McCaffrey sets Rose Bowl record in Stanford’s 45-16 romp over Iowa

McCaffrey even hit the right notes after the shoulder pads came off, shrugging off the suggestion that the Heisman finish lit the motivational fuse. How about the fact that McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders’ 27-year-old record for all-purpose yards in a season?

Sure, McCaffrey didn’t win the Heisman Trophy, and Stanford barely missed out on the College Football Playoff. There were no surprises, nothing that the Pac-12 hadn’t seen from McCaffrey all year. That’s as long as it took for him to break the seam on a pass from Kevin Hogan, Stanford’s first play from scrimmage, and take it to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown. “We understand that we didn’t play at all the way we’re capable of this game so it’s tough to beat a team like that”. “We regrouped a bit at halftime and got back to playing Iowa football in the second half, but by then the hole was just too big”.

McCaffrey was sublime in his debut at the Granddaddy of Them All, breaking the all-purpose yards record set by Wisconsin’s Jared Abbrederis in 2012.

National Football League players who watched today’s Rose Bowl game are already aware of what this future draft pick can do.

“I think he was the best player in America before this game, so I think it’s just the icing on the cake”, Shaw said. “I think it helped the whole team get into a rhythm”. Iowa again failed to stretch the field until it was far too late, struggled to make adjustments to Stanford’s defense, and failed to string plays together in any sort of effective manner.

As a result, McCaffrey was named the Rose Bowl’s offensive player of the game. “We have a lot of good players, but he’s a rare talent… great balance, great vision, very hard to tackle”. He continued to dominate all day, setting a Rose Bowl record for total yards with 368 and became the first player in Rose Bowl annals with over 100 yards rushing (172) and receiving (105).

“Getting Christian out in space, using Michael Rector and Devon Cajuste down the field, Austin Hooper in option routes inside, we knew we were going to have a chance to get guys in space”, Shaw said, calling his 12-2 team’s performance the culmination of its growth throughout a season which began with a 10-point loss at Northwestern.

Ohio State flashed the ability of a team that could have been at this moment preparing for a much larger game at University of Phoenix Stadium 10 days from now, making its 12th victory of the 2015 season a melancholy one. “They played a tremendous game in all phases”. After McCaffrey’s opening TD, Hogan rushed for an 8-yard score and Quenton Meeks returned an interception 66 yards for another TD in the first 11 minutes. “Certainly wish all of them the best as they move forward, and I know they’re going to all do well, and our team will move forward as well”.

Offense: C-. It’s no secret-Iowa wants to be physical and run the ball with a fleet of capable backs.

Stanford even got creative – or cruel, depending on your perspective. He turned into the show stopper in the second, leaving Notre Dame defenders flailing as he raced for a 47-yard score.

In fact, each and every time the Hawkeyes scored, the family stood up and did a cheer spelling out their team’s name I-O-W-A. Iowa’s Marshall Koehn responded with a 39-yard effort.