Iowa, Stanford see Rose Bowl as solid substitute for playoff

On the Cardinal’s second possession it took a few more plays but once again Iowa had no answer for Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford offense.

Email Vytas Mazeika at vmazeika@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at Twitter.com/dailynewsvytas.

The memory of that special time in Hawkeye football lore is still fresh in Broghamer’s mind. While they did have an easier conference schedule than some of their rivals, going a whole regular season with not one blemish is nothing to gawk at.

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. “I think in practice, that first week, we weren’t so anxious about the technical flaws we were going to have in the first game”.

Although Alabama’s Derrick Henry won the Heisman, McCaffrey won The Associated Press’ player of the year award last week – and his accomplishments are stunning by any measure. Evan Berry put the exclamation point on the Vols’ day by returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds left in the game.

“I didn’t know what to expect, really”, Anderson said. “We think the AP got it right”.

“That was very disappointing to all of us, but we’ve got a great opportunity and great challenge in front of us, and that’s a lot more important than looking back”, Ferentz said. People bounce off him. Although this is his third Rose Bowl, he is eager to go out with a game to remember after making just one tackle in his first two appearances. But their time on The Farm was about the journey – the growth and maturation – as much as the destination.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for us as a team and for the community, for The University of Iowa”, Iowa running back LeShun Daniels Jr. said. “(McCaffrey) is a great back. Their offensive line is built just like our offense. Ship tours – unless you have an Iowa resident or student ID – come with a charge.

Kevin Hogan’s swan song: In his last two games, Hogan, Stanford’s winningest quarterback, has completed 35 of 44 (79.5%) passes, and against USC in the Pac-12 title game, he threw for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown.

Of course, being too excited on a big state is not good either. “They’re not trying to disguise what they’re doing”, Scarlett said.

David Shaw’s Cardinal program has appeared in a handfull of these games.

“That didn’t look like Stanford”, Ferentz said. Iowa ranks among the top 25 nationally in rushing (No. 11), total (No. 21), scoring (No. 13) and pass efficiency (No. 10) defense.

Several University of Iowa football alumni stopped by practice during the week to wish the Hawkeyes well in the 2016 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. “It’s something you take with you and try to build on as you keep working”.