2010 Orange Bowl
Iowa (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (11-2)
Miami, FL, Jan. 5, 8 pm Fox
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Team Pages and 2009 Season
Iowa | Georgia Tech
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2009 CFN
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Bowl Preview
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2007 CFN Orange Bowl Preview |
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National Rankings
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I |
|
GT |
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93rd |
Total Offense |
12th |
|
10th |
Total Defense |
52nd |
|
86th |
Scoring Offense |
13th |
|
9th |
Scoring Defense |
56th |
|
103rd |
Rushing Offense |
2nd |
|
30th |
Run Defense |
66th |
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55th |
Passing Offense |
115th |
|
9th |
Passing Defense |
43rd |
|
45th |
Turnover Margin |
22nd |
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Position Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
I |
5 highest
1 lowest |
GT |
|
3 |
Quarterbacks |
4.5 |
|
2.5 |
RBs |
5 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
3 |
|
4 |
O Line |
4.5 |
|
3.5 |
D Line |
4 |
|
5 |
Linebackers |
3.5 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
3 |
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4 |
Spec
Teams |
4 |
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4.5 |
Coaching |
5 |
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Orange Bowl History |
| 2009 |
Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 7 |
| 2008 |
Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 21 |
| 2007 |
Louisville 24, Wake Forest 13 |
| 2006 |
Penn St 26, Florida St 23 3OT |
| 2005 |
USC 55, Oklahoma 19 |
| 2004 |
Miami 16, Florida State 14 |
| 2003 |
USC 38, Iowa 17 |
| 2002 |
Florida 56, Maryland 23 |
| 2001 |
Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2 |
| 2000 |
Michigan 35, Alabama 34 (OT) |
| 1999 |
Florida 31, Syracuse 10 |
| 1998 |
Nebraska 42, Tennessee 17 |
| 1997 |
Nebraska 41, Virginia Tech 21 |
| 1996 |
Florida St 31, Notre Dame 26 |
| 1995 |
Nebraska 24, Miami 17 |
| 1994 |
Florida State 18, Nebraska 16 |
| 1993 |
Florida State 27, Nebraska 14 |
| 1992 |
Miami 22, Nebraska 0 |
| 1991 |
Colorado 10, Notre Dame 9 |
| 1990 |
Notre Dame 21, Colorado 6 |
| 1989 |
Miami 23, Nebraska 3 |
| 1988 |
Miami 20, Oklahoma 14 |
| 1987 |
Oklahoma 42, Arkansas 8 |
| 1986 |
Oklahoma 25, Penn State 10 |
| 1985 |
Washington 28, Oklahoma 17 |
| 1984 |
Miami 31, Nebraska 30 |
| 1983 |
Nebraska 21, LSU 20 |
| 1982 |
Clemson 22, Nebraska 15 |
| 1981 |
Oklahoma 18, Florida State 17 |
| 1980 |
Oklahoma 24, Florida State 7 |
| 1979 |
Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 24 |
| 1978 |
Arkansas 31, Oklahoma 0 |
| 1977 |
Ohio State 27, Colorado 10 |
| 1976 |
Oklahoma 14, Michigan 6 |
| 1975 |
Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11 |
| 1974 |
Penn State 16, LSU 9 |
| 1973 |
Nebraska 40, Notre Dame 6 |
| 1972 |
Nebraska 38, Alabama 6 |
| 1971 |
Nebraska 17, LSU 12 |
| 1970 |
Penn State 10, Missouri 3 |
| 1969 |
Penn State 15, Kansas 14 |
| 1968 |
Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 24 |
| 1967 |
Florida 27, Georgia Tech 12 |
| 1966 |
Alabama 39, Nebraska 28 |
| 1965 |
Texas 21, Alabama 17 |
| 1964 |
Nebraska 13, Auburn 7 |
| 1963 |
Alabama 17, Oklahoma 0 |
| 1962 |
LSU 25, Colorado 7 |
| 1961 |
Missouri 21, Navy 14 |
| 1960 |
Georgia 14, Missouri 0 |
| 1959 |
Oklahoma 21, Syracuse 6 |
| 1958 |
Oklahoma 48, Duke 21 |
| 1957 |
Colorado 27, Clemson 21 |
| 1956 |
Oklahoma 20, Maryland 6 |
| 1955 |
Duke 34, Nebraska 7 |
| 1954 |
Oklahoma 7, Maryland 0 |
| 1953 |
Alabama 61, Syracuse 6 |
| 1952 |
Georgia Tech 17, Baylor 14 |
| 1951 |
Clemson 15, Miami 14 |
| 1950 |
Santa Clara 21, Kentucky 13 |
| 1949 |
Texas 41, Georgia 28 |
| 1948 |
Georgia Tech 20, Kansas 14 |
| 1947 |
Rice 8, Tennessee 0 |
| 1946 |
Miami 13, Holy Cross 6 |
| 1945 |
Tulsa 26, Georgia Tech 12 |
| 1944 |
LSU 19, Texas A&M 14 |
| 1943 |
Alabama 37, Boston College 21 |
| 1942 |
Georgia 40, TCU 26 |
| 1941 |
Mississippi State 14, Georgetown 7 |
| 1940 |
Georgia Tech 21, Missouri 7 |
| 1939 |
Tennessee 17, Oklahoma 0 |
| 1938 |
Auburn 6, Michigan State 0 |
| 1937 |
Duquesne 13, Mississippi State 12 |
| 1936 |
Catholic 20, Mississippi 19 |
| 1935 |
Bucknell 26, Miami 0 |
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If part of the goal and part of the joy of the bowl season is to put a little bit of proof to the opinions, theories, and believes about teams and conferences, then by far this is the most intriguing of all the BCS games because of the Georgia Tech offense.
How do you stop the Yellow Jacket option offense? Good linebackers, lots of discipline, and the time prepare. However, Navy was able to rock against Missouri and Air Force ripped up Houston, but for Georgia Tech to come up with a big offensive performance would be a whole different level for the option.
Tech’s magnificent ground game finished second in the nation behind Nevada averaging 307 yards per game, but outside of the opener against Jacksonville State, only one team had more than a week to get ready for the attack, Miami, and the fired up, athletic Canes were able to allow just 95 yards and a score. Georgia held Tech to 205 yards, and that, along with the Miami game, were the team’s two worst rushing games this year. They also happened to be the two losses.
As good as the offense has been this year, it was even hotter at the end of last season ripping off 881 yards and nine touchdowns in dominant wins over Miami and Georgia. LSU had more than month off to prepare for Paul Johnson’s offense, allowed just 164 rushing yards, and won in a 38-3 Chick-fil-A blowout. Now it’s up to Johnson and his veterans in the backfield to show that the offense really can fly in primetime, and it’s time for the ACC to show that it can play a little bit.
Virginia Tech gave the conference a 20-7 win over Cincinnati in last year’s Orange Bowl, but that was treated with a collective yawn. That Bearcat team wasn’t the killer that this year’s team was, and PR-wise, the Big East gets less respect than the ACC. The Hokie win was the ACC’s first in the Orange Bowl since 1996 (Miami won the 2004 game over Florida State, but it was still in the Big East at the time). Iowa might not be one of the elite of the elite teams, but a win over the Big Ten would be a big deal for the ACC, and it would cement Georgia Tech as a bona fide star to watch out for as long as Johnson is at the helm.
Iowa’s run defense allows 122 rushing yards per game, but it’s better than the stats show allowing just eight rushing touchdowns on the year, with three coming in the loss to Ohio State and three to Michigan in a win, and has only allowed more than 200 yards once (Ohio State). This might not be the prettiest of teams, defining the term winning ugly, but it’s a smart, disciplined team that has found ways time and again this season to pull out close games when they appeared to be dead.
The Hawkeyes needed a few blocked kicks in the final seconds to avoid embarrassment against Northern Iowa, were saved by four takeaways against Penn State, held on late against Michigan, mounted an epic, last-second touchdown drive to beat Michigan State, and managed to slug by bad teams like Arkansas State while beating a good one like Wisconsin. Not getting much in the way of respect after losing heartbreakers to Northwestern and Ohio State before a lousy performance in the 12-0 win over Minnesota, Iowa can make this a second straight sweet offseason after pounding South Carolina in last year’s Outback.
Iowa hasn’t been a bad bowl team under Kirk Ferentz, but the last BCS-level bowl the program won was the 1958 Rose Bowl over Cal. Since then the Hawkeyes are 0-for-4 in the big spotlight games and weren’t remotely close in any of them. But this is a far different team than the 2002 group that was blasted by Carson Palmer and USC in the Orange, and it’s much tougher than the 1990 team that lost to Washington in the Rose. The Hawkeyes will provide the toughest test of the year for the Yellow Jacket offense, but the Iowa offense has to find something that works, too.
The team has lived and died all year on its defense and the ability to come through in the clutch, but few teams have been better under adverse in-game conditions as Georgia Tech and it knows how to win tight games just as much as Iowa does. No matter what the outcome, for fans who like to study trends and tendencies, there will be plenty to analyze.
Players to Watch: It’s relatively simple. Whomever wins the battle between Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt and Iowa LB Pat Angerer will probably lead his team to the win.
Nesbitt is a smart, tough gamer who doesn’t flinch in the face of adversity and is as cool as they come in the clutch. He’s great at making the right reads on the option and he has a nice combination of speed in the open field and toughness to barrel his way for tough short runs. While he ran for 991 yards and 18 touchdowns, scoring at least once in each of the last eight games, he struggles as a consistent passer hitting on just 48% of his throws for 1,689 yards and ten touchdowns with four interceptions. However, he makes his passes count hitting home run after home run to Demaryius Thomas, a future NFL target who caught just 46 passes on the year, but averaged 25 yards per grab.
Keeping Nesbitt under wraps is Job One for the Iowa. Tech lost two games this year with Nesbitt running for 29 yards against Miami and 41 against Georgia. Those were two of his three worst rushing games of the season (he ran for 39 yards in a blowout over Duke, but threw for 195 yards and two scores), and Iowa’s run defense that has been so strong all year has to stop him at the point of attack and keep him from getting a chance to make more than one read. That’s where Angerer comes in.
Michigan State’s Greg Jones was the best linebacker in college football this season and Alabama’s Rolando McClain won the Butkus, but Angerer was as good as anyone finishing fifth in the nation in tackles and came up biggest in the biggest games making 14 stops against Penn State, 13 against Ohio State, and to close out the year, he made 16 tackles against Minnesota. Even in the loss to Northwestern he came up big with 17 stops. With his quickness, ability to read and react behind the defensive tackles, and his ability to sniff out quarterback runs, he was made for this game. It wouldn’t be shocking if he finished with 20 tackles.
Iowa QB James Vanderberg stepped up and was solid when thrown into a tough situation late in the year, but the offense should run a bit better with its leader back. Ricky Stanzi was never pretty, threw 14 interceptions to his 15 touchdown passes, doesn’t run, doesn’t have a big arm, and doesn’t make enough good reads on a regular basis, but he has a knack for sparking an offense that’s relatively short on firepower. He missed most of the Northwestern loss and was out against Ohio State and Northwestern with an ankle injury, but he’s ready to go and he needs to be sharp. While he might give Georgia Tech a few interceptions, or at least a few chances, he’ll keep the chains moving and is the leader who’ll calm everything down when things get tight.
Georgia Tech will win if ... it runs for more than 205 yards. Georgia Tech came up with 95 net yards against Miami and 205 against Georgia, and lost both games. The running game rumbled for 300 or more against everyone else except Mississippi State, running for 213 yards, but the Yellow Jackets scored four times on the ground and got a season-high 266 passing yards.
Winning the turnover battle is also a must. Iowa isn’t the type of team that can keep up in any sort of shootout, and if the Georgia Tech offense is working, the Hawkeye attack will try to throw to get back in the game and that’s when the takeaways will come. Iowa is at its best when the defense is swarming, can dictate the action by coming up with several stops to get the Tech attack off the field, and by taking the ball away. The Yellow Jackets are stingy with the ball, not throwing enough to lose many interceptions (just five on the season) while only losing 12 fumbles, with six coming in two games, both wins, but Iowa has a way to make good offenses screw up. This isn’t an Iowa defense that forces a lot of fumbles, but it makes a lot of big plays on short to midrange passes. Nesbitt can’t screw up, while Morgan Nesbitt and the Tech secondary have to take advantage of the chances Stanzi will provide.
Iowa will win if ... the linebackers don’t focus only on Nesbitt. It bears repeating that this really is the most crucial part of this game. Iowa was able to get into the backfield against Ohio State, but the defensive front got pushed around, pounding away for a tough running day from Daniel Herron, and the linebackers didn’t do enough against Brandon Saine, who tore off 103 yards and two scores averaging 9.4 yards per carry. Terrelle Pryor didn’t run wild, but he was able to move around enough to complete 14-of-17 passes partially because the linebackers were so worried about stopping him from taking off. Michigan didn’t get a big running day out of QB Tate Forcier, but he was able to read the plays well enough to get the ball to Brandon Minor and Michael Shaw, who each ran well enough to keep the chains moving. The Wolverines and Buckeyes didn’t gouge the Iowa defense, but they did enough to keep the chains moving. If Iowa spends most of its time trying to stuff Nesbitt first, Dwyer and Anthony Allen will be gone.
Offensively, Iowa has to get an ultra-efficient day out of Stanzi. The problem is that he’s not an ultra-efficient passer. He’s bound to be rusty after not throwing a pass in anger for almost two months, but Georgia Tech’s secondary can be beaten. Tech won’t respect the Iowa running game in the least meaning that Stanzi will have to be extremely careful with his short-to-midrange passes early, especially to his fabulous tight end Tony Moeaki , and he can’t afford to melt down early like he did against Indiana, throwing five interceptions. Stanzi has four multi-interception games this year, but Iowa won all four. The Hawkeyes won’t have the same luck if a few picks lead to a Georgia Tech lead.
What will happen: Iowa has spent the entire year trying to prove to the world that it really is good enough to warrant all the attention, and this game will finally provide the proof. With the time to prepare, the linebackers will be disciplined, the offense will be boring, but effective, and the time of possession will be decidedly in Iowa’s favor. Much will be made of the Tech offense vs. the Iowa defense, and rightly so, but it’ll be the play of the Hawkeye offense, particularly the line, that will ultimately be the story. The Yellow Jacket offense will have its moments, but not enough of them as the solid Big Ten bowl season will end with a bang.
CFN Prediction: Iowa 26 … Georgia Tech 20 ... Line: Georgia Tech -4
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Best Hawkeye Bowl Moment: For the 11 members of the Big Ten conference, success is measured in terms Rose Bowl berths and victories. For the Hawkeyes, that level of success hasn’t reached their campus since the latter half of the 1950s. Iowa beat Oregon State and Cal in 1957 and 1959, respectively for their only Rose Bowl victories. The 38-12 win over the Golden Bears was particularly impressive as the offense rolled up 441 of its 528 total yards on the ground.
Best Yellow Jacket Bowl Moment: Tech boasts a nifty 22-15 bowl record, including 8-7 since 1985. The Jackets did most of their big-game damage in the 1940s and 1950s; however, it was the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl which means the most to today’s generation of Tech fans. Led by the passing of Shawn Jones and the running of William Bell, Bobby Ross’ team pummeled Nebraska 45-21, en route to an unbeaten season and the UPI’s share of the national championship.
Iowa Bowl History
(12-10-1)
|
2009 |
Outback |
Iowa 31, South Carolina 10 |
|
2006 |
Alamo |
Texas 26, Iowa 24 |
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2006 |
Outback |
Florida 31, Iowa 24 |
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2004 |
Capital One |
Iowa 30, LSU 25 |
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2003 |
Outback |
Iowa 37, Florida 17 |
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2002 |
Orange |
USC 38, Iowa 17 |
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2001 |
Alamo |
Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16 |
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1997 |
Sun |
Arizona State 17, Iowa 7 |
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1996 |
Alamo |
Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0 |
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1995 |
Sun |
Iowa 38, Washington 18 |
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1993 |
Alamo |
Cal 37, Iowa 3 |
|
1991 |
Holiday |
Iowa 13, BYU 13 |
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1990 |
Rose |
Washington 46, Iowa 34 |
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1988 |
Peach |
N.C. State 28, Iowa 23 |
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1987 |
Holiday |
Iowa 20, Wyoming 19 |
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1986 |
Holiday |
Iowa 39, San Diego State
38 |
|
1985 |
Rose |
UCLA 45, Iowa 28 |
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1984 |
Freedom |
Iowa 55, Texas 17 |
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1983 |
Gator |
Florida 14, Iowa 6 |
|
1982 |
Peach |
Iowa 28, Tennessee 22 |
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1981 |
Rose |
Washington 28, Iowa 0 |
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1958 |
Rose |
Iowa 38, Cal 12 |
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1957 |
Rose |
Iowa 35, Oregon State 19 |
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Georgia Tech Bowl
History (22-15)
|
2008 |
Chick-fil-A |
LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3 |
|
2007 |
Humanitarian |
Fresno State 40, Georgia
Tech 24 |
|
2006 |
Gator |
West Virginia 38, Georgia Tech
35 |
|
2004 |
Champs Sports |
Georgia Tech 51,
Syracuse 14 |
|
2003 |
Humanitarian |
Georgia Tech 52, Tulsa
10 |
|
2002 |
Silicon Valley |
Fresno State 30, Georgia
Tech 21 |
|
2001 |
Seattle |
Georgia Tech 24,
Stanford 14 |
|
2000 |
Peach |
LSU 28, Georgia Tech 14 |
|
1999 |
Gator |
Miami 28, Georgia Tech
13 |
|
1998 |
Gator |
Georgia Tech 35, Notre
Dame 28 |
|
1997 |
Carquest |
Georgia Tech 35, West
Virginia 30 |
|
1991 |
Aloha |
Georgia Tech 18,
Stanford 17 |
|
1990 |
Citrus |
Georgia Tech 45,
Nebraska 21 |
|
1985 |
All-American |
Georgia Tech 17,
Michigan State 14 |
|
1978 |
Peach |
Purdue 41, Georgia Tech
21 |
|
1972 |
Liberty |
Georgia Tech 31, Iowa
State 30 |
|
1971 |
Peach |
Mississippi 41, Georgia
Tech 18 |
|
1970 |
Sun |
Georgia Tech 17, Texas
Tech 9 |
|
1966 |
Orange |
Florida 27, Georgia Tech
12 |
|
1965 |
Gator |
Georgia Tech 31, Texas
Tech 21 |
|
1962 |
Bluebonnet |
Missouri 14, Georgia
Tech 10 |
|
1961 |
Gator |
Penn State 30, Georgia
Tech 15 |
|
1959 |
Gator |
Arkansas 14, Georgia
Tech 7 |
|
1956 |
Gator |
Georgia Tech 21,
Pittsburgh 14 |
|
1955 |
Sugar |
Georgia Tech 7,
Pittsburgh 0 |
|
1954 |
Cotton |
Georgia Tech 14,
Arkansas 6 |
|
1953 |
Sugar |
Georgia Tech 42, West
Virginia 19 |
|
1952 |
Sugar |
Georgia Tech 24,
Mississippi 7 |
|
1951 |
Orange |
Georgia Tech 17, Baylor
14 |
|
1947 |
Orange |
Georgia Tech 20, Kansas
14 |
|
1946 |
Oil |
Georgia Tech 41, St.
Mary's 19 |
|
1944 |
Orange |
Tulsa 26, Georgia Tech
12 |
|
1943 |
Sugar |
Georgia Tech 20, Tulsa
18 |
|
1942 |
Cotton |
Texas 14, Georgia Tech 7 |
|
1939 |
Orange |
Georgia Tech 21,
Missouri 7 |
|
1928 |
Rose |
Georgia Tech 8,
California 7 |
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