Rose Bowl features neo-Neanderthal teams

PASADENA, Calif. — The Rose Bowl pregame weather has been about as crummy as the seven combined losses for Stanford and Wisconsin.

It’s never good to make Dick Butkus, who made the game-clinching interception for Illinois in the 1964 game, slog through drenching rain during the inaugural Rose Bowl golf tournament.

It’s regrettable that the leader of the Big Ten champion chose coaching in Arkansas over coaching in Pasadena.

The timing for this year’s Rose Bowl — let’s face it — could have also been better.

Last year, a Stanford-Wisconsin matchup would have paired quarterback Andrew Luck against Russell Wilson in a battle of future NFL rookie-of-the-year candidates.

This year it’s Kevin Hogan vs. Curt Phillips, two quarterbacks who started the year on the bench.

Some of the reporters could have been better prepared.

No Rose Bowl news conference transcript featuring Stanford’s Zach Ertz, arguably the best tight end in college football, should ever read like an entry-level interview for Jack in the Box.

Question: Are you a senior?

Ertz: I’m a junior.

Q: What is your major?

Ertz: Industrial engineering.

Q: When do you guys go back to school?

Ertz: School starts the 7th, I believe.

Q: Where are you from?

Ertz: I’m from the East Bay.

Q: So you didn’t go very far, did you?

Ertz: No, it’s like an hour away.

Q: What part?

Ertz: Alamo.

Q: Well, you didn’t go very far.

Ertz: Yeah, exactly.

This year’s Rose Bowl, No. 99, seems oddly numbered off. Next year’s 100th edition promises to be a double-host jubilee capped by bells, whistles, flyovers and, best of all, the last Bowl Championship Series championship game ever played!

So why does Stanford vs. Wisconsin even matter?

The Big Ten left its 12-0 team, Ohio State, at home on probation. And while Stanford may be marginally better than Oregon, it certainly is not more entertaining.

The playing style of the schools could be described as neo-Neanderthal, and there’s not a chance in the world Stanford coach David Shaw will channel Woody Hayes and punch a photographer.

This could be the quickest Rose Bowl game since before TV timeouts, a Greco-Roman wrestling interlock of handoffs and clock management.

“We’re going to run the ball,” Shaw warned television viewers this week. “We’re going to run the ball between the tackles. That’s just what we do. … So that’s what you’re going to see from us, which is great, because that’s what you’re going to see from Wisconsin also.”

Wisconsin’s campaign manager confirmed it is running the same 30-second commercial with an addendum from its interim coach: “My name is Barry Alvarez, and I approve this message.”

One reason Alvarez could seamlessly roll out of retirement to coach this game, replacing the Hog-bound Bret Bielema, is the game might not be that much different from Wisconsin’s win over Stanford in the 2000 Rose Bowl.

“You know I think they play similar,” Alvarez said, recalling his third Rose Bowl win. “They ran the ball well the last time around, they could throw it, and they were balanced. I think they’re very similar teams.”

Wisconsin has run the ball 590 times this season compared to 274 passing attempts. Stanford has rushed it 514 times compared to 379 passes.

“I happen to think that’s how you play football,” Alvarez said.

To contrast, Washington State ran 252 times this year and attempted 624 passes.

This Rose Bowl does not set up as well as some others, but the participants ask only that you give it a chance.

Wisconsin’s 8-5 record is lousy, but dig deeper and you’ll find the Badgers are nine points from being undefeated.

Wisconsin lost two games in regulation by three points and three games in overtime.

“Underappreciated,” said Montee Ball, the team’s star back. “That’s exactly what I tell a lot of people, that our record doesn’t show how good we are.”

Wisconsin may be disenchanted after three straight trips to Disneyland, but few Rose Bowl teams have had as much to prove. The Badgers don’t want to be branded as three-straight losers following defeats to Texas Christian and Oregon in 2011 and 2012.

“A lot of players don’t have the big eyes anymore because we’ve been here,” Ball said. “It’s our third time. Everyone is used to the atmosphere, the fast life of L.A. and Pasadena.”

Ball also said his team is rolling now after its 70-31 beatdown of Nebraska in the Big Ten title game.

Stanford, as a football program, doesn’t raise goose pimples. The team is top 10 but couldn’t even fill its own stadium for the Pac-12 title game.

If they don’t care, why should we?

Oregon (11-1) ended up with a better overall record but couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead against Stanford in Eugene.

The Cardinal, though, is also only a couple plays from playing for the national title. There was an inexplicable loss at Washington in which Stanford squandered a last chance to win when one of its players jumped offside. The defeat at Notre Dame, decided in overtime and in the replay booth, will be debated for years.

Both losses came before Shaw made the quarterback switch to Hogan, who has gone 4-0 as the starter and invigorated the post-Luck offense. All four of the wins have come against ranked opponents. Since replacing starter Josh Nunes during the first half Nov. 3 against Colorado, Hogan has completed 72.7 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns, and has rushed for 193 yards. He was named MVP in Stanford’s Pac-12 title-game win over UCLA.

You can wonder about Stanford being 13-0 had the move to Hogan been made sooner, but the smart people who follow and coach at Stanford say the redshirt freshman wasn’t ready.

Even Hogan says it:

“I think my knowledge of the playbook probably held me back,” he acknowledged. “The coaches knew I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to go in at the time.”

After a sluggish start for the bowl, the weather, the reporters and the teams, it appears everyone is ready now.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Silvertips defenseman wins U20 Ball Hockey World Title with Canada

Rylan Pearce helps Canada win gold at the ISBHF U20 World Championships in Slovakia.

NHL players, owners vote to ratify 4-year CBA

Notable changes include an 84-game season starting in 2026, shorter contract terms.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando agree to max contract extension

The former O’Dea star could earn up to $287 million over five years.

AquaSox outfielder Carson Jones gets settled in the batter's box during Everett's 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canadians at Funko Field on July 6, 2025. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
AquaSox show progress, but drop fifth straight to Canadians

Jones’ go-ahead, 3-run homer is spoiled in 4-3 loss to wrap up homestand.

Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, April 18, 2025, in Toronto. (Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Three Mariners added to MLB All-Star Game

Major League Baseball announced today that Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez,… Continue reading

George Kirby (68) of the Seattle Mariners pitches in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Seattle. (Alika Jenne / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Pirates finish historically bad offensive series in Seattle

Similar to the first two games of the series, the… Continue reading

Seattle Storm forward Alysha Clark (32) and Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) guard each other during a free throw in a WNBA basketball game between the Aces and the Seattle Storm at Michelob ULTRA Arena Friday, June 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter / Las Vegas Review-Journal / Tribune News Services)
Storm uses third-quarter thunderbolt to down Liberty

Rookie Dominique Malonga scored 11 and took over in the third quarter for Seattle.

AquaSox pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje follows through on a pitch during Everett's 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canadians at Funko Field on July 5, 2025. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
AquaSox blanked by Vancouver as losing skid continues

Everett generates just three hits in 3-0 loss to the Canadians on Saturday.

AquaSox infielder Charlie Pagliarini starts to swing at a pitch that he would launch for a two-run home run in Everett's 9-2 loss to the Vancouver Canadians at Funko Field on July 4, 2025. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
AquaSox lack spark in Independence Day loss to Vancouver

Everett draws eight walks, but has just two hits in 9-2 loss to the Canadians.

Kimberly Beard, a rising senior at King's, stands next to the results board after winning the girls hammer throw at the Nike Outdoor National Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 22, 2025. (Photo courtesy Donna Beard)
Beard, Tupua shine at Nike Outdoor Nationals

The rising seniors make their mark on a national stage amidst a busy summer schedule.

Everett AquaSox shortstop Colt Emerson catches the ball at second base for the first out in a double play during the Opening Day game against the Hillsboro Hops on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Emerson’s preparation finally paying off in Everett

The AquaSox shortstop is coming off his best month in High-A. Here’s how it came together:

The Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, right, claps after stealing second base during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Seattle. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Witt Jr. and Mariners’ bullpen both slide, KC wins series

The Kansas City Royals found a way against the Seattle Mariners on… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.