Iowa players met with media, and this is what they had to say.
By Jordan Hansen
In just 10 days, the Iowa football team will kick off against 11-2 and No. 6 ranked Stanford.
Wednesday is a designated “travel day” for the Hawkeyes, but the team met with media one last time before heading to Pasadena. Here’s what the players had to say.
Cole Fisher, linebacker
On what they’re expecting from the Cardinal offense: “They run an effective power offense; they’re good at what they do.”
Stanford do-everything back Christian McCaffrey dominated the discussion among most of the defensive players, and Fisher was no different: “He’s just one of the most well-rounded players you’ll see in college football. He does it all, it seems like.”
More on McCaffrey, “He can hurt you doing anything, it seems like. You almost have to treat him like a secondary quarterback, I guess, with all your reads and stuff.”
This year’s bowl trip will be a little different from last year’s, “It’s definitely better than last year, I’ll tell you that. We hit the grindstone right away last year, really tough practices, and this year, it’s been more trying to get guys healthy. Not that we haven’t had some really good work days, but it’s just maybe not to the same degree as we have in the past.”
C.J. Beathard, quarterback
Takeaways from the time off: “It’s been a good time to kind or relax and look back on the season and look back on what we accomplished this season. We did a lot of good things, and it’s a tribute to the guys and how hard they worked in the off-season.”
Impressions of the Cardinal: “They’re a great team, they’ve shown that, and they have very good players, both offense and defense. In order to beat them, we’ll have to play our best football.
On what’s in front of the Hawks: “Obviously, we haven’t been on the Rose Bowl stage before, but we’ve stayed focused all season long, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t do that now.”
Tevaun Smith, wide receiver
Senior Smith will play his last game as a Hawkeye: “I want us to be remembered the right way, with a Rose Bowl win.”
Iowa is also coming off its first loss of the season, a bit of added momentum: “Obviously, it was a bitter feeling leaving that locker room, but guys have just put their heads down and gone back to work. No one liked that feeling. It’s in the back of our minds.”
On how he views the Rose Bowl: “Leading up to this game, I’m learning more about it. I always watched it on TV, but being part of it is definitely a learning process for me, just realizing how important it is.”
Jordan Lomax, defensive back
On all the events and everything else going on around the game: “They’re always going to be distractions around a big game like the Rose Bowl. You’re going to have to deal with media obligations and everything, but the thing about this team is that we’ve been very mature all season long, and we’ve done a good job handling the distractions.”
Iowa’s getting a little love from the national media, but: “We’re always going to play with a chip on our shoulder. We’ve done that entire season, but we’re just happy to be playing on such a big stage like this, in a Rose Bowl.”
Follow @JordyHansen for news, updates, and analysis of the Iowa football team.
