Early season wins against Idaho and Cal with the strong-armed Wilhelm running head coach Dave Kragthorpe's pass oriented offense had stoked hope in the team. The chimera faded, however, when the promising Wilhelm was lost for the season due to injury — and event which punctuated a brutal four game swoon which included a merciless 63–0 thrashing at the hands of the University of Southern California. It would be another freshman QB, the previously unknown Rich Gonzales, who would lead the 38-point underdog Beavers to their sensational 21–20 road victory over the mighty University of Washington in October for their third and final win of the year.