"I don't know if Yale's recent losses have been a fluke or not, but this a good team," Rose said. "They have a stingy defense and their offense doesn't turn over the ball much. They pack some punch, and I think this is going to be one of those Harvard-Yale games that goes right down to the wire."
As if playing Yale in front of the season's biggest crowd was not enough to get his blood pumping, Rose will have added incentive tomorrow.
"This is the first time my mom will see me play in college," Rose said.
The trip from Hawaii to Massachusetts is neither an easy nor inexpensive voyage. Understandably, Rose's family will hope its golden boy can come through with a typical Rose performance.
"Yale is it," Rose said. "This is what we're going to be thinking about until next fall. We didn't win last year, and I don't want to go through another year with a bitter taste in my mouth."
If Rose has it his way, The Game will be nip-and-tuck until the final drive.
"That's when I'd take the team the length of the field and stick it in the end zone for the victory," Rose said.
Roses are red, violets are blue; if all goes to plan, Neil Rose's dream will come true.