Christian McCaffrey breaks Stanford, Rose Bowl records in romp

Stanford and Iowa finished in the final two spots outside the College Football Playoff field, but the Cardinal showed they belong among the best with their 12th win in their final 13 games.

Breaking down Iowa-Stanford matchups.

Iowa (12-1) doesn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher on its roster, but the trio of Jordan Canzeri, Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels have each rushed for at least 195 yards once, the first time since LSU in 1997 that one team accomplished that feat in the same season.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong). The 2016 Rose Bowl is going to be epic!

Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina is familiar with the Rose Bowl, and not only because the Cardinal are playing in their third Rose Bowl in the past four years.

For Stanford, Christian McCaffrey, the sophomore running back who set college football’s all-purpose yards record this season, is expected be heavily involved with his team’s Rose Bowl game plan, and that is where The Tree has the edge.

Blake Martinez: The senior linebacker is everywhere on defense as he leads the team with 132 tackles, more than double the number of Dallas Lloyd, Stanford’s second-leading tackler with 52.

One of the problem’s Iowa had tonight was that they could not get anything going as the Stanford defense stepped up to every challenge thrown their way. Quenton Meeks, a true freshman, picked a poor pass and scampered 66 yards back for his school’s third touchdown of the opening quarter. “We had ample opportunity after that to play”. This year marks a return to the classic Pac-12-Big Ten matchup. “But it’s still a game”.

“The only right way to end the season would be to go out with a win”, Beathard said.

“Being that the Rose Bowl’s notoriety is world-wide, it is quite an accomplishment to be able to play in this type of event”.

Interesting side note: Stanford defensive line coach Randy Hart remembers Iowa’s last appearance in this game very well. The Hawkeyes has a more experienced core with 14 returning starters.

After his Rose Bowl performance, McCaffrey should demand a re-vote in the Heisman race. “There was probably a pent-up desire to be in this special place at this special time”.

In Stanford’s previous game, against USC, he surpassed Barry Sanders’ 27-year-old NCAA single-season record in the all-purpose yardage category while racking up 461 yards – a Cardinal single-game record.

It’s a attractive day for the 102nd Rose Bowl, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-60s by the 2:10 p.m. kickoff.

Scott Dochterman: It’s nearly surreal that the Hawkeyes are in the Rose Bowl after last year’s DeathTaxesSlayed Bowl debacle. The Cardinal’s current upperclassmen beat Wisconsin in their first trip in 2013, but they lost to Michigan State two years ago, stoking a motivational fire.

“On behalf of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, we congratulate coach Kirk Ferentz”, Jim Terry, chairman of the Dodd Foundation, said in the announcement. If someone is not giving their best, go up to them and let them know.