Who would win the coldest Orange Bowl on record? A Big Ten team, of course. Iowa ended a fine season in great fashion, manhandling a Georgia Tech squad that looked befuddled. The Hawkeyes dominated the line of scrimmage from the get-go, which squashed the option attack of the Yellow Jackets from the point of attack and set up their own offense for an early lead. QB Ricky Stanzi (17-29/231y, 2 TDs) looked great in his return to action although his exemplary play must have left Iowa fans wondering what-might-have-been regarding the season if he had not gotten hurt in the eventual loss to Northwestern. DE Adrian Clayborn delighted Hawkeye fans with both his pre-game announcement that he would return for his senior year and his MVP-earning play during the game (9 tackles, 2 sacks). Iowa DC Norm Parker made a statement for next season's Frank Broyles Award for assistant coaches (won this year by Kirby Smart of Alabama), as his D held Tech to 143y rushing. A fine win for the program, the Big Ten and coach Kirk Ferentz, who is now focused on building a Top 10 program after troubles plagued the Hawkeyes in the middle of this decade.
As for Georgia Tech, this game marks consecutive bowls game blowouts by teams sporting top-notch defenses. Paul Johnson needs to keep his squad focused on winning the ACC again while also coming up with wrinkles to offset athletic Ds. He can expect better line play for his offense in what will be only the third season in this system.
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