ROSE / IOWA

Iowa Coach Hayden Fry has vowed to keep his players away from the media this week in preparation for the game against UCLA.

Of course, with nowhere else to turn, reporters have opened their notebooks to the quotable Fry, who is doing his best to pick up the slack.

Some Fry-lights:

--On getting his team motivated for big games: “I’d much rather sit around and tell funny stories. I’d be a stand-up comedian if I could get everybody to lie down and listen.”

--On what he remembers about Iowa’s 28-0 loss to Washington in the 1982 Rose Bowl. “I’ve got a great memory in forgetting bad experiences.”

--On practicing in sunny California: “I did a smart thing today. I called timeout four different times just so the players could look up at the weather, the mountains and the serenity of the place. It was beautiful. I wanted them to get it out of their system so they didn’t stop and do it during the Rose Bowl game.”

--On winning this game for the sake of the Big Ten Conference, which has lost 14 of the last 16 Rose Bowls: “They don’t pay me one penny. I’m not obligated to the Big Ten whatsoever. We’ll do our best to win the ballgame. If we don’t, we won’t get a cut in salary from the Big Ten.”

--On his decision not to participate in the traditional Beef Bowl this year: “We didn’t eat at Lawry’s last year and scored 55 points in the Freedom Bowl.”

--On the race for the national championship: “I see (Miami Coach) Jimmy Johnson standing up and shouting ‘We’re No. 1,’ which motivates me to look at Miami’s schedule.”