With practices closed, hard news is scarce leading up to the Rose Bowl. Fans looking for signs of resolution and readiness have to sift through the sound bites and scour little tidbits from the pressers and open periods, and there isn’t much. Analysts pore over old film and history, trying to characterize a game that, after a long layoff, may be sublime or ridiculous.
We know the Oregon players enjoyed Space Mountain and Wisconsin has a mammoth offensive line. Everything else is just guesswork. Matchups studied from every angle are still just a tale of the tape. When athletes take the field or the hardwood or the canvas in a big game, anything can happen. In fact, that’s the beauty of it, the prospect of seeing a story unfold, told in a way you never expected. A reserve tight end could make all the difference. A journeyman player can have the day of his life. In 1963 Wisconsin got behind #1 USC 42-14 before quarterback Ron Vanderkelen rallied the Badgers for 23 unanswered points, a furious rally that fell just short. In 1995 Danny O’Neil set a Rose Bowl record for passing yardage but the Ducks couldn’t find the end zone often enough as they lost 38-20.
photo left: Will Oregon earn their wings in the 2012 Rose Bowl, and shake off the image of the flashy, fancy team that can’t get it done in big games? (brobible.com photo)
The game goes that way. There is heroism and pratfalls. When the Ducks went back in 2010 Jeremiah Masoli had a 9-21 passing day, bouncing a handoff off LeGarrette Blount’s thigh pad on second and two from the Ohio State 18. The ball is still bouncing, waiting for somebody to fall on it. It bounced all the way to the end zone. The score was 19-17 at the time, probably the most agonizing turn of a football game since Jackie Smith dropped a sure touchdown pass for the Cowboys in the Super Bowl back in the eighties. You never forget the most desolate moments.
All we truly know about the Ducks this week is part of the circus. Nine players got stuck in an elevator for two hours. Mark Asper saved a man from choking to death. The new helmets are shiny. LaMichael James is terrified of Space Mountain. Kirk Herbstreit’s kids are cute and athletic. One of the Wisconsin defensive backs said this week, “Oregon’s uniforms have gotten more attention than our whole team has.”
And that’s worrisome. Any time one athlete or a given team becomes a media circus, the results are unpredictable. You worry about focus. When LeBron James said “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” or Muhammed Ali boasted “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see” or the Miami Hurricanes stepped off the plane smoking big cigars and wearing combat fatigues, the distraction becomes the story. It becomes a little harder to simply play the game.
Oregon’s a flashy and flamboyant team. The speed and innovation and offensive electricity will always be the story going into a big game, while opponents prepare quietly and bristle at all the attention and buzz the Ducks’ Nike marketing machine can create. The Ducks are sexy. They have swagger and a quotable coach.
In 48 hours, though, they have to execute the off tackle play and cover a big wide receiver. You hope behind those closed doors that is what they’re taking about, between games of XBox and piles of prime rib.
Because you wouldn’t want anyone to choke.
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