2010 Orange Bowl Preview (I'll do better with this one, I promise)

#9 Georgia Tech vs #10 Iowa

The Stats:
GT: 135.5 Passing Yards/Game
Iowa: 221.3 Passing Yards/Game
GT: 307.2 Rushing Yards/Game (2nd in nation)
Iowa: 109.4 Rushing Yards/Game
GT: 206.9 Passing Yards/Game allowed, 21 TDs allowed, 11 INTs
Iowa: 164.7 Passing Yards/Game allowed (8th fewest in nation), 9 TDs allowed, 21 INTs (5th most in the nation)
GT: 150.1 Rushing Yards/Game allowed, 16 Rushing TDs
Iowa: 122 Rushing Yards/Game allowed, 8 Rushing TDs

I've been looking forward to this matchup since the bowl schedule came out. I can't wait to see Iowa's D, which is great at containing the run, take on GT's tenacious Triple Option offense. What a game this should be.

First off, let's compare the quarterbacks and their receiving corps. Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has a 56% completion percentage and has thrown for 2186 yards, 15 TDs and 14 INTs. GT's Josh Nesbitt has a 47.7% completion percentage and has thrown for 1689 yards, 10 TDs and 4 INTs. However, Georgia Tech is a very run-heavy offense, resulting in Nesbitt having 122 fewer pass attempts (153) than Stanzi (275). This also explains the difference in the number of times they have been sacked as Stanzi has been brought down 21 times compared to Nesbitt's 9. As a team, Iowa's offensive line has allowed 27 sacks all season (backup QB Vandenburg was sacked 6 times).

How about the receiving corps? Well, GT's receiving corp appears to be one guy: Demaryius Thomas. Thomas has 46 receptions for 1156 Yards and 8 TDs. The next highest receiver (RB Embry Peeples) has 8 receptions for 244 yards and 1 TD. Iowa's receivers have a little more substance. 4 Hawkeyes have 25+ receptions including Derrell Johnson-Koulianos who has 41 receptions for 687 yards and 2 TDs. Marvin McNutt has 30 recs, 653 yards and 7 TDs while Trey Stross has 30 recs, 405 yards and 1 TD. The fourth receiver is Tony Moeaki with 26 recs, 302 yards and 4 TDs. Iowa also has 4 other receivers with 10+ receptions on the year, proving that they have plenty of options that they can use in their passing game.

The running game is another story. Georgia Tech does one thing and they do it well: RUN. Their quarterback, Nesbitt, totaled 991 rushing yards and 18 RTDs this year along with his passing stats. Their RB corp looks alot like Iowa's receiving corp. Their top RB, Jonathan Dwyer, carried the ball 221 times resulting in 1346 yards rushing and 14 TDs. Their backup RB, Anthony Allen, carried the ball 61 times for 597 yards and 5 TDs. Roddy Jones, their third RB, carried the ball 53 times for 345 yards and 3 TDs. Along with these 4 rushers, the Jackets also had 3 other players carry the ball for a total of 472 yards and 1 TD. So yeah....they like to run.

Iowa's running attack consists of a two running back system. Their leading rusher, Adam Robinson, carried the ball 167 times for a total of 775 yards and 5 TDs. Their other RB option, Brandon Wegher, ran the ball 146 times for 528 yards and 7 TDs. If Iowa has to run the ball, they can.

How about the defenses? Both seem fairly even as far as the pass-rush goes. Iowa sacked the quarterback 28 times this season (the 42nd most in the nation) and GT sacked the QB 23 times (64th most). However, Iowa's defense trumps GT's when it comes to defending the pass. Iowa totalled 21 INTs (the 5th most in the country) as a team compared to GT's 11. The other defensive statistic which I feel could determine the outcome of this game is the Hawkeye's RushingYardsPerGame numbers. They only gave up 122 yards/game and only gave up 8 rushing TDs all season. This could be the determinant for this one. Also, their defense against the pass is strong as well and GT does give up over 200 yards/game.

So in conclusion, I choose Iowa to win 17-13 in a defensive slugfest. Of course, the way that I've been calling games this bowl season, I wouldn't be surprised if GT wound up winning 33-24. But Kirk Ferentz has been here before so he knows how to prepare his team for a big game like this. Iowa should step up and perform.