Michigan’s visits are memorable

Only USC and possibly Keith Jackson have been to more Rose Bowls than Michigan, and the Wolverines rarely visit without incident.

* 1902: Michigan builds a 49-0 lead against Stanford in the first Rose Bowl. The Stanford team, much like the 2006 version, quits before the game is finished. The Rose Bowl isn’t played again until 1916, as the Tournament of Roses opts for chariot races instead.

* 1965: Michigan expects to play USC, which was coming off a last-second victory over No. 1 Notre Dame. But Pac-8 Conference officials vote to send Oregon State instead. The Wolverines win, 34-7. The conference has not sent the Beavers back since.

* 1970: It was Bo Schembechler’s first Rose Bowl, and he had a heart attack the night before the game. USC wins, 10-3.

* 1972: The undefeated Wolverines get to play Stanford the season after Jim Plunkett won the Heisman Trophy. But some kid named Rod Garcia, using that new-fangled soccer style, kicks a 31-yard field goal to give the Indians a 13-12 victory.

* 1978: The Wolverines get Warren Moon-ed in a 27-20 loss to Washington.

* 1979: All of Michigan learns that USC plays the game of football differently ... on a 99-yard field. USC’s Charles White leaves the ball on the one-yard line but is given a touchdown anyway in a 17-10 victory.

* 1990: Schembechler is left tossing his headset in his last game, after a Wolverines fake punt is called back for holding late in the fourth quarter. USC then drives for the winning touchdown.

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The post-Bo oh-no’s

* 1992: Desmond Howard may have won the Heisman Trophy, but Washington players strike the Heisman pose standing over him during a 34-14 rout of the Wolverines.

* 1998: Michigan enters as the No. 1 team in both polls and beats Washington State, 21-16, as time runs out on Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf with the ball on the 16-yard line. Leaf goes on to a creative NFL career and Nebraska’s Tom Osborne politics away half the national title from Michigan.

* 2005: Texas’ Vince Young treats the Wolverines’ defense like maize and blue pylons, running and passing the Longhorns to a 38-37 victory in Pasadena. Yeah, as if he could ever do that again.

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Trivia time

How many left-handed USC quarterbacks have beaten the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl?

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Waste of breath

USA Today recently ran a list of the most overused expressions by sportscasters. They include (along with Morning Briefing exemptions):

* Alligator arms -- Unless it’s a University of Florida receiver and he has really, really bad skin.

* Get on the same page -- Only to be by used by elementary school teachers reading “My Pet Goat” to the class.

* Throw under the bus -- Throw over the bus is OK when referring to what L.A. Rams quarterbacks used to do when Jerome Bettis was wide open.

* He has a swagger about him -- Works for “Pirates of the Caribbean II,” but doesn’t work for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But then, what does?

Of course, if all cliches were banned, fans sitting at home might be forced to enjoy games in absolute silence.

To borrow Marv Albert’s catchphrase, “Yes!”

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Trivia answer

Three -- Matt Leinart (2004), Todd Marinovich (1990) and Paul McDonald (1979). Michigan faithful won’t have to endure the left-leaning ways of the Left Coast this season. John David Booty is a right-winger.

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And finally

More concerns about the Chicago Bears playing the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, a game moved from the afternoon to accommodate NBC. Since it’s also New Year’s Eve, the Bears have announced beer sales will stop at halftime, earlier than usual.

Yup, that will keep rowdiness to a minimum. Where in Chicago can a guy find a drink on New Year’s Eve?

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chris.foster@latimes.com