DAVID VS. GOLIATH; WASHINGTON STATE AIMS TO SLAY NO. 1 MICHIGAN FOR ROSES.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer The story line of any great sports event is based on one of two themes: David vs. Goliath, the favorite of Hollywood moviemakers, or Goliath vs. Goliath, preferred by ratings-hungry TV networks. A rare event has elements of both, and therein lies the extraordinary promise of the 84th Rose Bowl game, pitting Michigan against Washington State on Thursday in Pasadena. Michigan is a certified Goliath, boasting the nation's top-ranked football team, including Heisman Trophy-winning defensive back Charles Woodson Charles Woodson (born on October 7, 1976 in Fremont, Ohio) is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship. , and a huge alumni following that is used to spending New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. in the sun. Meanwhile, Washington State, making its first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years, has seemed quite happy playing the role of David since arriving in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. from the quiet Palouse country 10 days ago. ``They've got all the money, they've got all the tradition and they're the No. 1 team in the country,'' Cougars head coach Mike Price said of Michigan. ``We don't have everything. We are definitely the David. ``I think anyone that lives outside of Michigan can identify with us. We're just a bunch of country guys who drove down here in a pickup truck.'' The Philistines in the Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. sports books figure David to lose this battle by more than a touchdown. And, in case you couldn't tell, that's just fine with Washington State, which has been sneaking up on opponents all season on its way to a 10-1 record and a Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members championship that nobody predicted. ``It's great for somebody to tell you you can't do something,'' said Love Jefferson, a Washington State tight end, ``and you do it every week.'' Thriving in the low-pressure, underdog role, the Cougars left their practices at the Coliseum open to the public until the past two days, and Price gave his players time to enjoy some Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, attractions, their reward for a year well done. In contrast, the Wolverines have held two-a-day workouts behind locked gates. ``We didn't come out here to have fun,'' said Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr Lloyd H. Carr (born July 30, 1945) has served as head coach of the University of Michigan football team since 1995. To date, Carr has a record of 119-38. Under Carr, the Wolverines have won or shared five Big Ten titles (in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2004), and his 1997 squad was . But don't let Washington State's innocent face fool you. As UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. found out early in the fall, this is Goliath in disguise. The Cougars have quietly climbed to No. 8 in the national rankings, defeating rival Washington in the final regular-season game to clinch the conference title. ``I don't think anyone can stop their offense,'' Carr said. Quarterback Ryan Leaf finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and actually was second among West Coast voters, those who watched him in person. He spreads his passes among five receivers - ironically nicknamed the Fab Five, a hand-me-down from the Michigan basketball team that fell one victory short of the 1993 national title. Back to the gridiron: Michigan will be trying to wrap up its first national title in football in exactly 50 years. It has lost nine of its past 12 Rose Bowls, and the event itself makes a tradition of tripping up unbeaten teams, including six from the Big Ten Conference in the past 32 years. Those worrisome statistics help explain the Wolverines' serious approach to their Rose Bowl preparations. Those and a healthy respect for Washington State - which, they realize, is David with a really big slingshot (networking, business, tool, product, protocol) Slingshot - CSK Software's real time financial server for the Internet. Slingshot allows the delivery of real time market data across the Internet and private intranets quickly, cheaply and securely. . CAPTION(S): drawing Drawing: (Color) no caption (two Rose Bowl football players) Jorge Irribarren/ Daily News |
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