As it turned out, the Rose Bowl became a routine game day for Oregon. The audience was larger and the stakes, which included the first ever College Football Playoff championship game, were certainly magnified. However, Oregon served a beatdown just like it had done in 12 of its previous 13 games, amounting 639 total yards of offense on its way to a 59-20 win over Florida State.
And for redshirt senior receiver Keanon Lowe, as far as the stat line was concerned, the game was like many that had come before it as well. He finished the game with 0 receptions.
It was the third time this season that Lowe was held without a catch and the sixth time that he had been limited to two receptions or fewer.
But according to head coach Mark Helfrich, Lowe “dominated” in all other facets of the game. Especially blocking, where the Portland, Oregon native played an immense factor in sealing off the perimeter on screen passes.
“I think our offense really gets rolling when we have that inside game working, when we can throw it out to the perimeter,” Lowe said on Tuesday. “I feel like that starts with me and I was looking to dominate and I did my job.”
It’s a simple formula for Lowe whether it is practice, a meeting or the 2015 Rose Bowl: “go out and play as hard as I can.”
It’s a demeanor and work ethic that has been scientifically proven to be one of the best on the team. And it is one that has undoubtedly influenced the rest of the wide receiver corps. Plagued by injuries all season, the unit hasn’t skipped a beat and now appears to be one of the strongest on the team.
One of those receivers coming into his own is redshirt freshman Darren Carrington. In his last two games, he has caught 14 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. However, being at a place like this as the season culminates seems to be directly correlated to Lowe.
“He’s always there just helping us, making sure that we know what we’re supposed to do better than him,” Carrington said. “When you have a leader that wants you to be better than him. Man your group’s going to be pretty good.”
Carrington refers to Lowe as the “godfather.” Although wide receivers coach Matt Lubick has a more fitting term to describe his leadership.
“He’s a coach,” Lubick said. “Our guys see how he works, they see his toughness and that’s all someone they want to be like and emulate.”
Lubick added that Lowe’s presence in a room is so commanding that he has the senior give the majority of the pregame talks. As the longtime assistant says, it’s one thing for a coach to emphasize it, it is another for a player to continually display it.
“Lowe has just brought our wide receivers group a long way,” Carrington said. “We definitely have playmakers all around the board but just to have that type of leader and to see what he’s doing just makes you want to follow in his footsteps.”
Now, there’s one guarantee heading into Oregon’s bout with Ohio State for the National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas: it will be Lowe’s final game. But his signature is still the same.
“I just want to win,” Lowe said.  “That’s what I’m about, I could care less if I catch one ball or ten.”
It’s a mindset that’s rubbed off on everyone around him.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise