Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard spent the Rose Bowl running for his life.
By Danny Payne
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PASADENA, Calif. — Officially, Stanford sacked Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard seven times and didn’t hurry him once. Watching the Cardinal down Iowa, 45-16, in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, you’d think those numbers were far too low.
Beathard, who finished 21-of-33 for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns (162 yards and both touchdowns came in the garbage-time fourth quarter), spent the majority of his afternoon running away from Cardinal defenders or getting helped off the slippery grass in the Rose Bowl.
“They had a good rush there, especially on some third-down plays,” Beathard said. “They were getting guys upfield with some pressure, but we saw a lot of what they did on film. They came out and played tougher than us.”
That they did. The Hawks managed only 8 first downs in the first three quarters and registered their first points halfway through the first quarter. Beathard simply didn’t have time. Was it the offensive line combination of Cole Croston, James Daniels, Austin Blythe, Jordan Walsh, and Sean Welsh Iowa used? Was it something Stanford did to get Iowa off balance? Was it a lack of execution?
It was a combination of the three. The Hawkeyes used those same five players in their most dominant performance of the season, a 30-point win over the same Northwestern team the Cardinal fell to in their opener.
The Hawkeyes saw constant pressure from defenders Aziz Shittu — the game’s defensive MVP — and Company, but that’s been something the Cardinal have done with regularity this year. Iowa knew it was going to feel the heat but looked lost on the field.
The execution wasn’t there. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. A look at the scoreboard is all the proof needed in that department.
Of course, the problems up front led to Beathard getting no time to find open receivers. Stanford’s secondary played well and blanketed Iowa pass-catchers, but there were times Hawkeye receivers were open and available.
But facing an obviously superior defensive front and, in turn, a nonexistent running game that garnered a season-low 48 yards, taking the shots needed to get the Hawkeyes back in the game was impossible.
“Our offensive line didn’t play as well as they were supposed to, and nobody played as well as he was supposed to,” said wideout Tevaun Smith, who was held to two catches for 17 yards. “…[Stanford] knew when I was going to get the ball or when other guys were going to get the ball. They have an athletic group, but we just didn’t have much time as a team.”
The frustration in Smith’s words is palpable. Iowa’s offensive line knows its team’s offensive success starts and ends there. Jan. 1 proved that.
And on a day when there was potential for things to turn out in such a great fashion for the Hawkeyes, all the losing team could do was give the brutal truth.
“All year, we went out and competed, fought with every single team we played, and today we just didn’t do that,” tight end Henry Krieger Coble said. “…There were some plays that we missed blocks, and guys were running free right up the middle and on the edge.
“On a stage like this, you can’t do that. You can’t have self-inflicted mistakes and wounds like that. We just didn’t play well enough to win today.”
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