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.

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson met the media afterwards and addressed how his team is well-prepared to face the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at Land Shark Stadium on Tuesday night in Miami.

The second-year head coach said he believed his team became more physical throughout the practices, making it clear this was a business trip. He said the work he and his coaching staff put the team through was “short of killing them.”

At Sunday’s practice, an emphasis was made on special teams.

Johnson described facing Iowa’s defense as a challenge, saying how the Hawkeyes might have a better unit than any team the Yellow Jackets have faced in ACC play this season.

When attempting to break down how he feels this game with Iowa will go, Johnson used the term “physical,” saying how the Hawkeyes have players big and stature and from an offensive standpoint like to establish a running game like Georgia Tech does.

The Yellow Jackets will hold a team walk-thru at Land Shark Stadium on Monday before taking the field Tuesday night.

— by Brendan Stiles

In his final on-site gathering with the media, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz described how Sunday’s practice functioned as the equivalent of what a Thursday practice would be like during a normal game week.

He also stressed how attention to detail would be important for his players when they play Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Ferentz said he anticipates both Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher to be healthy enough to give Iowa a one-two punch in the backfield it has lacked since the Hawkeyes’ 15-13 win at Michigan State.

He added senior offensive lineman Dace Richardson is expected to play Tuesday, but it hasn’t been established whether or not Richardson will start with the first unit.

On the academic front, Ferentz reported that no one on the team has been ruled ineligible for Tuesday’s game.

He also singled out two players he feels have played under the radar this season.

One Hawkeye was junior defensive lineman Karl Klug, who became a first-year starter after the graduations of Mitch King and Matt Kroul.

The other was redshirt freshman offensive lineman Riley Reiff, who initially filled in for junior Bryan Bulaga for three starts before finding himself in the regular rotation upon Bulaga’s return from a thyroid condition.

Iowa will hold a team walk-thru at Land Shark Stadium on Monday before taking the field against Georgia Tech Tuesday evening.

— 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.”

brendan-stiles@uiowa.edu

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Call them an “odd couple.”

Iowa senior linebackers Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds might be as different as two people can get. But Tuesday night, the duo will play in their final games together as Hawkeyes when No. 10 Iowa faces No.9 Georgia Tech at Land Shark Stadium in Miami.

The differences are clear cut. On the field, Angerer is arguably the heart and soul of the Iowa defense. Away, he is as colorful as one can get.

Edds, on the other hand, is a three-year starter and highly regarded for his versatility — rarely seen in a linebacker.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz drew a parallel between the two linebackers and the two defensive linemen who led the way last season in Mitch King and Matt Kroul. Sophomore defensive end Broderick Binns likened the pair to “big brothers,” showing everyone the way.

“They provide a lot of leadership,” junior defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. “Pat, he’s a crazy, crazy person, but he keeps us up. A.J., he’s so smart, and he just gives us knowledge throughout the game and in practice.”

However, the paths now leading them to the end of their senior seasons started even less similar.

Angerer came in with a heralded 2005 recruiting class, and the Bettendorf native wasn’t providing much of an impact for the Hawkeyes until his junior season.

“The relationships that I have built with these guys, it has really been unbelievable, and something that’s going to last me the rest of my life,” Angerer said.

Meanwhile, Edds originally committed to Iowa as a tight end before switching to linebacker. The Greenwood, Ind., native never redshirted and started as a true sophomore alongside the likes of former Hawkeyes Mike Humpal and Mike Klinkenborg.

Edds said learning from those two players, as well as King and Kroul, allowed him to mold into the type of leader that has earn the respect of his teammates and coaches.

“You just try to learn from those guys, understand what they do, the way they show up and work everyday,” Edds said. “The biggest thing is it’s easy to talk the talk, if you will, but the way you really earn respect and you get there as far as your teammates valuing what you do is by showing up and working everyday and do what you need to on a daily basis.”

As different as they may be, both players know they have a chance to end their Hawkeye careers on the highest of notes.

“This is such a great bowl game, and such a great opportunity. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Angerer said.

But what makes this more compelling is where Nesbitt was just two years ago, when Paul Johnson was hired from Navy as Georgia Tech’s head coach.

At that time, Nesbitt was an unknown commodity. Not only had he not seen the field in college, but according to quarterbacks/B-backs coach Brian Bohannon, the 6-1 signal-caller struggled with three-step and five-step drops, both of which are essential to a quarterback’s success in the passing game.

Bohannon summed up what Nesbitt has done in a span of two years as “a transformation.”

“He is physically as impressive as you’ll see,” Bohannon said. “He works extremely hard in the weight room in the off-season. What’s it done is now that he understands his role in this offense, he’s become a very, very tough runner. Hard to tackle.”

In two years, Nesbitt went from a player who rarely saw the field to one his teammates believe is as tough as they get.

With the spread option attack offense run by the Yellow Jackets, Nesbitt has put up remarkable numbers on the ground for a quarterback. In 13 games this season, he has posted 991 rushing yards on 259 carries and rushed for 18 touchdowns.

To put that into perspective, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has 859 yards rushing this season, and Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who won the 2009 Heisman Trophy, only crossed the goalline 15 times on the ground.

The one attribute his teammates and coaches say Nesbitt has is toughness.

“He has really just taken this team on his back,” junior center Sean Bedford said. ”You look at the number of times he gets hit in this offense, I’d love to see any other quarterback take the beating he does and make it through the season.

“He’s the toughest player I’ve ever been around.”

If that isn’t enough to prove Nesbitt’s leadership, he also threw for 1,689 yards passing and 10 touchdowns in addition to his success in Georgia Tech’s running game.

In fact, some of his teammates have even witnessed Nesbitt throw a football anywhere between 60-75 yards from his knees.

“Josh has got a strong arm,” junior wide receiver Demaryius “Bay-Bay” Thomas said. “He knows where to put [the ball] at. We worked over the summer a lot and it actually paid off a lot this year.”

Last season, when Nesbitt became the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback, he did enough to lead Georgia Tech to an appearance in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against LSU. He said the missed opportunities he had last season, along with a desire to win, motivated him in the off-season to evolve into the type of leader his team could rely on. A leader who can take his team to an ACC title and BCS bowl.

“I feel like last year, I could’ve seen some things across from me and done some things to turn the team around,” Nesbitt said. “I didn’t do it, and this year, I felt like I needed to take advantage of all those moments.”

— Brendan Stiles

Clayborn made his announcement public last week in Iowa City before the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes arrived in Miami for the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl against No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. For him, it was a major relief.

“I was thinking about it every day, having agents and other people pretty much calling me every day,” he said. “It took a drain on me definitely during finals week and going through school, practice.

“It was real stressful, and I just wanted to get it over with.”

The decision to stay not only brought satisfaction to Clayborn, but for others on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“I’ve been telling him to come back for a long time,” sophomore safety Tyler Sash said. “He’s a big part of our team, one of our leaders emotionally and physically on the field. It was huge just to find out he was coming back.”

With the losses of defensive linemen Mitch King and Matt Kroul to graduation from last season, it was no secret Clayborn would have to provide leadership along the defensive line for the Hawkeyes.

The numbers for the regular season suggest Clayborn did just that. In 2009, the St. Louis native tallied 61 tackles, 27 of which were solo. He also had 18 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles.

During his first two seasons as a Hawkeye, Clayborn had a combined 70 tackles (18 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.

“You definitely see him making more plays,” sophomore defensive end Broderick Binns said. “Adrian just leaves it out there on the live, every play, every game. It’s just great to watch him because he does some spectacular things out there.

“Sometimes, I’m just in awe, like, ‘Did he really make that play?’ “

He also had a knack for stepping up when it mattered.

In two of the Hawkeyes’ biggest games, he blocked a punt against Penn State, returned it for what would eventually be a game-winning 53-yard touchdown run, and came away with eight solo tackles in an overtime loss to Ohio State.

“Just throughout the game, he never seems to come through any adversity. If the game’s gone bad, he’s always there,” junior defensive tackle Christian Ballard said. “He’s a guy that we look to and a guy we try to rally around. He’s never flustered really, and I think that’s his best quality.”

As far as why Clayborn elected to come back, a lot of it simply had to do with gaining more experience at the collegiate level.

It also helps being along a defensive line that he said got better as the 2009 season progressed.

“My sophomore year, it wasn’t that great, it was all right,” Clayborn said. “This year was pretty good, but getting another year under my belt, then going to the NFL would be more beneficial.”

— Brendan Stiles

Preparing for the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 5, the ACC squad held its first practice on Thursday at Nova Southeastern University, the first of four practices for Georgia Tech leading up to the BCS contest next week.

Like the Hawkeyes, members of the Yellow Jackets watched an ample amount of game tape over the past month and came away from the film study with one observation: The Hawkeyes’ physicality is unlike anything they’ve seen.

“I’m going into the game thinking it’s going to be the most physical game I’ve ever played in,” Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt added Iowa’s defense reminded him a lot of Clemson, a team Georgia Tech defeated twice this season, including a 39-34 victory in the ACC Championship Game that enabled the Yellow Jackets to be in South Florida this week.

As far as which part of the Hawkeye defense left the biggest impression on him, Nesbitt immediately pointed to Iowa’s linebacking corps consisting of seniors Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds, and junior linebacker Jeremiha Hunter.

“They’re fundamentally sound,” Nesbitt said. “We just got to go in the game and be ready to play.”

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech B-back Jonathan Dwyer provided a slightly more interesting response. The sophomore said Iowa’s defense reminded him of the guys he faces in practice every week.

“Our coaches preach discipline,” Dwyer said. “[The Hawkeyes are] a fundamental team, so we just have to go out there, play our game, and be fundamentally sound as well.

“You’re going against one of the top defenses in the country. Who doesn’t want to go against that?”

But it wasn’t just the Yellow Jacket offense picking up on the Hawkeye physicality. Team members on the defensive side of the ball also took notice of Iowa’s offense as well.

Junior defensive end Derrick Morgan, highly regarded as a potential top-five NFL draft pick should he forego his senior year at Georgia Tech, said Iowa had a better offensive line than any opponent the Yellow Jackets have faced all season — both in ACC play and out-of-conference.

“They’re obviously big, the biggest we’ve probably seen all year,” Morgan said on Thursday. “They have good feet, good footwork, and they just have really good technique. It’s always good to go against talent like that.”

While fundamentals and physicality are areas Georgia Tech intends to primarily work on this week, Dwyer said the Yellow Jackets have gained more confidence over the past month since they became ACC champions in Tampa.

“If we go out and play our game, we have a shot at controlling the clock,” he said. “If we play fundamentally sound on offense, defense, and special teams, we have a chance to win the game.”

— Brendan Stiles

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.

— Brendan Stiles