Christian McCaffrey Sets Rose Bowl Record as Stanford Beats Iowa 45-16

There are good days, and then there's what Christian McCaffrey did in Stanford's Rose Bowl win over Iowa.  

The Heisman Trophy runner up recorded a Rose Bowl record for all-purpose yards, leading the No. 6 Stanford Cardinals to a 45-16 victory over the one-loss Hawkeyes on Friday.

McCaffrey's performance was highlighted by a couple of big plays early -- a 75-yard pass on the opening snap of the game, as well as a 66-yard punt return in the opening minutes of the second quarter. He also recorded over 100 yards on the ground and through the air, all adding up to the tidy sum of 368 all-purpose yards. In doing so, McCaffrey broke the record set by Wisconsin's Jared Abbrederis in 2012, according to USA Today. A fitting conclusion to the year for the man who set the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards gained in a season.

And while McCaffrey and the Cardinals both enjoyed considerable success throughout the 2015-16 season, it was a year that could have easily seen both achieve so much more. McCaffrey finished second in the Heisman voting behind only Derrick Henry of Alabama, but many could have easily made the case that McCaffrey's season was better. Perhaps the decision was due to the fact that Henry's Alabama made the College Playoffs, while McCaffrey and Stanford played their way out of it.

Underwhelming performances against Oregon and Northwestern gave Stanford two losses, which proved to be a mountain they couldn't overcome (a one-loss Stanford probably gets into the Playoff), as the committee had virtually no viable reason to select them as one of the best four teams in the country (no other team had more than one loss). 

Still, it's not every year a team wins both the Pac-12 Championship and the Rose Bowl, as Stanford was able to do this year. And, seeing as how they'll return a bunch of key players, including McCaffrey, there will be hope for an even better season next year.