Play of the Game: McCaffrey slash and dash

DOWN, DISTANCE: Stanford faced first and 10 at its 25

SCORE/TIME: Game tied 0-0, 15:00 left, first quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL: Iowa — base 4-3 defense; Stanford — 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB

WHAT HAPPENED: Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey caught a pass and sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown on the game's first offensive play.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT: The Cardinal scored the first touchdown and established the game's tone in one play.

THE ANALYSIS: Stanford lined up with tight end Austin Hooper and wide receiver Devon Cajuste lined up on the left side, wide receiver Michael Rector to the right side and receiver Trenton Irwin motioned to the left. Quarterback Kevin Hogan was in shotgun formation with McCaffrey to his right. At the snap, Hogan shuffled back three steps. McCaffery circled around Iowa left defensive end Nate Meier on a wheel route and ran toward Iowa safety Jordan Lomax. McCaffrey faked to his right, which caused Lomax to stumble, and linebacker Cole Fisher slipped. McCaffrey split the two Iowa defenders and caught Hogan's pass at the 36-yard line. He raced past Iowa safety Miles Taylor for the final 59 yards for an easy touchdown.

K. Hogan pass,to C. McCaffrey for 75 yds for a TD - ESPN Video

THE QUOTE 1: 'The bottom line is we try to get him matched up in space on everybody, whether it's linebacker, safety, whoever it is. That's what that play was all about. They pushed the coverage to the field and had Christian at one-on-one back side and gave him the ball and watched him do what he does.' — Stanford Coach David Shaw

THE QUOTE 2: 'I saw him make a great cut across the defender's face and just try to put a ball on him. Of course, he makes people fall and outraces them to the end zone, and that's the start we needed. We play a lot of young guys on this team, and to come out with a quick touchdown, quick strike really helped us out, helped us feel confident and settle into the game. I think it helped the whole team kind of get into a rhythm.' — Stanford QB Kevin Hogan

THE QUOTE 3: 'It was a big play certainly. We had a similar situation to that in 2009 at Penn State. They hit an 80-yard pass on us right off the bat. But we came back and won the football game. Just like this game won't define this team. One play doesn't define a game. We had ample opportunity after that to play.' — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz

THE QUOTE 4: 'For us to say it was a slipping issue would be incorrect.' — Iowa safety Jordan Lomax

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