After 3 trips in 4 years, Stanford still loves the Rose Bowl

He added 105 yards and a TD on four receptions. Smith chips in with 45.5 receiving yards per game, but he’s the only player to go for more than 100 yards in two different games this season.

The Hawkeyes (12-1) are up to speed on the challenge posed by Stanford’s do-it-all back with speed, instinct, a throwing arm and an uncanny knack for turning nearly anything into a positive gain. No current Iowa players were even born when the Hawkeyes last played in the “Granddaddy of them All” in 1991. A bad snap on a Stanford field goal attempt resulted in a blocked kick and shortly after, sophomore quarterback Brooks Bollinger ran for a Badgers touchdown, topping off Wisconsin’s 17-9 victory.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Stanford has the Rose Bowl routine down pat.

In the interest of better understanding our opponent in the 2016 Rose Bowl, the mighty Stanford Cardinal, we enlisted some help from the good folks at Rule of Tree, SBN’s blog for all things Stanford. Neither coach expects it to have much of an impact on the game.

“Learning the playbook for the last two years was a big part of the process”. Its record in Pasadena is 6-7-1. Senior QB Kevin Hogan of the Cardinal had arguably one of his best games under center, as he was a true leader on the field posting a solid 279 yards in the air with 2 TDs. But it was the Stanford defense that was the star of the show, as it completely shut down the Badgers’ offense in the second half. The Cardinal fell behind early, did not panic, and posted a statement victory. A 38-0 loss to MI the week before Iowa game took some of the luster from the match-up, but it was still a key game in the West race. We’ve worked and pushed and prodded and took the program from where it was and tried to get back to that point where Stanford is one of the elite in college football. However, don’t think for one second that this game will be boring, because both offenses average over 30 points a game. However, with 2:03 left to play, the team’s chance at a comeback victory was snapped when Stanford nickelback Usua Amanam made the game-winning interception on the Cardinal’s 42-yard line, earning Amanam co-MVP honors alongside Stepfan Taylor.

Although the Hawkeyes present few of the gimmicky fronts and unorthodox blitzes encountered in the Pac-12 and elsewhere, their fundamental toughness — particularly against the run game — is a daunting obstacle for Stanford.

“In 2013, we were watching some of the bowl games, Chelsey and I, and she had said that someday when she was out of school that she wanted to take her dad to the Rose Bowl”, Lauver said.

Iowa’s last Bowl win was in 2010 when they beat Missouri 27-24 in the Insight Bowl and defeated Georgia Tech 24-14 in the Fed Ex Orange Bowl.

Since then: 35 wins, 10 losses and no indication the moment was ever too big. Fournette scored again on the next possession, punctuating a four-play, 78-yard drive. He will test an Iowa defense that prides itself on not giving up the big play.

This year’s runner-up, Christian McCaffrey, gives Stanford a weapon unlike any Iowa has faced. It began with former Iowa player Brett Greenwood making an inspirational return to Kinnick Stadium in his first public appearance since suffering a debilitating stroke a few years ago, an appearance that stoked the emotions for everyone in attendance.

King also will have to defend Stanford’s tight ends in the passing game.