PASADENA, Calif. — They both wore red, befitting their dueling conservative offenses that turned the 99thRose Bowl into one of the dullest in memory.
Past Big Ten coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler might have loved it, but perhaps not too many others were enamored by Tuesday's old-school ground game – except Stanford, of course.
No. 8 Stanford (12-2) slowed down Wisconsin's running game just enough and overcame its own offensive sluggishness to win 20-14 – the lowest-scoring Rose Bowl since these teams met in 2000, with Wisconsin winning 17-9.
"We knew it would be a physical game," said Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor, who despite rushing for just 88 yards was voted Offensive Player of the Game. "We knew it would be grind it out, grind it out."
Stanford's three consecutive seasons of 11 victories or more is unprecedented in school history, and it was their first Rose Bowl victory since 1972, but who knew that in the year after highlight-reel quarterback Andrew Luck left school, Stanford would be known for defense and running between the tackles?
Wisconsin's All-America running back Montee Ball, who has averaged more than 130 yards per game the past two seasons, was held in check, not hitting the 100-yard mark until less than four minutes remained.
Wisconsin, which lost to TCU and Oregon in the previous two Rose Bowls, became the third team to lose three consecutive Rose Bowls – joining California (1949, '50 and '51) and Michigan (1977, '78 and '79).
Barry Alvarez, the Wisconsin athletics director and former coach who stepped in as interim coach after Bret Bielema took the job at Arkansas, lost his first Rose Bowl, having entered the game with a 3-0 record.
Wisconsin (8-6), ranked 23rd in the most recent USA TODAY Sports coaches' poll, came in with more losses than any Rose Bowl team in history.
Midway through the third quarter, no player had caught more than two passes, and neither starting quarterback had thrown for more than 100 yards.
In the third quarter, the teams combined for seven punts and three first downs, and the only score in the second half was a fourth-quarter 22-yard field goal by Stanford's Jordan Williamson.
It was the third second-half shutout pitched this season by Stanford, and the 11th time in 14 games Stanford held an opponent to 20 or fewer points.
"They were doing some line stunts that we were having problems with," Alvarez said. "They're very difficult to block."
Stanford coach David Shaw said before the game that his offense is what it is – a hard-nosed, straight-ahead running game -- and he planned to stick with that.
Then, on Stanford's first possession, Shaw dug into a little-used bag of tricks and pulled out a wide receiver pass – Drew Terrell to Jamal-Rashad Patterson – for a 34-yard gain and then an end around by wide receiver Kelsey Young for a 16-yard touchdown run.
Then, on the next possession, Hogan threw a bomb down the middle to stellar tight end Zach Ertz for a 43-yard gain that set up a three-yard scoring burst by Taylor for a 14-0 lead just 8 ½ minutes into the game.
After that, Stanford got more and more conservative, and Wisconsin had a chance for a game-winning drive at the end.
"I know we could have done so much better," said Shaw. "But right now, it's not the time to think about that. It's time for celebration."
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