Stanford dominates Iowa in Pasadena

The wondrous sophomore broke the Rose Bowl record for all-purpose yards and scored two dazzling touchdowns early as Stanford steamed to a 45-16 victory over Iowa before an announced crowd of 94,268. It was one of the most creative and well-conceived plays of the season by any team.

PASADENA, Calif. – It’s not the number of times you get knocked down, it’s the number of times you get back up. “Of course, he makes people fall and outraces them to the end zone”.

This capped off a terrific season for the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

Maybe even a bunch of them. Stanford’s 75-yard passing touchdown on the game’s first play was the first pass play of 30 yards or more allowed by Iowa since Week 10.

“Everyone saw that today”, said Iowa offensive lineman Austin Blythe.

As he accepted the award as the game’s Most Valuable Offensive Player, McCaffrey’s teammates showered him with chants of “Heisman!”

It should have been, anyway.

Perhaps there were some hanging chads, or absentee ballots yet to be counted.

Just a heaping healthy dose of ignorant bliss and hometown cooking.

McCaffrey then reached another milestone only two others in college football history had previously.

“When we came into the locker room before the game, he got up in front of the team and said, ‘Gentlemen, you have 60 minutes of football to play and a lifetime to remember it, ‘” Shipanik said.

McCaffrey played an equally pivotal role in the Cardinal’s next series when he gained all but one of Stanford’s 65 yards on a drive that moved the ball from the Cardinal 26-yard line to the Iowa 8. Instead, we got complete domination by Stanford, which won, 45-16.

“It’s not an excuse because they run on the same field”, said Jewell, who added that Iowa wore only one pair of cleats during the game.

For McCaffrey, it was the marquee performance of a once-in-a lifetime season.

After this Rose Bowl rout, Shaw should probably be considered the best Stanford coach of the modern era.

Or didn’t take their voting responsibility serious enough to make the necessary time watch him play?

McCaffrey did everything on New Year’s Day. It was a triumphant end to a year that began with a loss to Northwestern for Stanford, something McCaffrey made note of in postgame remarks. No Heisman for Christian McCaffrey?

“He can really affect the game in so many different ways; that’s how [Vince Young] was”, said Stanford assistant Duane Akina, who was on the Longhorns’ national title-winning staff a decade ago at the same venue.

The game ended up being a different kind of emotional, proving a “W” was too much to ask. Wide receiver Matt VandeBerg and running back Derrick Mitchell each caught four passes, with VandeBerg amassing a team-high 64 yards in receptions.

On the second drive for No. 6 Stanford, McCaffrey slithered through two piles of tacklers, turning what would have been a short gain for 98 percent of college football backs into a 22-yard thrill ride. And he did it for a Stanford team that played one of the toughest schedules in the country while playing only FBS opponents.

Beathard has been dealing with a groin injury since mid-October, but Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz shook off the suggestion that it played a significant role against the Cardinal.

“Their linebackers and defensive backs bite hard, ” Rector explained.

Anyone who paid attention could have told you that. “We hadn’t seen anybody who has the combination of skill that he showed us”.