Rose Bowl 2016: Individual Matchups to Watch in Iowa vs. Stanford
When the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-1) and Stanford Cardinal (11-2) close their collective eyes and think about what might have been, it's hard for both teams not to be a bit wistful.
The No. 5 Hawkeyes and the No. 6 Cardinal are playing in the granddaddy of all bowl games on New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl, but they were the first two teams to miss the cut for the College Football Playoff.
Of the two, the Hawkeyes were the closest to getting in. A touchdown by Michigan State in the final minutes of the Big Ten Championship Game knocked them out of the playoff picture, while the Cardinal have two defeats on their record. One was due to a shockingly slow start against Northwestern in the season opener, a team that Iowa defeated with ease later on in the year.
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A victory in that matchup could have given head coach Kirk Ferentz's team some legitimate confidence coming into this game, but it will take some serious execution to get the best of a well-rounded Cardinal team.
The outcome of several key matchups is likely to decide the outcome of this game. We are going to take a closer look at two of them.
Date: Jan. 1
Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Iowa LBs Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher
Christian McCaffrey is a remarkable football player who had a spectacular year for the Cardinal. Not only did he rush for 1,847 yards and eight touchdowns, but he also caught 41 passes for 540 yards and four more touchdowns.
Ideally, the Hawkeyes will try to stop the relentless McCaffrey in his tracks, but that's a very unlikely scenario for the Heisman finalist. Instead, linebackers Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher will have to try to slow him down to keep the high-powered Stanford offense from stringing touchdowns together.
McCaffrey excels at reading his blocks and making one cut and heading upfield. It will be up to the Iowa defensive line to keep Stanford's blockers from getting on Jewell and Fisher so they can make plays.
Both are outstanding tacklers who can bring down good running backs when they are unencumbered. Jewell finished the regular season with a team-high 119 tackles, including 7.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Fisher was right behind with 112 stops, 4.5 for a loss.
If either linebacker gets a clean shot at McCaffrey, they should be able to bring him down. The issue is how far away from the line of scrimmage will they be when that first contact is made.
Both Jewell and Fisher were also excellent in coverage this season, as they combined for 28 breakups/passes defensed and four interceptions.
McCaffrey is one of the best players in the nation, but the duo of Jewell and Fisher should be able to hold their own. This should be a close battle for 60 minutes, but we give the slight edge to Stanford in this matchup.
Iowa QB C.J. Beathard vs. Stanford FS Kodi Whitfield
C.J. Beathard is not a superstar quarterback who is destined to star at the next level.
Instead, he is a smart, capable and efficient leader who will take advantage of the openings in the defense and also avoid big mistakes that put his team in the hole.
Beathard's ability at the QB slot was apparent to Ferentz in the spring, and that's when he won the job outright. Beathard was a combination of calm and confidence throughout the season, and he completed 202 of 329 passes for 2,570 yards with 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Beathard, the grandson of former Washington Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard, also demonstrated an excellent ability to escape out of the pocket with a net rushing total of 270 yards and six key touchdowns.
Kodi Whitfield will have the responsibility of keeping Beathard in check. A good free safety must not only be able to read the opposing quarterback and his receivers, but he must have quick reactions that have been honed from film study of the opponent.
Whitfield has gotten the job done this season, registering 50 tackles, good for third on the Cardinal. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, five passes broken up/defensed and an interception.
Look for Beathard to keep Whitfield from having a huge impact by looking one way and passing to the opposite side of the field. That will give Iowa a small edge in this matchup.
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