2009 Outback Bowl
Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5)
Jan. 1, 11:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Payout:
$3.1 million Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa FL
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2009 Outback Bowl
Player Profiles, Histories, & More
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Iowa |
South
Carolina |
|
Total Offense |
|
52nd 373.92 ypg |
97th 316.83ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
13th 289.5 ypg |
12th 288.92 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
35th 30.25 ppg |
92nd 21.67 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
8th 13.25 ppg |
30th 20.25 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
29th 189.33 ypg |
108th 98.33 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
10th 98.25 ypg |
36th 128.67 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
89th 184.58 ypg |
54th 218.50 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
38th 191.25 ypg |
3rd 160.25 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
29th 0.46 |
102nd -0.75 |
|
Iowa
Maine W 46-3
FIU W 42-0
Iowa St W 17-5
at Pitt L 21-20
Nwestern L 22-17
at Mich St L 16-13
at Indiana W 45-9
Wisconsin W 38-16
at Illinois L 27-24
Penn St W 24-23
Purdue W 22-17
at Minn. W 55-0 |
South Carolina
NC St W 34-0
at Vanderbilt L 24-17
Georgia L 14-7
Wofford W 23-13
UAB W 26-13
at Ole Miss W 31-24
at Kentucky W 24-17
LSU L 24-17
Tennessee W 27-6
Arkansas W 34-21
at Florida L 56-6
at Clemson L 31-14 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
I |
5
highest
1 lowest |
S |
|
2.5 |
Quarterbacks |
3.5 |
|
5 |
RBs |
2 |
|
3 |
Receivers |
4 |
|
3 |
O
Line |
2 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
4 |
|
4 |
Linebackers |
5 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
5 |
|
4.5 |
Spec
Teams |
3 |
|
4 |
Coaching |
4 |
|
South Carolina vs. Iowa might
not be the most scintillating
matchup on a national scale, but
for two programs looking to come
up with something big to build
on, this game will mean
everything for the starving
teams that each went 6-6 last
year and stayed home for the
bowl season.
This game means more to South
Carolina and Steve Spurrier than
it does for Iowa. Of course the
Hawkeyes want to come up with
the win, but this a New Year’s
Day bowl is gravy considering
the relatively low expectations
coming into the season, and that
they really should’ve been in
the Alamo Bowl and Northwestern
deserved to be here. For the
Gamecocks, the Spurrier era
hasn’t exactly been anything
special. It’s not exactly
Michael Jordan playing for the
Washington Wizards, but there’s
been little of the magic
expected.
This was supposed to be the year
South Carolina took a big step
forward, and by that standard,
playing in a New Year’s Day bowl
is a success. However, with the
SEC down, at least compared to
the past few seasons, the
chances were there to make this
a big year. Interceptions and
the lack of a running game
killed any shot of being in the
SEC title hunt, but the first
three of the five losses were
all by a touchdown and there
appeared to be hope that the
team could improve as the season
went on.
Vanderbilt came up with a great
first half of the year, but
there’s still little honor in
losing in Nashville, just like
losing at home to LSU this
season isn’t something to be
okay about. And then came the
blowout road losses to Florida
(forgivable) and Clemson (not
acceptable) to close out the
regular season, and all of a
sudden, this game becomes a
must-win for Spurrier.
Iowa appeared to be going
nowhere fast with a 3-3 record
and little to rely on
offensively outside of RB Shonn
Greene. A win over Indiana was
nice, but expected, and then
came the 38-16 destruction of
Wisconsin that seemed to spark
the rest of the season. A 27-24
loss at Illinois didn’t dampen
the expectations, the Illini
needed one of its best games of
the year to come up with the
win, and then came the win over
Penn State that made Iowa a
player of a program again.
Without a bowl win in three
seasons, Iowa could use the
springboard of beating an SEC
team, but next year’s team will
likely be drastically different
in key places with Greene
expected to go off to the NFL
and some of the top defensive
playmakers gone. And that’s what
this game will be about:
defense. Don’t expect a
shootout.
Even when Iowa was struggling,
the defense was a rock allowing
more than 20 points just four
times all year while never
giving up more than 27. In those
four games, the Hawkeyes lost
three of them with the one win
coming against Penn State. South
Carolina’s defense went bye-bye
in the final two games, but
before the problems with Florida
and South Carolina it hadn’t
allowed more than 24 to anyone.
This wasn’t just a case of the
Big Ten and SEC offenses being
bad; these two defenses really
are good.
It’s the first game of the New
Year, and while it won’t be a
barnburner, it should be a
hard-hitting, easy on the
stomach, low scoring battle to
get you ready for the bigger and
better things to come. The
Outback is almost always
interesting, the last four have
been decided late, and even if
this only ends up being in the
high teens, it should still grow
into a compelling early feed the
hangover game.
Players to watch:
Doak Walker winner Shonn
Greene might be Iowa’s
signature star, but it could be
argued that DT Mitch King
is every bit as vital to the
team’s success. The unanimous
All-Big 10 selection has clogged
up everything on the inside all
year long. Helped by having
running mate Mitch Kroul
take the heat off, King has been
able to make an impressive 52
stops with four sacks with a
combination of strength and
quickness that should render the
South Carolina running game
moot.
With the Gamecock running game
all but useless, it’ll be up to
the passing game to carry the
offense yet again, and that
means it’ll be another game,
another starting quarterback in
what has been a complete and
utter mess. Spurrier hasn’t been
able to sink or swim with any of
his passers, and now, after
spinning the wheel, the starter
will be … Stephen Garcia.
The most talented option, Garcia
getting the nod over Chris
Smelley is a statement by
Spurrier saying it’s time to go
with the guy with the biggest
upside. Garcia has barely
completed half his passes with
six touchdowns and five
interceptions, but he adds a
rushing element that Smelley
doesn’t. Expect more running,
more pressure heaped on his
shoulders, and more mistakes.
South Carolina quarterbacks
throw picks; that’s what they
do.
The woes of the USC offense have
forced the defense to play at a
higher level with Eric
Norwood the star of the
show. The First Team All-SEC
selection has been part
defensive lineman and part
linebacker, turned loose this
season with nine sacks and 66
tackles. Too strong for most
tight ends and too quick for
most tackles, he’s been all over
the field this season and has
been a wrecking crew at times.
He has talent around him so he
can’t be keyed on, but he’ll
need to be the main focus of the
Iowa offense. At the very least,
he should make his presence felt
against the Hawkeye ground game.
Expect this to be the last time
Shonn Greene is in an
Iowa uniform. After starting his
career in Iowa City, he had to
leave to get his grades up to
snuff. This off-season, it was
hardly a given that he was going
to be the starter, much less a
star, and no one was close to
seeing a 1,729-yard, 17
touchdown season coming. While
he finished second in the nation
in rushing, he was the only back
to gain 100 yards or more in
every game with a great
combination of breakaway speed
and workhorse toughness. Against
the Gamecock defense, if he
makes it 13-for-13 on the
century mark, he’ll have to earn
it.
South Carolina will win if...
it doesn’t royally screw up.
Iowa’s offense has been solid
against the mediocre, but South
Carolina’s defense, especially
with time to heal and time to
prepare, is hardly average.
However, in what should be a
close game, turnover margin
should mean everything, and Iowa
doesn’t give the ball away,
finishing 27th in the
nation in turnover margin. South
Carolina gave the ball away in a
steady stream all season long,
but of the 33 turnovers, 16 came
in the five losses with eight in
the last two games. There will
be at least three giveaways, but
they can’t be the killer
variety. They can’t lead to
immediate scores and the defense
will have to do its part to
clean up the mess if Garcia and
company start to blow it.
Iowa will win if... it holds
South Carolina to under 100
rushing yards. Helped immensely
by King and Kroul, Iowa finished
tenth in the nation in run
defense allowing 98.25 yards per
game. Wisconsin was kept to 158
yards, LeSean McCoy was held
relatively in check as Pitt ran
for just 130 yards, and Penn
State had the most success with
180 yards. South Carolina is 5-0
when it runs for 100 yards or
more, and 2-5 when it doesn’t,
with six of its seven rushing
touchdowns coming in the wins.
What will happen:
Greene will be kept to under 100
yards for the first time all
season long, but the formula
should work out well for Iowa.
South Carolina can’t run,
Garcia, and eventually Smelley,
will have to throw, there will
be at least three interceptions,
and Iowa will capitalize doing
just enough to get by in the
slugfest. The South Carolina
defense will be great, but it
won’t be able to pick up the
slack.
Line: Iowa -3.5
... CFN Prediction:
Iowa 23 … South Carolina 17
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2009 Outback Bowl
Player Profiles, Histories, & More