Gaffney's grit again epitomizes Stanford program Gaffney's grit again personifies what program is all about

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TEMPE, Ariz. - As the minutes ticked down before the start of Saturday night's game, Stanford running backs coach Tavita Pritchard turned to Tyler Gaffney in the visitors' locker room at Sun Devil Stadium.

"This is why you came back," Pritchard said.

Gaffney just looked at him and smiled.

At this time last year, Gaffney was a professional baseball player mulling his sporting future. Now he's the most indispensable piece in Stanford's methodical machine, as he illustrated once again in the Cardinal's 38-14 stampede over Arizona State in the Pac-12 championship game.

Stanford will return to the Rose Bowl precisely because of players such as Gaffney - tough, punishing, dependable. For a school with a long history of marquee-friendly, big-name quarterbacks, from Jim Plunkett to John Elway to Andrew Luck, this team is defined by its rugged style.

Their signature players are Trent Murphy (a relentless pass rusher), Shayne Skov (a tackling machine) - and most of all Gaffney, whose running style is short on flashiness and heavy on persistence. He's the perfect embodiment of a David Shaw-coached team.

"No question, Tyler has been the heartbeat of our offense all season," Shaw said. "Play after play, he gets stronger and stronger and stronger. He just drags guys. The receivers are out there blocking for him because they know any play could be a big play.

"He sets the tone for us. He's personified who we are all year."

Tyler Gaffney, who ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, gets past ASU's Robert Nelson (9). Tyler Gaffney, who ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, gets past ASU's Robert Nelson (9). Photo: Matt York, Associated Press Photo: Matt York, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Gaffney's grit again epitomizes Stanford program 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Gaffney made an uncommonly splashy play Saturday night, turning the corner and sprinting 69 yards for an early touchdown (he finished with 133 yards on 22 carries). It was a striking display of speed, great for the highlight package, but it didn't tell the true story of Gaffney or his team.

His next two touchdowns, each time plowing into the end zone from 1 yard out, took care of that.

The Cardinal are a blue-collar outfit, pounding their opponents into submission. They are Gaffney shedding tackles, Murphy leading a ferocious pass rush, Skov and unheralded Zach Hoffpauir anchoring a goal-line stand late in the third quarter.

And so it went Saturday night. Stanford produced several big plays, Kevin Hogan flinging passes to Ty Montgomery racing this way and Devon Cajuste dashing that way, but the Cardinal also stayed true to their identity.

Gaffney offered a snapshot after the game, as he walked off the makeshift stage in the north end zone. He wore a black cap declaring his team Pac-12 champions and cradled a gleaming silver trophy recognizing him as the game's most valuable player.

Grass stains covered Gaffney's white pants. His helmet bore a haphazard design of nicks and scratches, visible evidence of his running style.

Barely more than 11 months ago, he sat in the Stanford family section for the Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. Gaffney was still in "baseball mode" at the time, still a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization after leaving school to play minor-league baseball in 2012.

"I hadn't made the decision yet," he said of his subsequent call to return to Stanford for one final football season. "It was darn near the same feeling as tonight - these are my guys, my team. This is all you ask for, to play for a championship."

And make no mistake about this Rose Bowl encore: It matters. Forget the nonsense emanating a few weeks ago from Eugene, Ore., where Oregon players dismissed the significance of playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

"We already won a Rose Bowl," running back De'Anthony Thomas said, "so it feels like, 'Whatever.' "

Then the Ducks went out and got thumped by Arizona - so Thomas can take his ambivalence to a less prestigious bowl, maybe San Antonio for the almighty Alamo Bowl. Have a blast.

Stanford already won a Rose Bowl, too, but its players know the magnitude of their achievement. They would prefer to play for the national championship, sure, but navigating the treacherous Pac-12 counts as a monumental achievement, especially after winning the conference title one year ago.

Look at it this way: Stanford became only the third Pac-12 program in the past 30 seasons to reach the Rose Bowl in consecutive years. USC did it twice (1988-90 and 2006-09) and Washington once (1991-93).

And the Cardinal got there on Gaffney's sturdy shoulders. His numbers over the past seven games: 13 touchdowns and an average of 149.7 yards rushing.

"He's a manifestation of what our program is about," Pritchard said. "Physical toughness, mental toughness, hard work."

Not a bad mantra, all in all.