By: Ben Leonard
Follow @ben___leonard

photo credit: AP Stanford defensive end Aziz Shittu sacks Iowa quarterback CJ Beathard at the Rose Bowl

PASADENA, Calif. — Bend but not break? That used to be the knock on Stanford’s defense, but you can’t say that anymore.

Iowa learned it the hard way — Stanford’s defense was tough, physical, and strong-willed, leading the Cardinal to a dominant 45-16 win in the 102nd Rose Bowl Game.

A team known for partying in the backfield in recent years, Stanford had acted like it was a Tuesday night for all of 2015, registering just 27 sacks all season long. The Cardinal used to a defensive powerhouse, but after returning just three starters heading into this season, it fell to a middling 45th nationally in total defense. As a unit, the defense bent a lot but mostly tightened in the red zone.

But they finally put it all together on Friday night, keeping Iowa off the scoreboard until just over three minutes left in the third quarter. Iowa had never trailed by more than seven points all season long, but Stanford’s “D” forced the Hawkeyes to stare at a 38 point deficit.

Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey quickly put the Hawkeyes on their heels, dashing for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage before most fans had settled into their seats, just eleven seconds into the game. From there with a 7-0 lead and a boatload of confidence, the defense, led by Rose Bowl defensive MVP Aziz Shittu, took over the game. As head coach David Shaw put it, “If we can get ourselves the lead, we’re a tough team to beat.”

A fifth-year senior, Shittu had a career day in his final game at the college level, picking up career highs in sacks (1.5), tackles (10), and tackles for loss (3.5). The 6’3″, 279-pound defensive lineman was all over the field, making key stop after key stop for the Cardinal. His experience in Pasadena might have been a big part of it — it was Shittu’s third trip to the Rose Bowl, although just his first time seeing extensive playing time.

But in typical fashion, the team leader was quick to credit his teammates for the individual accomplishment. “It feels awesome, just to see all your hard work come and you be able to walk away with some hardware is never a bad thing,” Shittu said after the win. “But it’s really that the whole defense played a great job today. Wouldn’t have been able to do it myself. Wouldn’t have been able to make the plays I made today by myself. As a unit, we work so well together… It’s just been cool watching those guys that have done the job before me and be able to replicate that and play my hardest.”

Shittu was part of a defensive line that held Iowa, a team built around its run game, to a minuscule 1.3 yards per carry, and sacked dual-threat quarterback C.J. Beathard seven times. Shaw credited Shittu and the line for the victory: “Aziz was phenomenal today. When you can establish the line of scrimmage on the offensive side and establish line of scrimmage on the defensive side, you’ve got the edge.”

Once an afterthought, a defensive line buoyed by seniors Brennan Scarlett and Shittu put Iowa’s elite offensive line on their heels, so much so that it led some reporters to wonder whether the playing surface was affecting their grip.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz quickly dispelled those thoughts, saying that the grass had nothing to do with it: “You’ve got to play with your feet up underneath you. That’s what it gets down to. The surface was excellent. That’s part of playing on natural grass. It wasn’t the shoes. It’s just they’re a good football team…They just outplayed us. They outplayed us in every turn, and credit goes to them.”

Winning the battle in the trenches has always been a huge point of emphasis for Shaw: “It’s a key for every football game. When you walk in the locker room, that’s the reason we put our locker room the way it is. When our players walk in the locker room, to the left is the offensive line, to the right is the defensive line. Our guys are reminded every day that the game starts in the trenches. That’s where it starts in establishing the physical nature.”

The secondary also did its part, once again coming up clutch, stopping whatever momentum the Hawkeyes had begun to gather. Down just 14-0, Iowa was driving deep into Stanford territory for the first time, holding the ball at the Cardinal 36 on third down and short.

But freshman cornerback Quenton Meeks came up big, picking off Beathard on a bad sideline pass and taking it 66 yards to the house, giving Stanford a 21-0 lead with four minutes left in the first. Meeks’ play sucked the life out of the throng of the gold and black clad fans at the Rose Bowl.

After three quarters, Iowa had thrown for just 87 passing yards on 22 attempts, of which they completed just 12. It was an overwhelming effort, all the more impressive because they were on the field so much. Because Stanford’s offense was moving so quickly, in the first half alone the Cardinal defense was on the field for nearly twenty minutes. They showed no signs of fatigue, only yielding large chunks of yards in garbage time while playing prevent defense.

They’re here to stay — Stanford is losing just three starters on a defense loaded with freshman and inexperienced players. Look out, Pac-12 offenses. Stanford’s defense is back.