The last time Tyrone Willingham saw Ron Dayne, the Wisconsin running back was still all potential.

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Stanford and Wisconsin met on the third weekend of the 1996 season, when Dayne was a still relatively unknown true freshman.

Dayne ended up playing a key role in Wisconsin's 14-0 victory, gaining 75 yards on 12 carries with a long of 17.

"In the ballgame that we played against him, we knew he would be good because he had the ability to take over a football game,'' Willingham said.

That's a knack Dayne has shown countless times since. He gets one more time to show it in college football, and whether Stanford can slow down the Heisman Trophy winner even a tad figures to have a lot to do with determining the outcome.

Willingham won't talk of stopping Dayne, who holds the NCAA career rushing record (6,397) and averaged 203.5 yards in the Badgers' last four games.

"We don't necessarily know how to stop him or don't believe anybody else has,'' Willingham said.

"Basically he is a very patient runner who has great explosiveness. He seems to be very methodical, very easy in receiving the ball and looking and finding the right lane. But when he finds it, then it is amazing how well he moves that body of his. It's just really mind-boggling to see a man that big float through a hole as quickly as he gets to the hole.''

Considering that Stanford gave a 200-yard rushing day to a quarterback this year and finished last in the Pac-10 in defense, it's not likely the Cardinal will be able to do much with Dayne. Especially now that Stanford's best defensive player -- tackle Willie Howard -- is out because a knee injury suffered against Notre Dame.

But that might be OK, since the only way Stanford can win this game is the only way it won any games all season -- forcing turnovers on defense and making big scoring plays on offense and special teams.

"We're just hopeful that we can do enough things in all three phases -- offense, defense and special teams -- to put ourselves in position,'' Willingham said.

In many ways, the game has the feel of some of the bigger upsets in Rose Bowl history, such as the one Stanford pulled on Michigan in 1972.

But the Big Ten has taken control of this game in this decade, winning three in a row and six of the past seven.

"Big Ten teams were once noted as three yards and a cloud-of-dust style of play,'' Willingham said. "But now they have changed and they are playing a different brand of football that has more diversity to it.''

That seems evident as Wisconsin -- despite all the emphasis on Dayne -- threw for 145.1 yards a game this season, with quarterback Brooks Bollinger making good use of play-action fakes. That total would have ranked last in the Pac-10, but it could be enough against a Stanford team that is sure to give up a ton of yards to Dayne.

The Personnel File

ALL-AMERICA MATCHUP: That's what it will be when Stanford receiver Troy Walters matches up with Wisconsin cornerback Jamar Fletcher, who had seven interceptions this season and returned two for touchdowns.

"He seems to be everywhere in their scheme,'' Willingham said of Fletcher.

What will be interesting to watch, however, is whether Wisconsin goes out of its way to put Fletcher on Walters. Some Pac-10 teams thought DeRonnie Pitts was the more important receiver to stop since he was Stanford's main target over the middle.

HOWARD TRYING TO PLAY? In early workouts for the Rose Bowl, injured DT Willie Howard showed up in his jersey and football shoes doing weight lifting, bike riding an other work to stay in shape. The fact that he has delayed surgery until after the Rose Bowl led to speculation that he may try and play in the game -- Howard suffered a torn ACL in the Notre Dame game.

Howard says he won't play, that he simply wanted to be around for the Rose Bowl experience. But Willingham said there would be some final tests done on Howard's knee before the game, which would appear to leave the door open ever so slightly for a chance at playing, perhaps just in an occasional short-yardage situation.

Junior Dorean Kass will start in place of Howard.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Troy Walters was named Pac-10 offensive player of the year and has received All-American honors. The 5-foot-8 Walters was the best deep threat in the Pac-10, and came up with big play after big play as he caught passes for a Pac-10 record 1,456 yards, including a conference-record 98-yard TD catch against UCLA. Walters set four Pac-10 and six Stanford records during his career.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Stanford's defense took a lot of hits this season for its lack of performance, but one player who always escaped criticism was junior tackle Willie Howard, who had 10 sacks to help the Cardinal set a school record with 46 sacks for minus-345 yards.

COACH UPDATE: Willingham (30-26-1 in five years at Stanford) has never been a hotter commodity, and the only question is whether Stanford will be able to convince him to stay. Willingham drew interest from Michigan State before saying he wasn't interested.

Willingham has a deal that runs through the 2001 season worth about $500,000, though Stanford athletic director Ted Leland has said he is already working on an extension. Willingham apparently told Leland he didn't want to deal with it until after the Rose Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Offense, offense, offense. Stanford led the Pac-10 in scoring and passing and was second in total offense, setting school records for points (409) and yards (5,138).

Stanford had been able to throw the ball a year ago, but hadn't been able to run, averaging only 75 yards. That changed this year as a veteran line consistently opened up holes for a bevy of backs, one of whom always seemed to have the hot hand. Stanford averaged 153.6 rushing yards this year, scoring 22 rushing touchdowns, twice the total from 1998.

The defense was bad in most categories, but was usually tough against the run -- especially up the middle. Most teams that had success running did so on the perimeter. And Stanford was one of the best teams in the country at creating turnovers.

Stanford's special teams are also solid as kicker Mike Biselli and coverage specialist Emory Brock were both selected as all-Pac-10 performers. Walters is also a dangerous returner.

CONCERNS: Stanford's defense ranked 110th in the nation and last in the Pac-10, though it usually kept the Cardinal in games by creating turnovers. Still, the defense is a huge question mark heading into the Rose Bowl, especially with Howard -- one of the main reasons Stanford was tough to run on up the middle -- out for the game.

Also, Stanford's running game was somewhat sporadic, often dormant for a quarter or two before breaking a couple of big runs. The running game will have to be more consistent against Wisconsin.

Noteworthy

BLAZING A TRAIL: Willingham will be the first black head coach of a Rose Bowl team. Willingham said that in some ways it is disappointing to him that he is the first since he wishes someone would have done it a long time ago.

QB JOB UP FOR GRABS: The task of replacing Husak next season appears up for grabs. Joe Borchard said this week that he is still undecided whether to play professional baseball -- he is almost certain to be a first-round draft pick this June -- or come back for his senior season. If Borchard doesn't come back, the battle would be between junior Randy Fasani and Chris Lewis, a highly-touted player who redshirted this year.

"Of course it will be led by Joe,'' Willingham said. "But we've got Randy Fasani and Chris Lewis that will be intermixed in that competition and that gives us some strength.''

A Look Ahead

Here's a glance at who the Cardinal will have to replace in the starting lineup next season.

OFFENSE: 4 -- QB Todd Husak, WR Troy Walters, LT Jeff Cronshagen, C Mike McLaughlin. One thing to remember is that Stanford lists players on its roster by their academic year, not their athletic eligibility. Stanford technically has six seniors on offense, but only these four are out of eligibility. Who replaces Husak is the big question.

DEFENSE: 5 -- NT Andrew Currie, LBs Sharcus Steen, Marc Stockbauer, S Tim Smith, CB Frank Primus. Smith and Stockbauer were playmakers while the others were mostly solid. The big question for 2000 will be the status of Howard.

SPECIAL TEAMS: None among the kickers, although the loss of Walters as a returner is significant.