1939: USC, 7 vs. Duke, 3

The 1939 Duke Blue Devils defense had not been scored on all season, and for 59 minutes of football in the 1939 Rose Bowl Game, it looked like it was going to stay that way.

Down 3-0, USC tapped an unlikely hero with two minutes to play – fourth-string quarterback Doyle Nave.

Nave entered the game and connected on four consecutive pass plays to Al Krueger, the last of which was a go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute to play, the ultimate game-winner, putting USC up, 7-3.

“Thanks for the opportunity of getting into the game, coach,” Nave said.

“Don’t thank me,” said legendary USC coach Howard Jones. “Let me thank you!”

Nave hadn’t even played enough minutes all season to be eligible for an athletic letter. Remarking to USC medic Doc Thurber as he tended to a bandaged forehead the quarterback suffered in practice, Nave said: “I wonder if I’ll get a letter, anyway?”

“Sure,” Thurber said, “and I’m in favor of giving you a whole alphabet.”

However, despite Nave’s numbers – or lack thereof – this was not simply a shot in the dark by Jones; you don’t win five Rose Bowl Games in 10 years without a loss by guessing.

“Nave is without peer as a passer,” Krueger said. “All you have to do is break loose from the defenders and look for the ball. It’s a cinch to be there because Doyle waits until he sees you are free before he shoots a bullet pass right to you.”

And Duke’s defense was no fluke either, apparently simply falling victim to an unlikely hero with ice in his veins and an impeccable sense of timing.

“The Dukes were unlucky to get beaten,” wrote Braven Dyer. “Seldom have I ever seen a better exhibition of all-around defensive brilliance and determination than that which the Blue Devils displayed yesterday afternoon…. Duke is entitled to every bit of praise the squad has received for keeping its goal-line unsullied through a full season.”

The other half of the game-winning combination, “Antelope Al” Krueger, was raised the son of a dairy farmer and inherited his big hands from his dad, sure hands that he strengthened milking cows at the family’s farm in the Mojave Desert. His dad, Herman, who was described by the Associated Press as a “tall man, weatherbeaten and with hands of iron,” had two simple words for his son: “Nice game.”

Duke place-kicker Tony Ruffa scored the Blue Devils’ only points, a field goal from the 23-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

Attendance
93,852

Weather
73 degrees

Scoring
Fourth Quarter
Duke – Ruff, 23-yard field goal
USC – Krueger, 19-yard pass from Nave (Gaspar kick good)

Coaches
USC: Howard Jones
Duke: Wallace Wade

Fun Fact
In 1939, The 50th parade made its way down Colorado Blvd. The youngest-ever Grand Marshal, Shirley Temple, presided over the parade.

Individual Stats
Rushing
USC: Lansdell 13-86; Anderson 7-28; Jones 3-10
Duke: Tipton 17-59; O’Mara 7-15