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1974 USC Trojans football team

American college football season

American college football season

FieldValue
year1974
teamUSC Trojans
sportfootball
conferencePacific-8 Conference
short_confPac-8
CoachRank1
APRank2
record10–1–1
conf_record6–0–1
head_coachJohn McKay
hc_year15th
captainPat Haden
captain2Richard Wood
stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
championCoaches' Poll national champion
FWAA national champion
NFF national champion
Pac-8 champion
Rose Bowl champion
bowl[Rose Bowl](1975-rose-bowl)
bowl_resultW 18–17 vs. [Ohio State](1974-ohio-state-buckeyes-football-team)

FWAA national champion NFF national champion Pac-8 champion Rose Bowl champion The 1974 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) as a member of the Pacific-8 Conference during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their 15th year under head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled a 10–1–1 record (6–0–1 in conference games), won the Pac 8 championship, and outscored their opponents by a total of 363 to 142. They lost the season opener on the road against No. 20 Arkansas and went undefeated the rest of the season, including a week 2 victory over No. 8 Pittsburgh and a comeback victory over No. 5 Notre Dame in which they scored 55 unanswered points after trailing 24–0. They concluded the season with an 18–17 victory over No. 3 Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl, converting a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter for the win.

USC was ranked No. 1 in the final United Press International (UPI) poll, receiving 27 of the 34 first-place votes from the coaches panel. The Trojans were ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll, trailing Oklahoma; Oklahoma was not included in the UPI poll as the school was on probation for recruiting violations.

Running back Anthony Davis tallied 1,354 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, finished second behind Archie Griffin in the Heisman Trophy voting, and won the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding college football player on the Pacific Coast. Davis and linebacker Richard Wood were consensus first-team picks on the 1974 All-America college football team. Tight end Jim Obradovich and guard Bill Bain also received first-team All-America honors from one or more selectors.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Washington

Roster

Statistics

Anthony Davis

Running back Anthony Davis led the team with 1,354 rushing yards on 288 carries during the regular season for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. He added 67 yards on 13 carries in the 1975 Rose Bowl. Davis also led the team with 15 touchdowns for 90 points scored. He also ranked third nationally with 1,908 all-purpose yards, including pass receptions and kickoff and punt returns.

Against UCLA, he broke O. J. Simpson's Pac-8 career rushing record. He concluded the 1974 regular season with career totals of 52 touchdowns, 314 points scored, and 3,657 rushing yards.

He also set a national career record with six touchdowns on kickoff returns and a single-season record with three kickoff returns for touchdown during the 1974 season.

Others

The team's leading rushers following Davis were Allen Carter (505 yards, 5.4 yards per carry), Ricky Bell (261 yards, 6.7 yards per carry), Pat Haden (240 yards, 2.6 yards per carry), Dave Farmer (204 yards, 7.6 yards per carry), and Vince Evans (201 yards, 4.8 yards per carry).

Quarterback Pat Haden completed 58 of 127 passes (45.7%) for 807 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 113 passer rating. Backup Vince Evans completed six of 16 passes (37.5%) for 113 yards.

The team's leading receivers were J. K. McKay (29 receptions for 446 yards and seven touchdowns), Anthony Davis (14 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns), and Shelton Diggs (eight receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns). Diggs caught the game-winning two point conversion in the 1975 Rose Bowl.

Awards and honors

Anthony Davis

Running back Anthony Davis received numerous awards and honors for his performance during the 1974 season, including the following:

  • Davis finished second behind Archie Griffin in the 1974 Heisman Trophy voting. Griffin received 483 first-place votes to 120 for Davis.
  • He was a consensus first-team pick on the 1974 All-America college football team, receiving first-team honors from, among others, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), United Press International (UPI), and Time.
  • For the second consecutive year, Davis won the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding college football player on the Pacific Coast. He received 28 of 34 first-place votes. He was the third player in the history of the award to receive the honor twice, following Jon Arnett (1955-56) and Jim Plunkett (1969-70).
  • He was selected as the 1974 college player of the year by ABC Television.

Davis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

All-America honors

Linebacker Richard Wood, sometimes known as "Batman", was a consensus first-team All-American, receiving first-team honors from multiple selectors, including the AP, It was Wood's third consecutive year as an All-American.

In addition to Davis and Wood, three other USC players received first-team All-America honors from one or more selectors:

  • Guard Bill Bain received first-team honors from The Sporting News and Time. Time described Bain as a "bruiser who can play anywhere along the line. He's been prying open gaps for Anthony Davis for two years."
  • Tight end Jim Obradovich received first-team honors from the NEA.
  • Safety Charlie Phillips received first-team honors from the FWAA.

All-Pac-8 honors

Twelve USC players received first-team honors from the AP or UPI on the 1974 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team: Davis (AP-1, UPI-1); Obradovich (AP-1, UPI-1); Wood (AP-1, UPI-1); Bain (AP-1); Phillips (AP-1); safety Marvin Cobb (AP-1, UPI-1); tackle Marvin Powell (AP-1); defensive lineman Gary Jeter (AP-1); defensive lineman Art Riley (AP-1); linebacker Ed Powell (AP-1); defensive back Danny Reece (AP-1); and placekicker Chris Limahelu (AP-1). Five others received second-team honors: quarterback Pat Haden (AP-2); tackle Steve Knutson (AP-2); wide receiver J. K. McKay (AP-2); defensive lineman Otha Bradley (AP-2); linebacker Dale Mitchell (AP-2).

References

References

  1. "Southern California Yearly Results (1970-1974)". David DeLassus.
  2. Mal Florence. (January 3, 1975). "USC Wins 49/50 of a National Title: No. 1 Dissenter Is Oklahoma, the Writers' Choice". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Mal Florence. (September 15, 1974). "Trojans' Dream of No. 1 Is Just Hog Wash, 22-7: Davis Has 106-Yard TD Against Razorbacks". Los Angeles Times.
  4. (September 15, 1974). "Razorbacks upset Southern Cal, 22–7". The Marshall News Messenger.
  5. Russ Franke. (September 29, 1974). "USC Whittles Down Pitt, 16-7". The Pittsburgh Press.
  6. (September 29, 1974). "USC offense tops Pitt defense 16–7". The Tennessean.
  7. Mal Florence. (October 6, 1974). "USC Goes Far With Fumbles; Phillips Turns Iowa Errors Into Long TDs in 41-3 Rout". Los Angeles Times.
  8. (October 6, 1974). "Hawk fumbles let USC romp". Omaha World-Herald.
  9. Harry Missildine. (October 13, 1974). "Trojans Thump Washington State; Anthony Davis Enjoys Big Evening: Third Period Explosion Insures USC Triumph". The Spokesman-Review.
  10. (October 13, 1974). "Davis on target; Trojans bag Cougs". Tri-City Herald.
  11. Don Chapman. (October 20, 1974). "Trojans Drop Ducks: Limahelu, Davis Aid 16-7 Win". Statesman.
  12. (October 20, 1974). "Field goals lift USC pat Ducks". Oakland Tribune.
  13. Mal Florence. (October 27, 1974). "USC Takes Its Time and Wins, 31-10". Los Angeles Times.
  14. (October 27, 1974). "USC outlasts Oregon State". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
  15. Mal Florence. (November 3, 1974). "USC Gets Tie With Cal and One With Stanford". Los Angeles Times.
  16. (November 3, 1974). "SC escapes with tie". Independent Press-Telegram.
  17. Jim Bainbridge. (November 10, 1974). "McKay gets last sneer as Troy buries Stanford, 34-10". The San Francisco Examiner.
  18. (November 10, 1974). "Davis leads USC to a bed of roses". The Argus of Fremont.
  19. Mal Florence. (November 17, 1974). "USC, UCLA Warm Up for Each Other With Easy Wins: Washington Routed, 42-11; Davis Rolls for 147 Yards". Los Angeles Times.
  20. (November 17, 1974). "Trojans waltz past Huskies". Ventura County Star.
  21. Mal Florence. (November 24, 1974). "A.D. Dances Past O.J., USC Past UCLA: 82,467 See Trojans Win Another New Year's Date in Pasadena, 34-9". Los Angeles Times.
  22. (November 24, 1974). "USC comes out smelling like roses again, 34–9". Independent Press-Telegram.
  23. Mal Florence. (December 1, 1974). "A.D. Turns Irish Around, Upside-Down, 55-24: Behind 24-0, USC Hurries Back". Los Angeles Times.
  24. (December 1, 1974). "Incredible USC rally rips Irish". The Fresno Bee.
  25. Mal Florence. (January 2, 1975). "Trojans Gamble and Make 8 the Hard Way, 18-17: Haden Passes to McKay, Diggs to Top Buckeyes in Rose Bowl". Los Angeles Times.
  26. (January 2, 1975). "Trojans' rally decks Buckeyes 18–17". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  27. Eugene Register-Guard. November 17, 1974
  28. (October 12, 1974). "Trojans vs. Cougars: probable starters". Spokesman-Review.
  29. "1974 Southern California Trojans Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
  30. Mal Florence. (December 4, 1974). "Griffin Thought He Would Lose to A.D.". Los Angeles Times.
  31. (December 7, 1974). "Davis, Wood Named on AP All-American". Los Angeles Times.
  32. (December 3, 1974). "All-America Team". Los Angeles Times.
  33. (December 5, 1974). "Buckeyes head UPI all-stars". Long Beach Independent and Press-Telegram.
  34. (December 26, 1974). "Davis Again Given Voit Grid Honor". The Valley News.
  35. (December 31, 1974). "A.D.: It's time to be moving on". Long Beach Independent.
  36. "Anthony Davis". National Football Foundation.
  37. Mal Florence. (October 29, 1974). "USC's Batman: Cancel the Alfalfa Tea; Richard Wood Is Back on Steak". Los Angeles Times.
  38. (December 4, 1974). "1974 NEA All-America". Berkeley Daily Gazette.
  39. (December 11, 1974). "Archie Sporting News grid player of year". Long Beach Independent and Press-Telegram.
  40. (December 9, 1974). "Anthony Davis: As Tough to Bring Down as Supercharged Rhino". Los Angeles Times.
  41. (December 6, 1974). "AP All-Pac-8 Team". Los Angeles Times.
  42. (December 5, 1974). "All Pac-8 Selections". The Times, San Mateo.
  43. (December 4, 1974). "Davis, Bartkowski top All-Coast club". Lodi News-Sentinel.
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