Rose Bowl

1957

Iowa 35

Oregon State 19

Iowa Fight Song

By Gus Schrader.

Cedar Rapids Gazette Sports Editor

PASADENA- California is famous for its Iowa picnics, and the Rose Bowl game turned into one Tuesday as Kenny Ploen led his Hawkeye mates to a 35-19 triumph that further lengthened faces in the misfortune – pocked Coast conference.

Oregon State's Eager Beavers were the victims this time, marking the tenth setback in 11 games against the Big Ten in the colorful post-season classic.

A crowd of 97,126, witnessing Iowa's first Rose Bowl trial, watched Ploen spark the Hawks to a 14-0 lead before the first quarter was half over. Then, before the Hawks got possession of the ball again, Ploen was carried to the bench with a wrenched right knee.

Still the Hawks were able to swap touchdowns with the Pacific Coast champions the rest of the way to win going away with the fourth highest score in the 11-year Rose Bowl series.

Ploen was patched up enough to lend considerable help in the second half, pitching a 16-yard touchdown pass to End Jim Gibbons on fourth downs.

The game hardly followed the form chart, although the Hawks were a nine-point favorite going in. It had been billed as a defensive duel, with both teams well aware of each other's offensive lineups, because they had played earlier this season and traded scouting movies.

When Iowa won the first meeting, 14-13, at Iowa City, Oct. 2, plenty of folks thought the Hawks were lucky to win. No one left Pasadena's vast Arroyo Seco saucer Tuesday with that impression. The Rose Bowl crowd probably has seen greater individual accomplishments, but none seemed more vital than the contribution made by Ploen.

Many of the spectators were still struggling down from the gorgeous Tournament of Roses parade and were seeking their seats when Ploen hurled the first bombshell into Oregon State's' hopes for an upset.

Dependable Frank Gilliam pounced on an Oregon State fumble to check the Beavers' first frenzied rush. Four plays gained the estimated 11 yards to the Beaver 49 and Ploen suddenly rolled out to his right on the familiar pass-run option play.

Hawkeyes chopped black-shirted Beavers in key spots, and the shifty quarterback quickly sorted his way down the right sideline. The Beavers had him for sure on the 25-yard line, and he knocked almost flat, saving his knees from touching the turf by balancing with one hand.

Back upright before you could deliver a one count, Kenny cooly counted noses and found two friends left standing to only one enemy. The buddies, Dick Klein and Jim Gibbons, flattened Oregon State's Tom Berry and Kenny raced on for an electrifying 49-yard touchdown run that really was the turning point of the whole game.

The Beavers couldn't help but be shaken. Vicious Iowa tackles soon forced another fumble, and the Hawks rattled 66 yards in four plays to make it 14-0 with 7 minutes, 40 seconds gone.

Big play this time was a 37- yard romp by big Don Dobrino to the nine-yard line. From there, Mike Hagler, the only man to score more than one touchdown, socked into the end zone on the first play.

It may have been a picnic for the estimated 15,000 Iowans and many former Iowans and their friends, but the Hawks found the Beavers to be a fast, dangerous team that could scare the daylights out of you on every play. Oregon State took considerable satisfaction in being the second team to score three touchdowns against the Big Ten champions this season, but the Beavers had no defense capable of holding an Iowa attack that had come of age since the conference season ended.

The Hawks used to rely on a hard-nosed defense t h a t held four opponents scoreless. But just as they proved in the Notre Dame game, the Hawks have learned how to manufacture touchdowns. And they came from all sorts of ranges.

Tuesday, in addition to Ploen's 49-yard streak, Hagler hit the end zone on a 60-yard double reverse that started Iowa off anew in the second half.

Hagler disproved the great emphasis placed on Oregon State's speed advantage, for he outraced the fastest Beaver backs, once he got the step on them at midfield. Iowa stuck to the offense it has used all season, except for some variations late in the fourth quarter.

But the Beavers proved they have been taking full advantage of secret sessions staged on the UCLA practice lot. The lowans were hardly prepared to see both of the Beavers' feared tailbacks, Joe Francis and Paul Lowe, in the backfield at the same time. But that was the spectacle that greeted them early in the game, giving the Black Bandits from Benton county even more speed than was expected.

Oregon State also used a fullback flanker for the first time, and for the first time this season the Beavers threw passes to their fullbacks,

The results were effective enough to keep Iowa's best combinations in the lineup most of the time. It wasn't until late in the fourth quarter that Coach Forest Evashevski was able to relax enough to send in the rest of his Rose Bowl squad.

Six Hawks figured in the scoring. In addition to the touchdown plays already mentioned, Billy Happel of Cedar Rapids scored on a five-yard shot around left end to make it 21-6 at halftime. This was a key touchdown, too, because it helped the Hawks prove they could score even without Ploen.

All five extra points were booted perfectly by Bob Prescott. This gave him 24 of 26 for the season.

Iowa left a convincing stamp on the Beavers in another way, too. Frank Gilliam and Fred Harris each blocked one of Oregon State's first two extra point tries. This was especially shattering to John Clarke, reserve end for the Beavers. He had been successful on 16 straight extra point tries up until then. He started kicking ‘em right after the Beaversdropped their 14-13 nod at Iowa City.

With Clarke unable to return to the game because of the sub rule in the fourth quarter, the Beavers derided to run across with their final point. Or maybe it was just that they were fed up with seeing white-shirted Iowans blocking the kicks. At any rate, they sent Fullback Nub Beamer spinning across for the point, marking the first time in many years that a team in the Rose Bowl has purposely converted by another means than kicking.

The first two Oregon State touchdowns were scored from short range. Fullback Tom Berry hit from three yards out in the second quarter after the score was set up by Sterling Hammack's 25-yard punt return to the Iowa 15.

The Beavers marched 70 yards in 15 plays for the second one, Beamer diving over from a foot out.

The final touchdown came suddenly. In fact, the Beavers went 62 yards in only two plays, assisted by a pass interference penalty. Francis threw to Hammack on the two-yard line to complete a 35-yard touchdown play.

The Hawks never led by fewer than 14 points after scoring the first two touchdowns.

Collins Hagler scores for Iowa in the 1st quarter.

Attendance: 97,126

Scoring Summary 

First Quarter

IA- Ploen 49-yard run (Prescott kick)

IA- Hagler 9-yard run (Prescott kick)

Second Quarter

OSU- Berry 3-yard run (kick failed)

IA- Happel 5-yard run (Prescott kick)

Third Quarter

IA- Hagler 66-yard run (Prescott kick)

OSU- Beamer 1-yard run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

IA- Gibbons 16-yard pass from Ploen (Prescott kick)

OSU- Hammack 35-yard pass from Francis (Beamer run)

Individual Statistics 

Rushing

IA- Hagler 10-85, Dobrino 4-64, Ploen 8-59

OSU- Francis 15-73, Beamer 7-31

Passing

IA- Ploen 9-10-0-83

OSU- Francis 10-12-0-130

Receiving

IA- Gibbons 5-61, Harris 2-21

OSU- Hammack 4-65, Beamer 2-31

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