Iowa Finds Silver Lining in Rose Bowl Matchup : Football: Coach Fry is relieved that Washington, which ranks as the better team, also will be on unfamiliar territory.

Washington is ranked nine spots higher than Iowa, has a better record than the Hawkeyes and more speed.

But the two Rose Bowl participants are on equal footing in at least one regard. Both will be visitors to Pasadena, giving Iowa Coach Hayden Fry some measure of solace.

“It’s certainly better for us than playing UCLA again, which plays all its games in the Rose Bowl,” Fry said. “It would be a road game for Washington in that sense. Other than a couple of games, we’ve done pretty well the last couple of years on the road.”

Iowa lost to UCLA in the 1986 Rose Bowl, 45-28. Fry and the Hawkeyes also have a score to settle with Washington, which embarrassed Iowa in the 1982 Rose Bowl, 28-0.

Fry claims to remember little of the 1982 game, saying he was in a daze because he was ill and under heavy medication.

Don James is in his 16th season as Washington’s coach, the longest tenure in the Pac-10. Fry, in his 12th year at Iowa, is the senior coach in the Big Ten.

Iowa, ranked 18th, is going to the Rose Bowl after finishing in a four-way tie for first in the Big Ten at 6-2. The Hawkeyes (8-3) earned the trip because they beat the three other first-place teams--Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois.

No. 9 Washington (9-2) won the Pac-10 title outright, losing only to UCLA in conference play. The Huskies’ other loss was to No. 1-ranked Colorado. Iowa has lost to No. 3 Miami, No. 25 Ohio State and Minnesota.

“I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to study Washington, but I’m sure they’re one of the top teams in the nation,” Fry said. “I do know about their won-loss record and how they dominated a lot of people.

“Their defense has been unbelievable. They kind of run that old 46 defense that Buddy Ryan had at Chicago. They just come up to the line of scrimmage and dare you to run against them.”

The running game has been Iowa’s strength this year. Led by 255-pound tailback Nick Bell, the Hawkeyes set school records with 2,560 yards rushing and 34 rushing touchdowns. Bell has run for 945 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.