PASADENA >> David Shaw walked off the field on Friday night clinging to the Rose Bowl Trophy but he could also take another honor after the No. 5-ranked Cardinal crushed No. 6-ranked Iowa, 45-16.
After this Rose Bowl rout, Shaw should probably be considered the best Stanford coach of the modern era. He tied John Ralston with two Rose Bowl victories but has won more conference titles. Even the great Pop Warner, who coached at Stanford from 1924-32, only won one Rose Bowl.
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But Shaw was still frustrated in the Stanford locker room that the Cardinal’s accomplishments do not get enough credit.
“Part of it is we go to Stanford for academics,” Shaw said. “I’m curious sometimes why other people haven’t been singing our praises.”
So why doesn’t Stanford get enough credit?
“That more of a question for someone else,” Shaw said.
It bothered Shaw enough, though, to send out a letter on twitter in December mentioning Stanford’s won three Pac-12 titles in four years, gone to four New Year’s Day bowls in five seasons and is one of only seven “Power 5” schools to win at least 53 games the past five years.
“For us to have a legacy, it was awesome and amazing,” said Martinez, who is a senior.
That Shaw’s accomplished any of the above probably surprised many who assumed Stanford would go downhill after Jim Harbaugh resigned in 2011.
If anything, the Cardinal are even better under Shaw. And he continually gets more out of players. Quarterback Kevin Hogan, whom Shaw claimed should be on the Mount Rushmore of Stanford quarterbacks, was the No. 15-ranked pro-style quarterback in 2011. By comparison, USC quarterback Cody Kessler was ranked No. 2.
That Stanford (12-2) came to the Rose Bowl and and blew out Iowa (12-1)is not unusual for the local fans. They swept USC this season and have beaten UCLA eight straight times. The last Bruin victory in the series was in 2008.
But what should gall USC and UCLA fans is a look at Stanford’s recruiting classes. According to Rivals.com, Stanford was ranked No. 18 in 2015; No. 14 in 2014 and No. 64 in 2013. Stanford did have the No. 5 class in 2012. That was the only class ranked ahead of any of USC’s recruiting classes.
“He always tells us he will get better and better at what he does,” Stanford linebacker Blake Martinez said.
Shaw gets criticized for being too conservative but he also is part of an anti-spread offense movement that is making physical football popular again.
It works even better when you have a Heisman Trophy runner up. Tailback Christian McCaffrey scored a 75-yard touchdown on the first touch of the game. He returned a punt 63 yards on his first touch of the second quarter.
Even McCaffrey, though, is an example of overachievement. He was the top player in Colorado two years ago but no one expected he would perhaps the nation’s top player this season.
“It’s criminal he did not win the Heisman,” Stanford left guard Joshua Garnett said. “Once the announcement was made that (Alabama tailback) Derrick Henry won the Heisman, I knew what would happen in the Rose Bowl game.”
Garnett won the Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top interior lineman, so the Cardinal do get some credit. It can be added to the Cardinal trophy case.
“We have a nice really shiny trophy,” Shaw said in the locker room.
And how did he want to celebrate?
“I can’t wait to go to sleep,” he said. “I’m worn out.”
