy flanker Wally Henry, and the 15½-point-underdog Bruins were up 16–3. Ohio State, which inexplicably began passing the ball with