It’s Only the Rose Bowl, so Alvarez Won’t Get Too Emotional About It

The Badgers planned to have a quiet evening Thursday, with no game films or anything strenuous on their schedule. “I think we’re going to have to go to see ‘Star Wars,’ ” Coach Barry Alvarez said.

No inspirational movies or speeches were planned to help players get ready for today’s game, and Alvarez said he won’t give any emotional pep talks to get players charged up.

They’re already more than eager to play after going through a week of rugged practices, and Alvarez wants them to be calm and cool today and focus on their responsibilities instead of being overwhelmed by emotion.

“One of the biggest mistakes coaches make in preparing for a big game is to make it a bigger deal than what it is and expect players to do something magical,” Alvarez said in Pasadena during the coaches’ final pregame news conference. “We tell them, ‘We just want you to do what you’ve been doing.’ We don’t want superhuman efforts. If you press, make too much of it, the kids get uptight.”

Asked to compare the team’s readiness with its state of mind in 1994, before its 21-16 Rose Bowl victory over UCLA, Alvarez acknowledged he can only guess how his players will perform.

“Coaches always think they’re ready, but you really never know until the ball is kicked off,” he said. “As a coach, you always have butterflies about how your guys are going to play. We’ve had good practices and the kids have given us very good concentration on the field, and I feel as though they’re prepared.”

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One area the Badgers might exploit is UCLA’s defensive line, which has been hit hard by injuries and is relatively inexperienced.

“If they were the best, they’d be starters,” Alvarez said. “But you never know how [replacements] will step up and play. It’s an advantage to us if they’re not playing their best guys, obviously.”

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Although tailback Ron Dayne was held out of contact all week because he felt soreness from a muscle that tore away from his collarbone during Wisconsin’s regular-season finale, Alvarez anticipates Dayne will have a typically busy day today.

“We’re going to give it to him as long as he can carry it,” Alvarez said of Dayne, who has averaged more than 25 carries a game in three seasons. “[His discomfort], that’s something we’re going to have to see. I feel confident he will be OK and will be able to play four quarters.”

No Bruin has anything like Dayne’s powerful 5-10, 253-pound physique, so the team had to improvise when practicing how to stop him.

“We’ve been practicing all week tackling pickup trucks with pads in front so we don’t get hurt,” Toledo said. “We don’t have a back that big. We tackled sleds. It comes down to fundamental techniques of getting to the ballcarrier. He hasn’t been stopped all year. We’re aware of the success he’s had and we’ll try to control him. We’ve got to keep him close to 100 yards.”

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Toledo assured the Badgers he meant no insult when he referred to defensive end Tom Burke as “Tom Barnes” during a news conference, explaining his misstatement as a slip of the tongue.

Some Wisconsin players interpreted Toledo’s inability to remember the name of their All-American lineman as an example of the disrespect they’ve been shown since they arrived. Not so, Toledo said.

“Tom Barnes played quarterback for me way back when,” Toledo said. “Tom Burke is a great football player. I kidded Tom the other day and apologized. He said, ‘Coach Rogers, don’t worry about it.’ ”

As if to prove his mistake was innocent, Toledo forgot the name of one of his own players while discussing the Bruins’ defensive unit. “Pete . . . uh, Pete . . . Holland,” he said, laughing.