VETERAN BADGERS LEAVE BEHIND COLD; WISCONSIN CONFIDENT AS 11-PT.FAVORITE.Byline: Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer Wisconsin linebacker Donnel Thompson, a veteran of last year's Rose Bowl victory over 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 , couldn't wait to drop his luggage off and sneak in Verb 1. sneak in - enter surreptitiously; "He sneaked in under cover of darkness"; "In this essay, the author's personal feelings creep in" creep in a Christmas dinner Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Day. It is often seen as the main event of the day for which the family all gathers and eats together. before bed as the team arrived at its Century City hotel. ``I feel like a little kid again,'' Thompson said. ``As soon as I got off the plane I said, `Wow, here we are back in California. ``I'm just glad we're finally at the hotel getting settled. It was about 10 degrees when we left (Madison), so this warmer weather is a whole lot nicer.'' This is the third trip since 1993 for the Badgers but with Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy Annual award given to the outstanding college gridiron football player in the U.S. The trophy was instituted in 1935 by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club and was officially named the following year for the club's first athletic director, the player-coach winner Rod Dayne and the No. 4 ranking in the country, the expectations are much different. Wisconsin won its past two Rose Bowls as underdogs, but this time the Big 10 champions meet No. 22 Stanford as 11-point favorites. ``That's a really good football team,'' Thompson said of Stanford. ``If you go in there overconfident o·ver·con·fi·dent adj. Excessively confident; presumptuous. o  ver·con , you'll come
out with a loss. We have to go in there focused and ready to play.
``They have a great offense, and with me being on defense, we have to go in there and stop them to be successful.'' Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman. It is named after John H. Outland. Outland was one of only a few players in history ever to be named All-America at two positions, John Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in 1898 candidate Chris McIntosh Chris McIntosh was born February 20, 1977 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He was an offensive tackle that played briefly in the National Football League. McIntosh was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. said focusing on the game is much easier this time around. ``Any trip you go to is the same deal,'' the senior linebacker said. ``You take in the sights, but you're focused on the game. And being a veteran team and having done this before, it can only help. ``But by no means are we overlooking Stanford. We were underdogs last year and know what they're going through. They have plenty of motivation and are hoping to represent the Pac-10 well.'' Head coach Barry Alvarez Barry Alvarez (born December 30, 1946) is a retired college football head coach and current Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On July 28, 2005, Alvarez announced that after the 2005 season he would step down as head coach. limped into the hotel, still recovering from knee replacement surgery Nov. 16. He said arriving Christmas night didn't spoil anyone's holiday spirit. ``It was very cold and snowy when we left and there were a lot of Christmas lights and that Christmas feeling,'' said Alvarez. ``We had our Christmas, but Christmas Day to us was going to a bowl game.'' He also said his players won't be distracted because they're the favorites. ``It really doesn't make much difference, players don't pay much attention to that,'' Alvarez said. ``It's about playing the game and seeing who performs that day. You go about your business and prepare to play as well as you can.'' In the last two Rose Bowls against the Bruins, the Badgers had more fans even though UCLA plays its home games at the Rose Bowl. Alvarez is hoping for a similar following against the Cardinal. ``It's been a home game for us the last two Rose Bowls,'' Alvarez said. ``We had a number of people that requested tickets and didn't get them. Hopefully, they can find them someplace some·place adv. & n. Somewhere: "I didn't care where I was from so long as it was someplace else" Garrison Keillor. See Usage Note at everyplace. and we can have the same type of ratio we have had the last two Rose Bowls where we have had a home field advantage.'' Rose Bowl Who: Wisconsin vs. Stanford When: Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m. TV: Ch. 7 CAPTION(S): box |
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