| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 1953 |
| Team: | UCLA Bruins |
| Conference: | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Short Conf: | PCC |
| Coachrank: | 4 |
| Aprank: | 5 |
| Record: | 8–2 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Champion: | PCC champion |
| Bowl Result: | L 20–28 vs. Michigan State |
The 1953 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1953 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Red Sanders, the Bruins played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team completed the regular season with an 8–1 record (6–1 in PCC, first) for the first of three consecutive conference titles.
UCLA played in the Rose Bowl but was defeated 28–20 by eighth-ranked Michigan State and finished at 8–2. The Bruins finished fourth in the Coaches Poll and fifth in the AP Poll, both released prior to the bowl games.[1]
Conference opponent not played this season: Idaho
By winning this game, the Bruins were the PCC Champions and received the Rose Bowl bid. California assisted with a 21–21 tie with Stanford. Bob Heydenfeldt and Paul Cameron scored in the second and fourth quarter respectively.
See main article: 1954 Rose Bowl. This was the first meeting between the two schools. It was the first Rose Bowl appearance for the Spartans. They had previously only played in the 1938 Orange Bowl. It was the third bowl appearance for the Bruins. The weather was sunny. The Spartans wore their green home jerseys and the Bruins wore their white road jerseys.
The Spartans fumbled twice in the first half, which allowed the Bruins the first two scores. Michigan State had only one completed pass and 56 yards in the first half. The Spartans scored a touchdown with 4:45 remaining in the first half.
Victor Postula knocked down four Bruin passes. Coach Biggie Munn instituted a "split line offense" against the Bruins.[2]
The Spartans assembled two long drives in the third quarter to pull ahead 21 - -14. The Bruins recovered another Spartan fumble and scored to make the score 21–20. But the extra point kick failed. Billy Wells of Michigan State returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown with 4:51 left in the game.