BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Mike Hart ate one cut. Garrett Rivas ate two -- which was a snack for him. Really. Two years ago, when the Wolverines played Texas in the Rose Bowl, the Michigan kicker ate four cuts.
Rivas dusted off 48 ounces of prime rib that night at the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry's in Beverly Hills. That's three pounds. For a 215-pound kicker.
"It's the best part of the week," he said, pointing to his slab of meat, resting in a pool of au jus.
Aside, of course, from the game. Lest anyone think the Beef Bowl is just another silly night of California decadence, we happily point out this: Teams that eat the most prime rib win the Rose Bowl 70% of the time.
On Wednesday afternoon, Michigan gorged itself on 612 pounds of meat, roughly 100 pounds more than the team devoured two years ago. In fact, teams average somewhere in the high 400s to low 500s.
Why the upswing?
Who knows? After all, the team spent the off-season engaged in rigorous new workouts and, by all accounts, hit the fall in the best shape in recent memory. But when the team arrived at the famed Beverly Hills restaurant Wednesday, an organizer of the event quipped that it was the biggest group he'd ever seen. He wasn't specifically mentioning Rivas, as far as we know.
After all, the kicker only tore into two cuts this year.
"That's because (Rivas) lost 40 pounds," said LaMarr Woodley, who weighs 270 pounds, but forced down just one measly cut. "That's all I have room for. I've got to take care of myself."
Center Mark Bihl ate two cuts, also down from the four he ate in 2004.
Why?
"It made me want to throw up," he said, holding his belly.
It's not just the slow-cooked rib roast they eat. This year, the hunk of beef was accompanied by a slightly sweet creamed corn, a mound of mashed potatoes with gravy, and a less-than-delicate slice of apple pie.
Most of the players, unschooled in the delicacy of aged prime rib, attacked well-done slices. Quarterback Chad Henne ordered his medium-well, choosing to keep a bit of flavor in the slice.
Not surprisingly, he ate only one.
"It's about having a good time and getting to know the girls," he said rather innocently, nodding to the member of the Rose Bowl queen's royal court sitting next to him.
In all, the team went through the 612 pounds in less than two hours. Some officials said a few words. Coach Lloyd Carr, who couldn't finish one cut, took the mic and told the crowd it was his favorite part of Rose Bowl week, except, of course, for the game.
"I'm sure you're tired of seeing us," he joked. Then he added, "We are just gonna keep coming until we win one of these things."
The game, not the Beef Bowl. In the latter contest, Michigan has won 12 times, losing only three, which bucks the odds that show the best eaters normally comprise the best team.
Southern Cal gets its chance tonight.:lolBIG:
Rivas dusted off 48 ounces of prime rib that night at the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry's in Beverly Hills. That's three pounds. For a 215-pound kicker.
"It's the best part of the week," he said, pointing to his slab of meat, resting in a pool of au jus.
Aside, of course, from the game. Lest anyone think the Beef Bowl is just another silly night of California decadence, we happily point out this: Teams that eat the most prime rib win the Rose Bowl 70% of the time.
On Wednesday afternoon, Michigan gorged itself on 612 pounds of meat, roughly 100 pounds more than the team devoured two years ago. In fact, teams average somewhere in the high 400s to low 500s.
Why the upswing?
Who knows? After all, the team spent the off-season engaged in rigorous new workouts and, by all accounts, hit the fall in the best shape in recent memory. But when the team arrived at the famed Beverly Hills restaurant Wednesday, an organizer of the event quipped that it was the biggest group he'd ever seen. He wasn't specifically mentioning Rivas, as far as we know.
After all, the kicker only tore into two cuts this year.
"That's because (Rivas) lost 40 pounds," said LaMarr Woodley, who weighs 270 pounds, but forced down just one measly cut. "That's all I have room for. I've got to take care of myself."
Center Mark Bihl ate two cuts, also down from the four he ate in 2004.
Why?
"It made me want to throw up," he said, holding his belly.
It's not just the slow-cooked rib roast they eat. This year, the hunk of beef was accompanied by a slightly sweet creamed corn, a mound of mashed potatoes with gravy, and a less-than-delicate slice of apple pie.
Most of the players, unschooled in the delicacy of aged prime rib, attacked well-done slices. Quarterback Chad Henne ordered his medium-well, choosing to keep a bit of flavor in the slice.
Not surprisingly, he ate only one.
"It's about having a good time and getting to know the girls," he said rather innocently, nodding to the member of the Rose Bowl queen's royal court sitting next to him.
In all, the team went through the 612 pounds in less than two hours. Some officials said a few words. Coach Lloyd Carr, who couldn't finish one cut, took the mic and told the crowd it was his favorite part of Rose Bowl week, except, of course, for the game.
"I'm sure you're tired of seeing us," he joked. Then he added, "We are just gonna keep coming until we win one of these things."
The game, not the Beef Bowl. In the latter contest, Michigan has won 12 times, losing only three, which bucks the odds that show the best eaters normally comprise the best team.
Southern Cal gets its chance tonight.:lolBIG:
