Orange Bowl Preview
January 1st, 2009 by Mike Ware
Orange Bowl: Iowa (10-2) vs. GeorgiaTech (11-2)
What a run the Iowa Hawkeyes had this year. I was quick to jump on their bandwagon after the Arizona victory and had no clue just how close they would come to winning the Big Ten. But then they started playing games way to close and not closing out opponents when they had the chance. They escaped Wisconsin with a win. They squeaked by Michigan State. But they tripped against Northwestern and Ohio State. They should have beaten Ohio State in my opinion but injuries have a way of hurting teams down the stretch. But man what a ride it has been. I am still on that bandwagon along with the other Gold and Black faithful.
The nice thing about the Orange Bowl is that Iowa isn’t the only team with a heck of a season. Georgia Tech got on a roll and tore up the ACC for the most part. I thought they were done after the Miami (FL) loss and admit I lost interest for a while. By the time the Yellow Jackets met Georgia in Atlanta I was interested in them once again. These guys are just fun to watch. RB’s Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt ran all over opponents this year. Dwyer rushed for 1396 yards and 14 TD’s while Nesbitt rushed for 991 yards and 18 TD’s. Then you have WR Demaryius Thomas hauling in another 1154 yards receiving and scoring 8 TD’s. The offense ranked 10th overall on the Blitz Index this year. They were just fun to watch.
Now the Hawkeyes on the other hand were not exactly kind to their fans with heart conditions. Close games and last minute wins takes a toll on a fan but when your team wins it is fun. This team was lead most of the year by QB Ricky Stanzi who compiled 2186 passing yards and threw 15 TD’s. The running game was carried by two Freshman, Adam Robinson (775 yards and 5 TD) and Brandon Wegher (528 yards and 7 TD). Marvin McNutt and Darrell Johnson-Koulianos were the primary receiving threats for the Hawkeyes. But this offense finished the season ranked 85th in offense on the Blitz Index. They have a top ranked (8th) defense though. The big question is can they contain the option offense of the Yellow Jackets.
Prediction: I think this one will be fun for a while but I am not sure the Hawkeyes will be ready for the explosive GT offense. I guess this is where I officially get off the Iowa bandwagon.
Georgia Tech 34 – Iowa 20
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