The Iowa Hawkeyes (11-2) finished ranked one spot behind TCU and one spot ahead of Cincinnati in the final AP Poll. Click here for the full rankings.

The Hawkeyes finished the season earlier this week with a win in the Orange Bowl. Check out some pictures from the game below. (All photos by Todd E. McManus). Click on a picture to see it larger.

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Click here for game photos from the Orange Bowl

Commentary by Brian Siguenza
The Iowa Hawkeyes won tonight because they were able to control the game using their style of football.

As expected, it wasn’t always pretty, but the end result is something we’ve come to love about this team over the course of the year: that never-say-die attitude.

I think part of the credit there goes to the fans. Even when things got hairy, they didn’t stop believing this moment would happen. The Hawks–and their fans–deserve to celebrate this victory.

More stuff from the game (as released by the UI)
Iowa defeated Georgia Tech, 24-14 in the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl. Iowa has appeared in bowls in eight of last nine seasons, including six January bowl games and two BCS bowl appearances.

Iowa is now 1-1 in the Orange Bowl. The Hawkeyes lost to Southern Cal, 38-17 in 2003 Orange Bowl.

Tuesday’s game was the first meeting ever with Georgia Tech. Iowa was 0-7 previously against ACC.

Iowa finishes the season with an 11-2 overall record and a 6-2 league mark. The Hawkeyes posted double-figure wins for the fourth time under Head Coach Kirk Ferentz, including the third time in regular season. Additionally, Iowa has posted six league wins for third time under Ferentz. (more…)

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OK, FOX producers, can we slow down all these constant and unnecessary camera movements and quick cuts?

I’m getting just a bit seasick from all this. I just want to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes beat Georgia Tech.

Some of the cuts are so erratic that the camera is on players that nobody is even talking about. 

Also, to me it seems that the camera shots never stand still.

The cuts from one close-up of a player to a close-up of another player are so quick it’s hard to follow the Orange Bowl action.

All this cutting around made the unsuccessful fake field goal attempt by Iowa late in the fourth nearly unwatchable. FOX was on a close-up of kicker Daniel Murray as the fake play was starting. 

Johnson-Koulianos

Weird moment: At the 8:50 mark of the second quarter a catch by Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was under review. The announcers told us that we were going to break, which is what they did apparently since they stopped talking. But the FOX broadcast kept showing replays with nobody commenting for a bit.

Adrian Clayborn

One last weird first-half thing: A FOX announcer called Adrian Clayborn a “full grown man.” The Hawkeye defender is listed at 6’3” and 282 pounds. 

Worst use of telestrator: When FOX was talking about the game clock in the third quarter they circled it with the telestrator. As far as I know the clock is always in that top banner on the screen and doesn’t move. But thanks for circling it.

Just weird: FOX named Clayborn and Jerrard Tarrant of Georgia Tech Impact Players of the Game… kind of weird that they did that with 2:17 to go in the third quarter.

No bowl game since 1957? FOX said that Iowa hasn’t won a bowl game since then. We all know the Hawks have won bowl games since … somebody suggested here that the announcers were talking about “major” bowls. But that connection (if even valid, whch I don’t think it is) was only apparent to folks who remembered the previous comment.

Who? FOX called wide receiver Trey Stross “Terry Stross.” They did it again after Stross caught a pass. But then corrected themselves.

- Christoph Trappe

Related: Click here to join the Hawkeye live chat.

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By Brian Siguenza

The wait is almost over. More than six weeks after their last game, the tenth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will take to the Land Shark Stadium field in Miami Gardens, Fla., where they will meet the No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 76th edition of the Orange Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010 (7 p.m. on FOX).

Across this vast Internet, you’ll find differing opinions on what the outcome will be. Some people think Georgia Tech will simply be too much for the Hawks to handle, while others say Iowa will rise to the occasion. After giving it some serious thought myself, I’ve decided that this one could go either way. Whether it goes the way of the black and gold will be contingent upon some key factors.

First thing to keep an eye on is the weather. Miami is known for its sunshine and warm temperatures, but this is a night game, and South Florida is in the middle of a “cold spell.” Tuesday’s high will be 61, according to The Weather Channel, with a near freezing overnight low of 36. They’re also calling for northwest winds at 16 miles per hour.

The cold and wind could affect Georgia Tech’s passing game, which has low numbersto begin with. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt has completed less than half of his passes this year and averages 130 yards a game in the air. But it’s the run game that’s the real threat. On the year, the Yellow Jackets ran for over 4,000 yards, with 2,500 of those coming from Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer.

For the Hawkeyes, Ricky Stanzi will be another key to victory. He’s been pretty clutch throughout the year and isn’t afraid to roll the dice. Unfortunately, some of those gambles have ended up in six points for the other team.  If Iowa is to have a chance, Stanzi needs to limit his mistakes.

His receivers will need to step it up a notch as well. They’ve been good for the most part, but every now and then get a case of the dropsies. Georgia Tech allows 357 yards of total offense a game, so the Hawks should get yards, but they need to turn them into points. Too many turnovers and three-and-outs won’t help the Hawks’ cause.

Again, this game could go either way, but I think it will come down to defense. There is no doubt in my mind Norm Parker will have Iowa ready for the triple option attack of the Ramblin’ Wreck. Don’t expect them to shut it down completely, but just enough to let the Hawkeyes take the oranges back to frosty Iowa.

Brian’s pick: Iowa 24, Georgia Tech 20.

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Mediacom customers will be able to watch the Orange Bowl, the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports. Click here for the story.

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A Twitter user earlier today posted a picture of the semi transporting Iowa football gear to the Orange Bowl. Her post said: “We got cut off by the Iowa football semi truck.” (Click the picture on the left to see it larger.) We assume that this is near Miami since her tweets said she was heading to Miami for Christmas dinner and ended up there.

Click here for pictures of the semi being loaded in Iowa City a few days ago.

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By Brian Siguenza

Can’t Iowans catch a break this holiday season? It’s apparently not enough that any plans they had to get together with family over Christmas face derailment thanks to the winter storm crippling the Midwest. Now there’s talk that fans of the Hawkeyes won’t be able to see them in their BCS bowl game if they have Mediacom.

It’s understandable that some are viewing Iowa’s primary cable provider somewhat of an Ebenezer Scrooge. In my house, we ended up switching over to ImOn back in August because of a rate increase on our Mediacom bill. And it will invariably happen again if the cable company gives in to Sinclair Broadcast Group’s demand for a higher retransmission fee.

At stake is the opportunity for thousands of Iowans to see the Hawkeyes in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 5, 2010. The game is scheduled to air on FOX. Baltimore-based Sinclair controls 20 FOX affiliates throughout the country. Included in that number are stations in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, markets that are covered largely by Mediacom and have an enormous Hawkeye fan base.

I’ve heard grumblings across various message boards that the Iowa-Georgia Tech matchup in Miami will already be one of the lesser-watched BCS bowls. I assume that’s without taking into consideration Sinclair’s threat of pulling its affiliates off Mediacom at the end of the year.

If that does indeed happen, the ratings could be ugly, and Penn State fans will no doubt remind the Orange Bowl they could have had better numbers if they had gone with Joe Pa instead.

Not that there’s much they can do about the situation, short of asking the Federal Communications Commission to step in as Iowa lawmakers and university officials have done.

In promos heralding its Cedar Rapids stations as “Built for Breaking News,” Sinclair claims to have your interests in mind. But I fail to see how using the Iowa football team as ransom in its spat with Mediacom is serving those interests. I’m going to echo the sentiments of many and say that the two parties need to work out a deal and fast.

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Here are some preview notes for the Jan. 5, 2010, game, as released by the UI.

Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

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The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced today that members of the general public can now purchase their 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl tickets online via hawkeyesports.com. The online option is the easiest and simplest way to purchase tickets for the game by non-season ticket holders.

The Hawkeyes will travel to Miami, FL, to play Georgia Tech in the first ever meeting between the two programs. Land Shark Stadium will host the event Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. (CT).

Iowa’s invitation to the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl marks the eighth bowl game and second BCS appearance for the Hawkeyes in Coach Kirk Ferentz’s 11 seasons at Iowa. Since 2001, Iowa has made three appearances in the Outback Bowl, two appearances in the Valero Alamo Bowl and one each in the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Capital One Bowl.
 
Fans interested in placing a ticket order can do so online at hawkeyesports.com, over the telephone at 1-800 IA-HAWKS, and over the counter at the UI Athletic Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Information released by the UI.

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