Stanford, Iowa visit Disneyland Resort on Rose Bowl trip

Dec 27, 2015 - 2:16 AM ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Joshua Garnett is always around to remind his Stanford teammates not to overdo it on the excursions that come with a bowl game.

The mammoth offensive guard ate seven cuts of prime rib during a visit to famed Beverly Hills restaurant Lawry's ahead of the Cardinals' appearance in the 2013 Rose Bowl.

''I talk about that all the time. It's unreal,'' Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez said of Garnett's dining display.

When the Cardinal return to Lawry's on Monday, Garnett will better exercise portion control, hinting it will be enforced for him. Other than that, there are few restrictions on fun for No. 5 Stanford and No. 6 Iowa before they square off on New Year's Day, and the teams began official Rose Bowl festivities with a visit Saturday to the Disneyland Resort.

''When you're at practice and in meetings, it's time to go,'' Garnett said. ''When it's time to play, it's time to play. When it's time to have fun, it's time to have fun.''

Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz did not ride any attractions, electing to wait until his grandchildren are older.

Martinez was strategizing how to use his all-access pass to best bypass lines in the two theme parks.

''For today there is no balance,'' Stanford coach David Shaw said. ''Zero football, 100 Disney. This is all just fun. We want the guys to enjoy it, experience as much as they can, go on all the rides they can, have a great time. We do our prep tomorrow.''

Iowa arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday and held its first practice on Christmas, a timeline Ferentz has used extensively in recent years. It allows the team to acclimate and begin final game preparations before bowl activities begin.

For the Rose Bowl, that includes a day at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, dinner at Lawry's and a night out at a Hollywood comedy club.

Iowa wide receiver Tevaun Smith and some of his teammates got an extra treat with tickets to see the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers play each other. The team hotel is next to Staples Center, so Smith got to walk across the street to see Kobe Bryant's 16th and final Christmas Day game.

''We got pretty good seats,'' Smith said. ''Never been to a Laker game and it was great to see Kobe, too.''

Ferentz expects his team will be able to easily transition from play to work and continue the momentum it started to build with its first Southern California workout. Ferentz's assessment of that session changed dramatically after reviewing the film.

''I think we all felt coming off the field yesterday it was slow motion and didn't seem like a good practice. We looked at the tape today and it was pretty good. It reminds me every year that your first practice feels bad,'' Ferentz said. ''It's a good reason to get here a little bit early and get our feet on the ground.''

As for the Beef Bowl - which Lawry's officials are quick to note is not an eating contest, though there is historical correlation that the team that eats the most prime rib usually wins the game - Garnett indicated he would deputize a teammate who is injured or redshirting this season to pick up the swallowing slack.

''If you're playing they've got a little bit of a restriction on you. They don't want you hurting too bad at practice the next day,'' Garnett said. ''Freshman year didn't go too well for me.''