By Brendan Stiles
brendan-stiles@uiowa.edu
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Before the 2009 season began for Georgia Tech, junior running back Jonathan Dwyer was already considered an elite back in the ACC.
In 2008, Dwyer gashed opposing defenses to the tune of 1,395 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground en route to becoming the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.
This season, Dwyer posted similar numbers. But his teammates and coaches say his success is the result of being a more confident player.
As a B-back in Georgia Tech’s spread option offense, Dwyer tallied 1,346 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season. In part, he guided the ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets to a conference titie and a trip to the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl where they face No. 10 Iowa on Tuesday at Land Shark Stadium in Miami.
Dwyer knew he had to evolve into what he described as “a complete running back” for the Yellow Jackets to build off the nine-win season they had in 2008, when he first became the offense’s focal point.
“There were a couple games last year where it was just, ‘Jonathan, make something happen,’” junior center Sean Bedford said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with as a blocker. We’ve seen what he can do on the ground, we’ve seen he can run people over, and he can catch balls. … I think he’s one of the more complete backs I’ve seen.”
One part of Dwyer’s game that junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt noticed throughout the season was how he was becoming more patient, citing how his performances during the latter portion of the season got better each week.
In the Yellow Jackets’ final five games of the regular season, Dwyer scored at least once in each of those contests, including three touchdowns on the ground in a 56-31 victory at Vanderbilt.
“He started off kind of slow this year, but he came on strong for us at the end,” Nesbitt said.
Heading into the Orange Bowl, Dwyer is closing in on some impressive school records. Should he rush for 100 yards or more against the Hawkeyes, the Marietta, Ga., native will tie a school record with 18 career 100-yard rushing games with two others.
As for school records he’ll likely break as a senior next season, he is currently 10 rushing touchdowns shy of the record set in 1984 by Robert Lavette with 45.
And another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2010 would make Dwyer the Yellow Jackets’ all-time leading rusher.
In Georgia Tech’s two losses this season, Dwyer rushed for a combined 40 yards against Miami (Fla.) and Georgia, meaning the key for an Iowa win would be to shut him down — a far from easy feat.
“He runs hard,” senior offensive tackle Cord Howard said. “Even when you think he’s only going to get a 4-yard gain, he runs a few people over and it turns into a 10-yard gain.”
