Nowadays, 1972 USC Trojans football team has become a topic of great interest and debate in different areas. Both in society and in the academic field, 1972 USC Trojans football team has generated a series of mixed emotions and opinions that have triggered endless discussions and reflections. That is why it is relevant to dedicate time and space to explore and analyze in depth the impact and implications that 1972 USC Trojans football team has on our lives. In this article, we will delve into the different aspects related to 1972 USC Trojans football team , examining its origins, evolution, consequences and possible solutions. Likewise, we will address the various perspectives and positions surrounding 1972 USC Trojans football team , in order to expand our understanding of this complex and significant topic.
American college football season
The 1972 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season . The Trojans won all 12 of their games and were consensus national champions .
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance September 9 at No. 4 Arkansas * No. 8 W 31–1054,461
September 16 Oregon State No. 1 W 51–656,305
September 23 at Illinois * No. 1 W 55–2061,277
September 30 Michigan State * No. 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 51–663,934
October 7 at No. 15 Stanford No. 1 W 30–2184,000
October 14 California No. 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 42–1456,488
October 21 No. 18 Washington No. 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 34–759,151
October 28 Oregon No. 1 W 18–032,000
November 4 vs. Washington State No. 1 W 44–346,000
November 18 at No. 14 UCLA No. 1 W 24–782,929
December 2 No. 10 Notre Dame * No. 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry ) W 45–2375,243
January 1, 1973 vs. No. 3 Ohio State * No. 1 W 42–17106,869
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Roster
1972 USC Trojans football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Source:
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Final AP 8 1 (13) 1 (28) 1 (28) 1 (36) 1 (34) 1(28) 1 (44) 1 (41) 1 (40) 1 (42) 1 (44) 1 (46) 1 (50) 1 (50) Coaches 8 2 (11) 1 (14) 1 (20) 1 (22) 1 (21) 1 (22) 1 (32) 1 (31) 1 (27) 1 (31) 1 (31) 1 (31) 1 (35) Not released
Game summaries
At No. 4 Arkansas
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 8 Trojans
0
3 14 14
31
No. 4 Razorbacks
3
0 0 7
10
Scoring summary 1 ARK Bolton 27-yard field goal ARK 3–0
2 USC Rae 26-yard field goalTie 3–3
3 USC Rae 5-yard run (Rae kick) USC 10–3
USC McNeill 18-yard run (Rae kick)USC 17–3
4 USC McNeill 3-yard run (Rae kick) USC 24–3
ARK Richardson 1-yard run (Bolton kick) USC 24–10
USC Cunningham 18-yard run (Rae kick)USC 31–10
Tailback Rod McNeill , who sat out the previous year with a hip injury, led the Trojans with 117 yards on 28 carries while Mike Rae , a backup for two seasons, completed 18 of 24 passes for 269 yards and in the second half completed nine straight passes at one point in his first start.
Oregon State
1
2 3 4 Total
Beavers
0
6 0 0
6
• No. 1 Trojans
7
13 17 14
51
Scoring summary Q1 11:20 USC McNeill 14-yard run (Rae kick) USC 7–0
Q2 14:37 USC McNeill 2-yard run (Rae kick) USC 14–0
Q2 9:40 ORST Morris 10-yard run (kick failed) USC 14–6
Q2 7:35 USC McNeill 5-yard run (kick failed) USC 20–6
Q3 8:48 USC Rae 20-yard field goal USC 23–6
Q3 3:11 USC Young 37-yard pass from Rae (Rae kick) USC 30–6
Q3 1:32 USC McKay 3-yard pass from Rae (Rae kick) USC 37–6
Q4 4:19 USC Haden 10-yard run (Rae kick) USC 44–6
Q4 :55 USC Washmara 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 51–6
Anthony Davis 25 rushes, 206 yards
At Illinois
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 1 Trojans
7
13 15 20
55
Fighting Illini
7
7 6 0
20
Scoring summary Q1 4:26 ILL Hayes 5-yard run (Rucks kick) ILL 7–0
Q1 USC Garrison 58-yard pass from Rae (Rae kick) Tie 7–7
Q2 ILL Uremovich 5-yard run (Rucks kick) ILL 14–7
Q2 USC Davis 2-yard run (Rae kick) Tie 14–14
Q2 :21 USC McKay 31-yard pass from Rae (kick failed) USC 20–14
Q3 USC Davis 2-yard run (McKay pass from Davis) USC 28–14
Q3 ILL Hayes 1-yard run (run failed) USC 28–20
Q3 USC Cunningham 2-yard run (Rae kick) USC 35–20
Q4 USC Sims 35-yard blocked punt return (Rae kick) USC 42–20
Q4 USC McKay 6-yard pass from Haden (Rae kick) USC 49–20
Q4 USC Carter 1-yard run (kick failed) USC 55–20
Michigan State
1
2 3 4 Total
Spartans
0
6 0 0
6
• No. 1 Trojans
14
7 3 27
51
Scoring summary 1 USC Swann 92-yard punt return (Rae kick)USC 7–0
USC McNeill 8-yard run (Rae kick)USC 14–0
2 USC McKay 9-yard pass from Rae (Rae kick)USC 21–0
MSU Werner 1-yard run (pass failed) USC 21–6
3 USC Rae 20-yard field goal USC 24–6
4 USC Wood 25-yard interception return (Rae kick)USC 31–6
USC Moore 9-yard pass from Haden (kick failed) USC 37–6
USC Carter 21-yard run (Limahelu kick) USC 44–6
USC Swann 30-yard pass from Haden (Limahelu kick) USC 51–6
At No. 15 Stanford
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 1 Trojans
13
7 3 7
30
No. 15 Cardinals
10
3 0 8
21
Scoring summary Q1 STAN J. Ferguson recovered fumble in end zone (Garcia kick) STAN 7–0
Q1 USC Davis 8-yard run (Rae kick) Tie 7–7
Q1 STAN Garcia 49-yard field goal STAN 10–7
Q1 USC Cunningham 2-yard run (kick failed) USC 13–10
Q2 STAN Garcia 35-yard field goal Tie 13–13
Q2 USC Davis 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 20–13
Q3 USC Rae 37-yard field goal USC 23–13
Q4 5:40 USC Swann 4-yard pass from Haden (Rae kick) USC 30–13
Q4 STAN Cross 30-yard pass from Boryla (Stone pass from Boryla) USC 30–21
California
1
2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears
0
0 7 7
14
• No. 1 Trojans
14
7 14 7
42
Scoring summary 1 USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 7-0
1 USC Rae 10-yard run (Rae kick) USC 14-0
2 USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 21-0
3 CAL Schmidt 3-yard pass from Cruze (Wersching kick) USC 21-7
3 USC Rae 8-yard run (Rae kick) USC 28-7
3 USC Young 40-yard pass from Haden (Rae kick) USC 35-7
4 USC Young 9-yard pass from Haden (Rae kick) USC 42-7
4 CAL Youngblood 1-yard run (Wersching kick) USC 42-14
No. 18 Washington
1
2 3 4 Total
Huskies
0
0 0 7
7
• No. 1 Trojans
7
13 14 0
34
Scoring summary Q1 USC Cunningham 2-yard run (Rae kick) USC 7–0
Q2 USC Davis 44-yard run (Rae kick) USC 14–0
Q2 USC Rae 22-yard field goal USC 17–0
Q2 USC Rae 26-yard field goal USC 20–0
Q3 USC Davis 14-yard run (Rae kick) USC 27–0
Q3 USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 34–0
Q4 WASH Fitzpatrick 10-yard run (Wiezbowski kick) USC 34–7
Oregon
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 1 Trojans
0
0 12 6
18
Webfoots
0
0 0 0
0
Scoring summary Q3 6:06 USC Davis 48-yard run USC 6–0
Q3 3:58 USC Davis 55-yard run USC 12–0
Q4 5:45 USC Cunningham 2-yard run USC 18–0
On a very rainy and cold day, the Trojans were held to their lowest score of the season.
Washington State
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 1 Trojans
3
14 7 20
44
Cougars
3
0 0 0
3
Scoring summary 1 USC Rae 23-yard field goal USC 3-0
1 WSU Danelo 50-yard field goal Tied 3-3
2 USC Rae 11-yard run (Rae kick) USC 10-3
2 USC Davis 3-yard run (Rae kick) USC 17-3
3 USC Davis 6-yard run (Rae kick) USC 24-3
4 USC Davis 14-yard run (Rae kick) USC 31-3
4 USC Moore 1-yard run (kick failed) USC 37-3
4 USC Powell 21-yard interception return (Rae kick) USC 44-3
At No. 14 UCLA
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 1 Trojans
10
7 7 0
24
No. 14 Bruins
7
0 0 0
7
Scoring summary 1 USC Rae 32-yard field goal USC 3–0
USC Davis 23-yard run (Rae kick) USC 10–0
UCLA McAlister 2-yard run (Herrera kick) USC 10–7
2 USC McNeill 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 17–7
3 USC Rae 7-yard run (Rae kick) USC 24–7
Anthony Davis 25 Rush, 178 Yds
No. 10 Notre Dame
1
2 3 4 Total
No. 10 Fighting Irish
3
7 13 0
23
• No. 1 Trojans
19
0 13 13
45
Scoring summary 1 USC Davis 97-yard kickoff return (kick failed) USC 6-0
ND Thomas 45-yard field goal USC 6-3
USC Davis 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 13-3
USC Davis 5-yard run (kick failed) USC 19-3
2 ND W. Townsend 5-yard pass from Clements (Thomas kick) USC 19-10
3 USC Davis 4-yard run (run failed) USC 25-10
ND Diminick 11-yard pass from Clements (Thomas kick) USC 25-17
ND Creaney 10-yard pass from Clements (pass failed) USC 25-23
4 USC Davis 96-yard kickoff return (Rae kick) USC 32-23
USC Davis 8-yard run (Rae kick) USC 39-23
USC Cunningham 1-yard run (kick failed) USC 45-23
Vs. No. 3 Ohio State (Rose Bowl)
1
2 3 4 Total
No. 3 Buckeyes
0
7 3 7
17
• No. 1 Trojans
7
0 21 14
42
Scoring summary 1 USC Swann 10-yard pass from Rae (Rae kick) USC 7–0
2 OHST Keith 1-yard run (Conway kick) Tie 7–7
3 USC Cunningham 2-yard run (Rae kick) USC 14–7
OHST Conway 21-yard field goal USC 14–10
USC Davis 20-yard run (Rae kick) USC 21–10
USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 28–10
Q4 USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 35–10
USC Cunningham 1-yard run (Rae kick) USC 42–10
OHST Bledsoe 5-yard run (Conway kick) USC 42–17
NFL Draft
Ten Trojans were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft , with three in the first round.
References
^ "Starting lineups" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). October 28, 1972. p. 1B.
^ "TV bowl rosters: Rose Bowl" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . January 1, 1973. p. 62.
^ "U.S.C. Turns Back Arkansas, 31-10" . The New York Times . September 10, 1972. Retrieved August 20, 2022 .
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Sept 17.
^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
^ "USC Buries Illinois." 1972 Sept 24.
^ "Trojans Rip Illinois." Palm Beach Post. 1972 Sept 24.
^ "Top-rated Trojans blitz Sparts, 51–6." Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Oct 1.
^ "USC gets revenge as Cards halted." Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Oct 8.
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Oct 15.
^ "Trojans overpower Washington by 34-7." Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Oct 22.
^ Cawood, Neil (October 29, 1972). "Ducks, Fouts kayoed by Trojans" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). p. 1C.
^ "Davis leads Southern Cal past Oregon" . Pittsburgh Press . UPI. October 29, 1972. p. D-8.
^ "Ducks stubborn, but finally fall" . The Bulletin . (Bend, Oregon). UPI. October 30, 1972. p. 9.
^ "Eugene Register-Guard - Google News Archive Search" .
^ "Trojans roll past Bruins, 24-7." Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Nov 19.
^ "Davis' spree leads USC to 45-23 rout." Eugene Register-Guard. 1972 Dec 3.
^ "It's 'bring on Miami' after USC wins easily." Eugene Register-Guard. 1973 Jan 2.
External links
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1936–1949 1950s 1960s
1960 : Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF ) / Ole Miss (FWAA)
1961 : Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA)
1962 : USC
1963 : Texas
1964 : Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF)
1965 : Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1966 : Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF)
1967 : USC
1968 : Ohio State
1969 : Texas
1970s 1980–1991
Pacific Coast AAWU Pacific-8 Pacific-10 Pac-12 National championships in bold