Iowa junior offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga has chosen to forgo a final season with the Hawkeyes by becoming eligible for the 2010 NFL draft.
Bulaga, the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, issued the following statement Wednesday:
“After much deliberation and careful consideration, I have decided to forgo my fourth year of college eligibility and enter the upcoming NFL draft. This was not an easy decision since my Iowa experience has been very positive and rewarding.
“The illness I was faced with at the beginning of the 2009 season made me realize how important football is in my life and how quickly it can be taken away. … I will always be a Hawkeye and will carry that with me proudly wherever my future takes me. Thanks to everyone for the support you’ve always given me.”
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz released the following statement:
“Bryan has been a valued team member, well beyond his outstanding play on the field. I’m very appreciative of his efforts on the team’s behalf. I am confident Bryan will do very well in the years to come and again be a valuable asset to his future team. We wish him the best and continued success.”
In the coldest Orange Bowl ever, No. 10 Iowa won its first Bowl Championship Series bowl game since the 1959 Rose Bowl Tuesday night at Land Shark Stadium in Miami.
Thanks in part to a late fourth-quarter touchdown run by true freshman running back Brandon Wegher, Iowa downed No, 9 Georgia Tech, 24-14.
Iowa junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi went 17-for-29 passing, returning to action for the first time since suffering an ankle injury during the regular season against Northwestern on Nov. 7, 2009.
The Hawkeyes tallied two touchdowns in the first quarter to take an immediate 14-0 lead it didn’t relinquish.
Check back later tonight for more coverage from the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl.
MIAMI — In just four days, the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes have gotten acclimated to the warm weather of South Florida.
While Iowa’s opponent in the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl, the No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, had just landed in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday, the Hawkeyes have been practicing on the fields of Barry University since arriving in Miami on Dec. 27.
The team has found a way to use the extra three days to its advantage.
“We’re making progress,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said after practice on Wednesday. “It’s good to be outdoors.”
Ferentz said they’re constantly shuffling the offensive line; that shifting was noticeable Wednesday.
Senior offensive lineman Kyle Calloway, who has started 11 of the Hawkeyes’ 12 regular-season games at right tackle, took snaps at right guard with the first unit. Redshirt freshman Riley Reiff, who has started 10 games on the left side between guard and tackle this season, took his place at right tackle, while junior Julian Vandervelde practiced at left guard.
“We like to keep people working at different positions, more than one, just to have that fluidness in there just in case someone goes down,” senior center Rafael Eubanks said.
Eubanks added while he is unsure of how the lineup will actually look in the Orange Bowl, it wouldn’t surprise him if Wednesday’s placements held for game day.
Senior Dace Richardson, who missed Iowa’s last four games after suffering a broken ankle, also returned. Richardson took snaps with the second unit, but the team remains optimistic for his return to play on Jan. 5.
“He’s slowly working himself in there,” Eubanks said. “He says he feels better each day.”
The Hawkeyes are also adjusting to life in Miami off the field. The team is staying at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, one of the most prestigious hotels in the area.
Players have also encountered celebrities since arriving earlier in the week: former NBA player Dennis Rodman, actor/musician Jamie Foxx, actor John Travolta, and singer Lady Gaga, who is performing at the hotel on New Year’s Eve.
Senior linebacker A.J. Edds said he’s taken note of the celebrities, especially Rodman.
“I was looking for Carmen Electra following him, but she wasn’t there,” the Greenwood, Ind., native said, joking.
But even amid all the possible distractions the city has to offer, Ferentz maintained his team is all business.
“The guys are having a great time, and they’re really enjoying it, but the nicest thing about it is that they can’t afford to do too much,” Ferentz said.
Georgia Tech will conduct its first practice in the Sunshine State on Thursday at Nova Southeastern University. Iowa will take the day off Thursday, with only a team weight-lifting session on the agenda. They’ll return to the practice field on Friday.
Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com for coverage each day leading up to the Jan. 5 contest at Land Shark Stadium.
The Iowa field hockey team (9-10) was eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, suffering a 5-1 loss at the hands of No. 8 and top-seeded Michigan State (16-3) in East Lansing, Mich.
The semifinal loss snaps the Hawkeyes’ record-setting Big Ten Tournament winning streak of 10 games. Goals from the Spartans’ Manouk Vernij, Jeamie Deacon, Adelle Lever, and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Floor Rijpma, established an insurmountable 4-0 halftime lead.
Iowa senior Tricia Dean attempted to lead a Hawkeye comeback, scoring Iowa’s only goal — her second in as many days — at the 46:32 mark druing the second half.
But Vernij added the Spartans’ fifth and final goal at the 62:44 mark to seal the victory and propel Michigan State to the championship round on Nov. 8.
The loss concludes the Hawkeyes’ season. Iowa’s sub-.500 record leaves the team ineligible for NCAA Tournament play.
