Author: jeremy2878

By Jeremy Harness

UPI photo Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey jukes Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Greg Mabin

102^nd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual

Iowa (No. 5 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) standings, No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches poll) vs. Stanford (No. 6 in the CFP standings, No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 6 by the coaches)

HISTORY: This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools

WHERE: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA

WHEN: 2:10 p.m. PST

TV: ESPN

RADIO: KZSU 90.1 FM

STANFORD WILL WIN IF: The Cardinal get off to a fast start by quickly controlling the line of scrimmage. Stanford has struck first in several games throughout the year, and that has often set the tone for the rest of the contest. Iowa, meanwhile, has struggled to find its rhythm early in games, so Stanford can certainly use that, as well as its bowl-game experience, to its advantage. The Cardinal will be playing in its third Rose Bowl in four years, which includes a win in 2013, while the Hawkeyes will be in their first since 1991.

Stanford will be in great shape if they can catch Iowa in a mismatch, particularly in using all-purpose running back Christian McCaffrey. To regain control of the Pac-12 title game against USC, quarterback Kevin Hogan found McCaffrey in a one-on-one situation against Trojans inside linebacker Olajuwon Tucker, a mismatch that the Cardinal exploited to the tune of a 67-yard catch-and-run that set up a Cardinal touchdown.

In the passing game Austin Hooper and Devon Cajuste, who is listed as a wide receiver but is more of a tight end, have consistently made big catches to keep crucial drives going as well as put the ball into the end zone. They are both 6-foot-4 with very good hands and route-running abilities and, therefore, have also created matchup nightmares for opposing teams. Look for the Cardinal to look for them by using play-action to get them in one-on-one situations.

Like Stanford, Iowa sets things up by establishing the run, so the Cardinal defense will need to put a heavy emphasis on stopping the run and making the Hawkeyes one-dimensional.

IOWA WILL WIN IF: The Hawkeyes are able to keep the game close by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. To accomplish this, they must limit McCaffrey’s effectiveness. It will be wise for Iowa to shadow McCaffrey with a quick defensive back, preferably third-team All-Big 10 free safety Jordan Lomax, to avoid getting caught in a mismatch with a linebacker that could prove to be fatal in a game that is as evenly-matched as this one.

Stanford has had trouble with quick running backs this year, which USC used to gain control early in the second half of the Pac-12 championship, so Iowa get gain the momentum that it needs if Jordan Canzeri, who has 976 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season, can get going.

Iowa has a real deep threat in receiver Tevaun Smith, so if he can get behind the Stanford secondary, it will greatly benefit Iowa. Expect Stanford to cover Smith primarily with corner Ronnie Harris, but the fifth-year senior has been hampered by an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the second half against USC a month ago.

The Hawkeyes’ defense has excelled in the fourth quarter of games this season, yielding only 22.9 rushing yards per game in the final 15 minutes. In addition, Iowa’s rush defense has been stout throughout the season, allowing 114.9 yards and only 10 rushing touchdowns in 2015, which is 10^th-best in the nation.

PREDICTION: Stanford wins, 24-17. The Cardinal simply have too much experience working in their favor, and their tight ends provide them with a favorable matchup that the Hawkeyes will have real problems competing with.

By Jeremy Harness

photo credit: espn.go.com Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey interviewed after Pac 12 Championship on ESPN

LOS ANGELES – In a game that pits two football teams that share the same approach to the game, experience usually goes a long way in deciding the winner, as does a favorable matchup or two.

That appears to be the case for Stanford, who will take on Iowa Friday afternoon in the 102^nd edition of the Rose Bowl. While the Cardinal will be playing in their third Rose Bowl in four years, the Hawkeyes will be in this game for the first time in 25 years.

In addition, the only familiarity that these two teams have ever had with each other is what they’ve seen on video. Although both programs have been playing football for more than 130 years, Friday afternoon will mark the first time these two schools have ever met on the football field.

Both schools have balanced offenses but put more emphasis on the running attack, and they both are good at stopping the run, and that makes breaking down this particular game interesting.

Let’s get to it:

WHEN STANFORD HAS THE BALL:

There is no question that Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey is the one that makes the Stanford offense go because of the wide range of abilities that he possesses, and for that reason, the Cardinal have found different ways to get the football in his hands. It is imperative that the Hawkeyes make sure they know where is at all times, whether he is getting the handoff or receiving the ball out of the backfield.

On defense, Iowa excels in stopping the run. The Hawkeyes have surrendered only 10 rushing touchdowns this season and only 114.9 yards per game on the ground, which is the 10^th-lowest total in the nation, so look for Iowa to put a spy on McCaffrey, likely safety Jordan Lomax, to shadow the sophomore back.

The challenge for the Hawkeyes will be their ability to match up with Stanford’s big tight ends, Austin Hooper and Devon Cajuste, both of whom have proven to be matchup nightmares. Iowa’s defensive backs are not particularly big, which will make things very tough for Iowa.

In addition, quarterback Kevin Hogan, although not particularly fast, does just enough with his legs to get away from pressure and extend plays, which forces the secondary to cover for a longer period of time and create more of an edge for the offense.

If there is a clear strategic advantage, this is it for Stanford.

At the same time, it is very important for Hogan to be careful with the football. For instance, it will be extremely wise for Hogan to keep the ball away from Iowa cornerback Desmond King, whose eight interceptions in 2015 is the second-highest total in the nation. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, have picked off 18 passes as a team, ninth in the country in that category.

WHEN IOWA HAS THE BALL:

Like Stanford, Iowa’s primary focus is to establish the run. The Hawkeyes averaged 192 yards per game during the season, which is good for 40^th in the nation. Jordan Canzeri spearheads the Iowa rushing attack, as he amassed 976 yards on the ground in 2015 to go along with 12 touchdowns.

As was shown in the third quarter of the Pac-12 title game against USC, Stanford has had problems with smaller, quick running backs, and Canzeri fits that bill. The Cardinal, meanwhile, rank 38^th in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game at 146.9, which the Hawkeyes could use to their advantage come Friday afternoon.

Although they don’t throw as much as Stanford, the Hawkeyes do have a big-play, deep-threat receiver in senior Tevaun Smith. His ability to stretch the field was quite evident in the Big 12 championship, as he torched Michigan State on an 85-yard touchdown from quarterback C.J Beathard to put the Hawkeyes ahead on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Expect the Cardinal to match cornerback Ronnie Harris, who had very good success against USC star wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster in the first half of the Pac-12 championship game before his ongoing ankle injury forced him to sit out the second half.

Meanwhile, Harris has had almost an entire month to recover from that injury, so he should be much closer to 100 percent come New Year’s Day.

However, Iowa has struggled to get any momentum going their way in the first quarter of games this year, so it will be particularly important for the Cardinal, which has been adept at striking first, to do just that.

On the other hand, the Hawkeyes have shown a penchant for turning it on late in the game, particularly in the fourth quarter. Beathard has completed 35 of his 52 throws for 554 yards and four touchdowns in the final quarter alone this year. If Stanford does not get off to the fast start that it may need, allowing Iowa to keep the game close, the game could very well turn in the Hawkeyes’ direction.

 

By Jeremy Harness

photo credit: Bay Area News Group Stanford’s Blake Martinez celebrates sack against the Maryland Terrapins Dec 30 2014

LOS ANGELES – In a matchup between two very physically-tough football teams that don’t surrender very much, the big factor between them is experience in competing – and tasting victory – in bowl games.

The seniors on this year’s Stanford team, including quarterback Kevin Hogan and linebacker Blake Martinez, will play in their third Rose Bowl when they face the Iowa Hawkeyes Friday afternoon.

This group has two bowl victories to its credit, including its win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl three years ago as well as the blowout victory over Maryland in last year’s Foster Farms Bowl.

Friday afternoon will serve as a culmination for a senior class that has gone to a level that no other class in school history has reached.

“I think this one is just that much more special for me just because it is my senior season, and this is my last game at Stanford,” Martinez said. “So it’s going to be a great moment just to go out there with my teammates.

“And it kind of helps just from the standpoint of having that experience to be able to talk to the young guys, because we have nine starters this year on defense.”

While Stanford’s seniors have their two bowl wins to their credit, the Iowa senior class does not have that. The Hawkeyes came up short in the two bowl games this class has played in, including Iowa’s loss at the hands of LSU in the Outback Bowl two years ago, while they were downed by Tennessee in last year’s Taxslayer Bowl.

However, this is a completely new year, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz acknowledged that the games that his team has played have not been as prestigious as the Rose Bowl, but that they have been in extremely-important games.

For instance, even though they suffered their only loss of the season, their experience in going up against Michigan State – who beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl two years ago – in the Big 12 title game in Indianapolis for a spot in the College Football Playoff served the Hawkeyes well nonetheless.

“As coaches and as a program, I think you learn through the years, you learn through your experiences, and it’s just part of the deal,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We’ve played in a lot of big games, and for us, every game this year has been extremely big.

“As the season went on, the stakes went up a little bit, certainly our last couple games had a lot on the line, and then to play in Indianapolis (for the Big 12 title game), it was a great environment. I think our guys will be ready to go. They’re used to competing. They’re used to being in really live, active environments.”

 

By Jeremy Harness

photo credit: Nike-Stanford Cardinal Rose Bowl

SANTA CLARA – Just when you thought the Christian McCaffrey couldn’t make a bigger case for winning the Heisman Trophy, that’s exactly what he did Saturday night when his team had the most at stake.

The sophomore running back made big plays at the most crucial of times – including a 67-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter, at a point in the Pac-12 championship game when USC had momentarily seized control – en route to a championship game-record 461 all-purpose yards, which included a rushing, receiving and even throwing a touchdown pass.

In the process, he broke Barry Sanders’ 27-year-old record of 3,250 all-purpose yards in a single season.

As a result, Stanford claimed its third conference title in four years by virtue of its 41-22 win over USC Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium, and with that comes a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

“(McCaffrey is) the best player in the nation,” Shaw said. “There’s nobody in the nation doing what he’s doing. It’s not even a debate. What Christian has done is phenomenal.”

Going into Saturday, Stanford had an ultra-thin chance of getting into the College Football Playoff, but they needed a lot of help to do so. Of the three teams in the top four teams that played Saturday, only No. 4 Iowa lost to No. 5 Michigan State, so those two teams are likely to trade spots, with the Spartans getting into the playoff.

Stanford set the tone early by establishing their run game and playing keep-away from USC. The Cardinal had a clear advantage up front, and they used that to rack up 193 rushing first-half yards as well as holding the ball for all but eight minutes in that timeframe.

The Cardinal also held an advantage on defense, and they got a boost from players who came into Saturday at less than 100 percent. Cornerback Ronnie Harris played in the first half despite being hampered with an ankle injury and was matched up primarily with star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and he appeared to have a physical as well as a psychological advantage.

Things got a little chippy in the first quarter, after Harris tried to help JuJu Smith-Schuster up off the turf after a third-down incomplete pass, but he ended up getting a punch thrown at him for his trouble. That earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“He kind of hit me with a straight-arm to the face, but it’s all fair in love and war,” Harris said.

Meanwhile, linebacker Blake Martinez had a walking boot on his right foot all week up until Saturday, but that didn’t stop him from creating a fumble that led to a touchdown in the second half that pointed the Cardinal to the conference title.

“It’s just a great, great moment,” Martinez said. “All of the seniors talked about how special this season could be if we put the work in, and that once you see all that work pay off at the end, and to know that we have another chance to win a Rose Bowl is just a great feeling.”

After settling for a field goal on their first possession, Stanford used a little razzle-dazzle to boost its lead on the first play of the second quarter. The Cardinal used its customary running attack to get into the red zone, and then they executed a reverse that ended in McCaffrey throwing to a wide-open Kevin Hogan for an 11-yard touchdown to give Stanford a 10-0 advantage.

However, they could not take advantage of a pair of goal-to-go situations, and that alone gave USC a pulse. Early in the second quarter, short-yardage specialist Remound Wright was stopped on third down at the Trojans’ 1-yard line, prompting Stanford to settle for a field goal.

After forcing a three-and-out from USC, McCaffrey returned the ensuing punt to USC’s 19 and, two plays later, Stanford had a first-and-goal at the Trojans’ 5. However, Wright got stopped again at the 1 on third down, and when Stanford decided to go for it on fourth down and called a play-action pass, Kevin Hogan was taken down immediately after faking the handoff.

At that point, the momentum began to shift in USC’s favor. The Trojans, who had been primarily pass-happy for much of the first half and went nowhere, instantly found success with their running game and had their first sustained drive of the game. They took the ball to Stanford’s 23-yard line before the drive stalled, and Alex Wood’s field goal gave USC some hope heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Trojans got the ball to start the second half, and they immediately built on that momentum, using the running attack to take the ball down inside the Stanford 5. Unlike Stanford, however, the Trojans found a way to get it into the end zone, as Cody Kessler found Jahleel Pinner to draw to within four.

USC’s defense then forced Stanford to punt, and the Trojans took their first lead of the game when freshman tailback Ronald Jones II juked a pair of Stanford defenders en route to a 27-yard scoring run.

The Trojans appeared poised to get the ball right back on the ensuing possession as Stanford faced a third-and-6 at its own 26-yard line. McCaffrey, as he has done countless other times, made a big play to keep things going. He beat linebacker Scott Felix on a wheel route and went 67 yards to USC’s 7 before Hogan powered his way into the end zone to re-claim the lead for the Cardinal.

On the ensuing USC possession, Martinez made the defensive play that cracked the game open for good. Blitzing from his inside linebacker position, Martinez ripped through the line and sacked Kessler, who coughed up the ball in the process. Defensive end Solomon Thomas scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 34 yards untouched to give the Cardinal a 27-16 lead.

“Defensively, we knew we had to make a game-breaking play,” Shaw said. “At some point, somebody was going to have to get a turnover, force a fumble, get an interception.”

The Trojans did march back down the field for a touchdown, but McCaffrey put the game further out of reach when he scored on back-to-back drives.

 

By Jeremy Harness

AP photo Stanford quarterback  Kevin Hogan with keeper gets in end zone against Cal

STANFORD – If there was any question as to how Stanford would respond to a big loss, that was answered in a big way Saturday night.

The loss to Oregon last weekend knocked the Cardinal out of the College Football Playoff picture, but there was still plenty to play for, such as the Pac-12 title and another trip to the Rose Bowl. And besides, this was the Big Game, and if you’re Stanford, how can you not get up for this?

“I got the question about guys bouncing back, and I’m telling you, it’s Cal week,” head coach David Shaw said. “When it’s Cal week, we don’t worry about anything else. They really wanted this game.”

Carried primarily by the legs of Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey, No. 11 Stanford clinched the Pac-12 North championship by taking down Cal at Stanford Stadium in the 118^th edition of the Big Game, 35-22, and will play the winner of next weekend’s USC-UCLA game on Dec. 5 at Levi’s Stadium for the right to play for the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Before then, they can wreck the playoff hopes of Notre Dame, currently in the fourth and final playoff spot, with a victory at home next Saturday afternoon.

Although very slim, Stanford has a chance of grabbing one of those four spots with the victory over the Fighting Irish and a victory in the Pac-12 title game, and McCaffrey had a lot to do with the Cardinal’s chances staying alive Saturday. He torched the Golden Bears with 390 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“Has anybody has seen a football player better than Christian McCaffrey?” head coach David Shaw asked. “Tell me. Show him to me.

“He’s truly, truly special. Our guys know that, and they take a lot of pride in blocking for him.”

McCaffrey amassed 282 all-purpose yards in the first half alone, and the choke-hold that he had on the game on offense and special teams was so evident that Cal began to pooch and squib its kickoffs to keep the ball away from him. In the process, however, the tactic gave Stanford very good field position, and the Cardinal took advantage.

The early going featured some feeling-out on the part of Stanford, which tested out their passing game on their first possession but with no success before being forced to punt.

The Cardinal ditched that attack when they got the ball again and pounded Cal with their prized running game, and they did not look back from that point. The 52-yard drive, which consisted of four runs and a pair of passes, culminated in Remound Wright’s second effort two-yard touchdown and gave Stanford a 7-0 lead.

By the end of the first half, McCaffrey had firmly left his imprint on the game. Late in the second quarter, he took a screen pass, broke a tackle and zig-zagged past a few more defenders on his way to a 49-yard touchdown that extended the Cardinal lead to 14-3.

“Football is a lot of instincts, and if you think too much, that’s when you end up messing up,” McCaffrey said. “But when you just allow your football instincts to take control, it makes football a lot of fun.”

Following a Cal field goal in the final minute of the first half, McCaffrey returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown that started to break the game wide open in Stanford’s favor and prompted a collective decision by Cal to stop kicking it to him altogether.

While Stanford mixed up their attack but kept it centered on the run, Cal primarily aired it out, which explains Jared Goff’s 386 passing yards while completing 37 of his 54 throws. While the Golden Bears had success in moving down the field that way, the attack stalled once it got into the red zone. While Stanford punched it in during its sole trip in the first half, Cal paid two visits inside the 20-yard line and had to settle for field goals each time.

“Keeping the ball in front of us and not giving up touchdowns, and (just) giving up field goals in the red zone, that was huge,” head coach David Shaw said.

After settling for another field goal on their first possession of the second half, the Golden Bears finally got it into the end zone when Jared Goff hit Darius Powe for a 3-yard score that narrowed Stanford’s lead to 21-16.

Trailing by 12 midway through the fourth quarter, Cal made its way down the field and into the red zone again. However, a big penalty kept the Bears out of the end zone, as a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call on Chris Borrayo forced a third-and-25, and when Goff’s fourth-down heave into the end zone fell incomplete, the Cardinal took over.

Four plays later, freshman running back Bryce Love darted right past the entire Cal defense for a 48-yard touchdown run to end the competitive phase of the game.

Jeremy Harness is the Stanford Cardinal football beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

By Jeremy Harness

STANFORD – Now that was a turnaround.

After a lackluster showing in their season-opening win over Wisconsin-Green Bay that saw them commit 21 turnovers, the Cardinal made a complete 180-degree turn in their game in Sunday night’s 93-59 drubbing of Charleston Southern in a more-then-half-empty Maples Pavilion.

Sophomore guard Dorian Pickens led the way for Stanford with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point territory. Right behind Pickens was Rosco Allen, who had 19 points of his own and made seven of his nine shots, two of them coming from behind the arc.

Stanford handled the ball much better and stepped up their defensive effort, and that was evident from the first few minutes of the game and did not change throughout the course of the game. The Cardinal forced the Buccaneers into 16 turnovers while committing only eight of their own to set the tone.

In the first 10 minutes, for example, there was a stark contrast in how the two teams handled full-court pressure. The Cardinal broke the press easily with effective passing and frequently ended up with three-on-two’s and easy baskets to scoot out to a double-digit lead.

Charleston Southern, on the other hand, elected to try and dribble out of the pressure and, as a result, committed nine first-half turnovers to Stanford’s four.

On the defensive end, Charleston Southern had no answer for the Cardinal’s inside game, and it showed early and often as Stanford shot 58 percent from the field.

It got no easier for Charleston Southern offensively. Stanford’s defense was very stout inside, forcing the Buccaneers to settle for more than their fair share of 3-point attempts. In the early going, the 3-ball kept them in the game, but the shots stopped falling as the game progressed and allowed Stanford to use its superior inside game to extend their lead to 25 at halftime.

In fact, 28 of the Buccaneers’ 49 field-goal attempts were behind the arc, and realizing that they had no advantage inside, they began setting up high double screens in an attempt to get their shooters open, but they still could not get many to drop. The Cardinal held Charleston Southern to 35 percent shooting overall, and the Buccaneers made only 32 percent of their 3-point shots.

Getting fast-break points is a great way to get your offense going, but Stanford completely eliminated that. While Stanford got 16 points via the fast break, the Buccaneers did not score a single point that way.

The Cardinal quickly extended their lead as the second half got under way, leading by as many as 37 in the final minutes of the game before the Cardinal ran the clock out.

The Cardinal will now get ready for SMU, which comes into Maples Pavilion for their Thursday night matchup before Stanford heads across the bay to face St. Mary’s in Moraga next Sunday night.