Iowa O-line jumbled and then humbled

PASADENA, Calif., — Kirk Ferentz wasn't in the excuse-making mood. Injuries did affect some decisions on who started and who played where during Friday's Rose Bowl.

Ultimately, Ferentz said the fact Iowa played two different offensive tackles and a whole lot of other O-line combinations wasn't the reason Stanford ran away from the Hawkeyes, 45-16, at the Rose Bowl.

'I think injuries have pretty much dictated how we play all season long and who plays more specifically,' Ferentz said. 'So, yeah, really coming out of the Michigan State game, we had some guys injured, Boone, and Ike Boettger hasn't been healthy since the Illinois game.'

Stanford's defense played as if it had something to prove. It overran the Hawkeyes' offensive front for seven sacks (the Cardinal's most in a game since 8.0 against Oregon State in 2013) and held Iowa to just 48 rushing yards, its lowest since 23 yards against Michigan State in 2013.

From left to right, here were Iowa's starters: junior Cole Croston at tackle, true freshman James Daniels at guard, senior center Austin Blythe, senior guard Jordan Walsh and sophomore Sean Welsh at right tackle. This was the same group that herded Northwestern around for nearly 300 yards.

'We felt during the course of the last couple weeks it was the best lineup to go with,' Ferentz said. 'And, again, just I don't — you know, we ran the ball fine against Northwestern using that same lineup. So, today they just outplayed us. They outplayed us in every turn, and credit goes to them.'

Iowa started the season with Myers and Boettger at tackles. Myers fought a shoulder/neck stinger most of the season. It cost him three games in the middle of the year. He suffered a leg injury against Michigan State. Boettger suffered an ankle injury against Illinois in October and didn't return to the lineup until he played tight end for a few snaps in the second half against the Cardinal.

'We had a few guys who weren't 100 percent sure,' Croston said. 'We felt like that was the winning combination coming into the game. We practiced like that the last couple of weeks.'

Stanford defensive end Aziz Shittu was unblockable, finishing with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. The Cardinal piled up 10.0 tackles for loss.

'That's the reason we put our locker room the way it is,' Stanford coach David Shaw said. 'When our players walk in the locker room, to the left is the offensive line, to the right is the defensive line. Our guys are reminded every day that the game starts in the trenches.'

Iowa finished the game with Croston at left tackle, Myers at left guard, Blythe, Walsh and Welsh.

'I felt like I was able to play [tackle],' Myers said, 'but that's up to the coaches. They evaulate me and they see what my limits are. A player is always going to think he can do the job. The coaches have the hard decisions to make. They have to say, 'Hey, is this guy ready to go? Is he going to be able to help us out at this position?''

Daniels' head was spinning. Stanford ran a lot of games against Iowa's O-line and caught the Hawkeyes in one-sided numbers games, with two players trying to block three. Beathard was sacked seven times, but he was hit a ton more. Each hit took a toll.

'It was a tough game,' Daniels said. 'That's all I have to say, it was a tough game.'

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