As a young and emerging tight end in major college football, David Paulson didn’t expect to play as much as he did during his sophomore season under the sun for the Rose Bowl-bound Ducks of Oregon.

But he did.

And Paulson didn’t expect to join his Pac-10 Conference champion teammates on a coveted trip to Pasadena, Calif., to perform in “The Granddaddy of Them All.”

But he will today.

Consider it a dream ride for the former Auburn Riverside High School star, a heralded regional recruit who has found the rewarding comforts of Eugene, Ore.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Paulson with a smile as he glanced at a bouquet of bright roses placed on his family’s kitchen table. “The Rose Bowl is something I grew up watching and it’s something I’ve dreamed of playing in someday. And now, to be playing it in is really cool and something special.”

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Paulson – a combination of soft hands, quick power and good speed – will be part of a balanced, explosive spread attack as No. 7 Oregon (10-2) takes on Big 10 champion and eighth-ranked Ohio State (10-2) today in the Rose Bowl (coverage begins at 1:30 p.m., KOMO 4).

The Paulsons will be well represented at the Rose Bowl. A contingent of 10 strong will be making the trip. The storied stadium will hold a crowd of better than 90,000.

“We’re all very excited,” said Kristi Paulson, who along with her husband, Scott, made all 12 Oregon games this season, including the Ducks’ crucial 37-33 winner-take-all Civil War victory over Oregon State in Eugene on Dec. 3. “We did expect to make some type of bowl game, but we didn’t expect it to be the Rose Bowl. And to have the opportunity to see David play in the game is special.”

The Ducks are slight favorites to reap the roses. Paulson, a five-game starter as the No. 2 tight end for a fast-paced offense that averaged 37.7 points and 424 yards a game, is confident about the Ducks’ chances to combat the Buckeyes, who feature the nation’s fifth-best defense.

“I think we will do well,” Paulson said. “We know they’re big up front, physical, but I think we can move the ball on them.”

Few teams have stopped the Ducks this season, and Paulson was a contributing reason for that. A reliable target, he made the most of the few passes that were thrown his way, snaring 12 of them for a team-leading average of 15.4 yards per catch. Eleven of those 12 receptions resulted in first downs, while 11 of them contributed to scoring drives.

Against opponents from his native state, Paulson was at his best by being in the right place at the right time. He caught a season-high three passes for 20 yards against Washington State. In front of family and friends at Husky Stadium, he collected a season-high 59 receiving yards against Washington, including a spectacular, over-the-shoulder snag that went for 32 yards.

Paired on the field with All-Pac-10 tight end Ed Dickson, Paulson matured. He knows his best football days remain ahead of him as he continues to grow.

“I definitely have a lot of room for improvement in a lot of areas, including my blocking,” Paulson said.

“Pac-10 play is fast. That’s the biggest difference than other levels of football,” he added. “Everybody on the field is a great athlete.”

Paulson, the youngest of three brothers, was a gifted three-sport star at Auburn Riverside, who actually played quarterback and linebacker his senior season out of necessity for the Ravens.

A SuperPrep’s Northwest Hot 100 recruit, Paulson opted for Eugene over a cast of other Pac-10 schools.

Oregon has proven to be a good fit.

“I like it a lot. It just felt right,” said Paulson, a business major with a 3.68 GPA, which earned him Pac-10 All-Academic first-team honors. “I like the distance. It’s far enough from home that I can be away and on my own, but it’s close enough for my family to drive down and see me play.

“It’s a great program, and I like that, and it has a strong business school.”

It is Paulson’s intention to earn his MBA and perhaps pursue a career in sports management. To get a flavor of his recent course load, Paulson completed demanding fall courses in marketing, business statistics and management.

The hard work has paid off in the classroom and on the field.

Early on, Paulson took to sports in a household of competitive athletes.

“He was the only 4-year-old who would rather watch ESPN than cartoons,” Kristi Paulson recalled.

“He not only had the natural ability, but he also had a good work ethic. And he’s always been a team player.”

Added Scott Paulson: “The work ethic has put him in the position he’s at. He’s worked very hard to get to where he’s at. And he’s also very smart.”

For the Paulsons, the Rose Bowl is familiar ground. Their son Chris, now the coach at Mount Rainier High School, played for the Cougars when they faced Oklahoma in the 2003 Rose Bowl.

Chris Paulson was on the field at Autzen Stadium to revel in a wild and frenzied celebration of the Ducks’ conference-title-clinching win over the Beavers.

“It was crazy. We didn’t attempt to go onto the field,” Kristi Paulson said. “But Chris made it on the field to celebrate with the team. He had tears in his eyes.”

Since then, David Paulson carefully has listened and taken some advice from his older brother, the Cougar, who knows the way to Pasadena.

“He just told me not to take it lightly,” said Paulson, the Duck. “It’s a big deal to play in the Rose Bowl. Not many people get the chance to play in the Rose Bowl. Don’t take it for granted.”