Reflecting on 1986 Rose Bowl, the Last Time UCLA Faced Iowa

UCLA last met Iowa in the 1986 Rose Bowl.

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Friday's game between UCLA and Iowa will be the first time the Bruins and Hawkeyes have faced off in almost four decades.

Their last showdown came in the 1986 Rose Bowl, which of course, was a home game for the Bruins. It concluded their 1985-86 season, which they finished with a 9-2-1 record.

UCLA entered the matchup as the No. 13-ranked team in the nation, while the Hawkeyes came in ranked fourth in the country.

The Bruins were the champions of the Pac-10, and the Hawkeyes were the champions of the Big Ten, their only loss having come against Ohio State.

UCLA pulled off the upset, defeating Iowa 45-28. After the Hawkeyes scored first, the Bruins controlled the rest of the contest, never looking back. They would go on to score 10 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, 7 in the third and 14 in the fourth.

UCLA was never outscored in a single quarter.

Much of Iowa's defeat could be attributed to the four first-half fumbles from Hawkeye running back Ronnie Harmon.

Offensively, the Bruins dominated, an effort led by former UCLA running back Eric Ball, who ran for 227 yards and four touchdowns on the day. Ball had been tasked with filling the void left by an injured Gaston Green. He did just that.

UCLA finished seventh in the final AP Poll that year.

That Bruins team was led by the great Terry Donahue. That '86 Rose Bowl was one of seven straight bowl wins for Donahue and UCLA, three of which all came in the Rose Bowl.

Donahue, of course, is the program's all-time winningest head coach. He won 151 games in his 20 years at the helm.

On Friday, these two teams will be back in the very same place that memorable '86 Rose Bowl took place. With the Bruins now in the Big Ten, these two teams should have many more meetings in years to come.

UCLA leads the all-time series, 7-2, with a perfect 5-0 record at home in the series. The only other times the Bruins and Hawkeyes had faced off were in 1981, 1977, 1974, 1973, 1955, 1949, 1947 and 1938.

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