Date: Nov 29, 1973
The UCR football squad closed out a fine 8-2 season on Nov. 17 with a 76-28 homecoming victory over United States International University, the most one-sided victory in UCR football history.
Numerous new standards were set as the Scots rolled up a record-breaking 31 first downs and 738 yards total offense, including 632 yards rushing.
The Highlander defense held the Scots to only 269 yards total offense.
The USIU game marked the end of UCR careers for 19 Highlanders seniors including tailback Derrick Williams who gained a record 306 yards rushing in the contest.
Bill Gadd quarterbacked the Highlanders to their seventh straight victory in lieu of Billy Taylor who was sidelined by an injury.
The Scots opened the game playing what Head Coach Wayne Howard termed “casual” football in the first half and allowed the Westerners 21 points before taking command of the game.
Derrick Williams scored the first two touchdowns of the game on runs of 27 and 22 yards as UCR led 14-0 with only four minutes gone in the first quarter.
Vince Zarkovich scored USIU’s first TD on a 58 yard pass play from quarterback Mike Ottombrino.
Williams followed with the Highlanders’ third score of the night on a two yard run.
Francisco Salcedo added the third of his ten record-breaking PATs.
Westerners running backs Collie Cann and Sampson Horne scored USIU’s next two touchdowns to tie up the score at 21 with 10:57 remaining in the half.
UCR quarterback Gadd connected on two touchdowns passes before the half ended as Wayne Weathers and Mike Cembellin scored giving UCR a 35-21 halftime lead.
The Highlanders dominated the second half despite liberal substitutions by Coach Howard.
Bernard Parks ran 71 yards for a score early in the third quarter followed by flanker Butch Johnson’s TD on a 51 yard pass play.
The Westerners added their final score of the evening minutes later when back-up quarterback Kerman machado scored on a keeper from the eight yard line.
Derrick Williams scored his final touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the quarter in a two yard run.
In the fourth quarter, the Highlanders, leading 55-28, scored three additional touchdowns, two of them by players from junior varsity.
Following Craig Ditsch’s 36 yard ‘scoring run, JV quarterback Gary Mitchell tallied on a keeper, UCR’s tenth score of the evening.
Freshman running back Darryl Logans added the final score with a five yard run with seven seconds remaining in the game.
This victory gives the Highlanders a fine 8-2 season record and a 17-3 record over the last two years under Coach Howard.
Next year’s season, termed by Howard a “semi-rebuilding tear,” is an unknown quantity at this time.
Nine of Howard’s eleven offensive starters are seniors. Howard feels, however, that he will have “enough really good players returning to still do well.”
