The 1967 UCLA vs. USC football game was an American college football game played during the 1967 college football season on November 18, 1967. The UCLA Bruins, 7–0–1 and ranked No. 1, with senior quarterback Gary Beban as a Heisman Trophy candidate, played the USC Trojans, 8–1 and ranked No. 4, with junior running back O. J. Simpson also as a Heisman candidate. This game is widely regarded as the signature game in the UCLA-USC rivalry as well as one of the 20th century Games of the Century. The 64 yard run by O. J. Simpson for the winning touchdown is regarded as one of the greatest run plays in college football.

In 1965, 6th ranked USC (led by Mike Garrett) met 7th ranked UCLA (led by All-Conference sophomore QB Gary Beban), with a berth in the 1966 Rose Bowl on the line. The scoring opened with All-American Tailback Mel Farr running 49 yards for a Bruin touchdown. The extra point was blocked, Despite dominating in the statistics, USC led only 16–6 with less than 4 minutes left in the game (In the first 3 1/2 quarters, USC had penetrated inside the UCLA 25 yard line 7 times; 3 times they fumbled, threw one interception in the end zone, settled for a short field goal, and scored 2 touchdowns, missing the extra point on one). On 3rd and 23, UCLA linebacker Dallas Grider hit USC quarterback Troy Winslow and caused a fumble. UCLA scored on a Beban touchdown pass to Dick Witcher and successfully converted a two-point conversion to make the score 16–14 (A tie would have sent USC to the Rose Bowl, hence the reason UCLA went for two). Then Grider then recovered an on-side kick and two plays later, Beban hit Kurt Altenberg, a decoy for Mel Farr, on a 49-yard touchdown bomb to win the game, 20–16. In the final Poll, UCLA was ranked 4th in the AP and 5th in the UPI. UCLA went on to upset #1 ranked Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl, 14–12. USC finished ranked #9 in the AP poll. Mike Garrett would go on to win the Heisman Trophy, but would not ever get to play in the Rose Bowl.

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