The 1986 UCLA Bruins football team was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
team that represented the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
during the
1986 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship. Coached by Joe Paterno, they defeated Miami (Fl) 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl. This Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game's history to decide the na ...
. In their 11th year under head coach
Terry Donahue
Terrence Michael Donahue (June 24, 1944 – July 4, 2021) was an American football coach and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. His 15 ...
, the Bruins compiled an 8–3–1 record (5–2–1 Pac-10), finished in a tie for second place in the
Pacific-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
, and were ranked #12 in the final
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
. The Bruins went on to defeat
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
in the
1986 Freedom Bowl. On November 1, 1986, UCLA's defense scored three touchdowns against
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
.
UCLA's offensive leaders in 1986 were quarterback Matt Stevens with 1,869 passing yards, running back
Gaston Green
Gaston Alfred Green III (born August 1, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders. He played college ...
with 1,405 rushing yards, and wide receiver
Flipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson Jr. (born March 7, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Los Angeles Rams (1988–1994), the Indianapolis Colt ...
with 675 receiving yards.
Schedule
Personnel
Rankings
Game summaries
at Oklahoma
USC
vs. BYU (Freedom Bowl)
References
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
UCLA Bruins football seasons
Freedom Bowl champion seasons
UCLA Bruins football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in college football as members of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Bruins play their home games at the ...
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