Bill Plaschke: A Little Boring, But Stanford Brings Back Tradition to the Rose Bowl

Bill Plaschke was grumbling pretty hard on Twitter during yesterday's Rose Bowl game. He gives ground a little in his column today, at the Los Angeles Times, "Stanford's old-school Rose Bowl win a welcome throwback trend":

Who knew the elite Bay Area school had enough old-school fans to fill the Rose Bowl with a roar that even drowned out that Wisconsin beer cheer? Who knew that a longtime second-tier program could lose one of college football's best coaches and quarterbacks in a span of two seasons and not only survive, but triumph? Who knew that, 41 years after an infamous "Thunderchickens" defensive line gave Stanford its last Rose Bowl championship, the academic powerhouse could overcome an NCAA world filled with recruiting cheats and grade scams to return to football's most traditional throne?

From the shadow of USC and Oregon to the glorious winter shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, Stanford formally arrived Tuesday in a game that fit Cardinal culture perfectly. It was a bit thoughtful, a tad boring, but ultimately a real gas. The Cardinal scored twice in the game's first nine minutes, then spent the rest of the afternoon swarming and scheming and hanging on for history.

PREVIOUSLY: "Rose Bowl: Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14."