Thursday, December 30 Stanford is undersized, undermanned
Associated Press
PASADENA, Calif. -- Stanford insists it is better than the
team is made out to be. Funny, that's what Wisconsin was saying at
last year's Rose Bowl.
Stanford, which will face Wisconsin on Saturday, was already the bowl season's biggest underdog even before star receiver Troy
Walters was injured Tuesday.
The last team to be so heavily discounted in the Rose Bowl was,
well, last season's Wisconsin team, which upset UCLA 38-31.
Many think the No. 4 Badgers, winners of seven straight games
and back-to-back Big Ten championships, will have little trouble
disposing of a 22nd-ranked Stanford team that struggled to win the
Pac-10 while absorbing a 42-point loss to Texas and another
embarrassing home loss to San Jose State.
So the Cardinal coaches have tried to instill an
us-against-the-world mentality. On Wednesday, defensive coordinator
Kent Baer spoke of a "massive" lack of respect. Offensive
coordinator Bill Diedrick picked up the theme Thursday.
"I don't know if they really respect us or not," Diedrick
said. "Who cares? We know what we can do."
With an undersized -- now undermanned -- receiving corps, an
unheralded starting quarterback in Todd Husak and a reviled
defense, Stanford is an unlikely bowl opponent for the Badgers, who
outscored their opponents 265-87 and beat four ranked teams while
rolling through October and November.
But the Badgers say they're in no danger of getting too cocky
against the Cardinal. Why?
"Cincinnati," linebacker Donnel Thompson said with a grimace.
In their season's third game, the Badgers learned the folly of
taking an opponent lightly when they lost 17-12 to the lowly
Bearcats. The defeat killed Wisconsin's national title hopes and
shocked the team, particularly the high-powered Badgers offense
that was stymied.
Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne rushed for a season-high 231
yards against the Bearcats but made a rare fumble while stretching
for a potential game-winning touchdown.
"We could never take Stanford light because of what happened
against Cincinnati," linebacker Chris Ghidorzi said. "We just
thought we'd roll the ball out there and win. We'll never do that
again."
The Badgers have been concerned about Stanford, but they're also
concerned about their own extended idleness. Wisconsin hasn't
played since Nov. 13, and the team scrimmaged against itself in
Madison and again at the Coliseum.
With a victory, Wisconsin would be the first Big Ten team to win
back-to-back Rose Bowls. The history is not lost on the Badgers.
"That's a real motivation for us because that's something that
all of Bo Schembechler's great Michigan teams never did, and the
great Ohio State teams never did," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez
said.
Stanford has its own motivation in returning to Pasadena for the
first time since 1972. All the players have to do is look up in the
stands.
"The fans realize that this is the biggest game of our lives,
and they'll be there to support us," Husak said.
