Iowa Disorients Georgia Tech In Orange Bowl

Sports News - January 6th, 2010 - Written By John

The temperature in Iowa was around four degrees, but the Hawkeyes froze Georgia Tech's option attack stiff in Miami.

Ricky Stanzi threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns in his return, and Paul Johnson's daunting offense was limited to 155 total yards and one offensive touchdown to give Iowa a 24-14 win in the Orange Bowl Tuesday night.

"We haven't played many games like that," coach Paul Johnson said. "We couldn't seem to get anything going. We couldn't hit a pass play, couldn't hit a big play."

The Hawkeyes had yet to win a major bowl game since 1959 when they won the Rose Bowl over Cal.

Stanzi played great in his first game back from ankle surgery. He hadn't played in a game since leaving early in Northwestern's upset on Nov. 7. He was nearly flawless early on, completing his first eight passes to get his team up 14-0 early.

"Apparently not too rusty," Stanzi said. "I did fear that."

His only real blemish came when he threw his only interception at the end of the first quarter, and Jerrard Tarrant housed it for Georgia Tech's first touchdown. By then, the Hawkeyes already had at least the tying points when Stanzi connected with Marvin McNutt in the back of the end zone eight minutes into the game to open the scoring.

Then on their next possession, it was Colin Sandem that capped the drive with a 21-yard score.

But it was clear that the story of the game was Iowa's stifling defense that tied down the Yellow Jackets' second-ranked rushing attack that never really seemed to click.

"If you say 'Hawkeye football,' it's defense," Stanzi said. "That's all it is: defense."

Georgia Tech only accumulated nine first downs, and gained 143 yards on the ground, far less than it's average of over 300. The Yellow Jackets were held a season-low in points, and have now been beaten by a total 62-17 in their bowl games. Last year, they lost 38-3 to LSU in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl.

No one was better than defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who tied a season-high with two sacks and had nine tackles to earn the game's overall MVP. And the good news is, he confirmed after the game that he would in fact be returning after the 2009 NCAA Football Season.

He and his counterparts dominated Georgia Tech like no one had done all year, forcing punts in it's first four possessions, and not surrendering a first down til well into the second quarter.

Yellow Jacket quarterback Josh Nesbitt went 2-for-9 for 12 yards, and didnt have a completion until two minutes remained in the third quarter.

"They were good and they had some good players," Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer said. "But I really think that we just shot ourselves in the foot, man. We were just nervous."

Although it was a historic win for the program, winning it's first ever BCS game, it was certainly a testament to the Big Ten conference in itself. Top programs Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin had all won their bowl games against perceived faster and more athletic teams from the south and west regions, and Northwestern put up a valiant effort against Auburn.

Iowa's big win simply put a stamp on the conference's impressive season after it had taken a hit in recent years with ugly losses in BCS games.

Moreover, it was the opposite for the ACC, which lost four of seven bowl games in an already perceived down year. Two of it's top four finishers lost in the postseason, and it's only winners, Virginia Tech and Clemson, could only pull away late against middling SEC teams.