Jan 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) runs for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter in the 2016 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
PASADENA, Calif. — Kevin Hogan threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth and Christian McCaffrey contributed two touchdowns to lead sixth-ranked Stanford to a 45-16 rout of No. 5 Iowa in the 102nd Rose Bowl on Friday in front of 94,268.
McCaffrey, the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, set a Rose Bowl record with 368 all-purpose yards. The sophomore from Castle Rock, Colo., ran 18 times for 172 yards, caught four passes for 105, returned one punt for 63 yards and a kickoff for 28 yards. McCaffrey became the first player in Rose Bowl history to compile at least 100 yards rushing and receiving.
Hogan completed 12 of 21 passes for 223 yards and one interception. Defensively, the Cardinal held the Hawkeyes to 48 rushing yards while sacking Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard seven times and returning an interception for a touchdown.
Despite seven sacks, Beathard completed 21 of 33 passes for 239 yards. Wide receiver Matt VandeBerg and running back Derrick Mitchell each caught four passes, with VandeBerg amassing a team-high 64 yards in receptions.
Stanford (12-2) began its dominance on the first play from scrimmage. After McCaffrey lined up as a slot back in the shotgun formation, Hogan found the sophomore on a slant route for a 75-yard touchdown pass 11 seconds after the opening kickoff.
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. Then on second-and-3, Hogan faked a handoff to McCaffrey before running in the opposite direction toward the left sideline for an 8-yard scoring run just 2:47 into the game.
Stanford relied on its defense to extend its lead to 21-0. Cornerback Quenton Meeks stepped in front of VandeBerg for an interception that he returned 66 yards for a touchdown with 4:07 left in the first quarter.
The 21 points were the most scored by any team in the first quarter of a Rose Bowl.
McCaffrey demonstrated his agility on the second play of the second quarter when he fielded Dillon Kidd’s punt at the Cardinal 37 and scampered for a 63-yard return that gave Stanford a 28-0
advantage 48 seconds into the quarter.
McCaffrey had a 74-yard touchdown run on the Cardinal’s next series nullified because of a holding penalty. But during that series, Hogan and McCaffrey combined on an unusual play that put their team ahead by 35 points.
With a first down at the Iowa 31, Hogan pretended to fumble by putting the ball on the ground, but he never removed his hands from it. McCaffrey contributed to the trickery by falling forward as if to recover the fumble. Hogan not only kept the ball but threw a scoring pass to Michael Rector with 8:22 left before halftime.
The Hawkeyes (12-2) drove to Stanford’s 31 on their next series, their deepest penetration into Cardinal territory in the first half. But linebackers Blake Martinez and Peter Kalambayi sacked Beathard for a 6-yard loss on fourth down with 2:01 remaining.
The teams exchanged field goals in the third period. Conrad Ukropina’s 31-yard kick gave Stanford a 38-0 lead. Iowa’s Marshall Koehn responded with a 39-yard effort.
Beathard threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, one for 36 yards to VandeBerg with 13:12 to play and another to running back LeShun Daniels for 31 yards with 2:46 left. Hogan’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Rector ended the scoring with 1:54 to go.
NOTES: About 55,000 Iowa fans attended the Hawkeyes’ first Rose Bowl appearance since 1991. … Iowa DB Desmond King entered the game needing one interception to set a season school record with nine. King’s eight interceptions rank second nationally. … Before losing the Big Ten championship game, Iowa had its first undefeated regular season since 1922. … Stanford QB Kevin Hogan and former QB Andrew Luck shared the school’s record for career offense with 10,387 yards as the game began. … Eleven of Stanford’s players major in engineering.
