College Football
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.

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