Time: 6:05 p.m. TV: KDVR-31. Line: Georgia Tech by 5.
Series: First meeting.
What’s at stake: This is Georgia Tech’s biggest bowl berth since losing to Florida in the 1967 Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets have a shot at their highest final ranking since 1990, when they finished No. 1 in the UPI coaches poll and No. 2 in the AP media poll. The Hawkeyes could earn their highest final ranking since finishing No. 3 in 1960.
Key matchup: Iowa’s stout defense vs. Georgia Tech’s triple option. The Yellow Jackets rank first nationally in average time of possession (34:18), second in rushing (307.2 yards per game), 11th in total offense (442.7 yards) and 11th in scoring (35.3 points). QB Josh Nesbitt has rushed for 18 touchdowns and junior Jonathan Dwyer topped 1,300 yards rushing for the second consecutive season. He has 36 career touchdowns. Iowa ranks 10th in scoring defense (15.5 points allowed per game) and 11th in total defense (286.7 yards). The Hawk- eyes held four bowl-bound teams to 10 points or fewer in 2009.
Players to watch: Iowa — QB Ricky Stanzi. The junior has thrown 14 interceptions. But he also led fourth-quarter rallies in four games to help the Hawk- eyes to a 9-0 start. Stanzi was sidelined by a sprained ankle in a 17-10 loss to Northwestern and sat out the final two regular- season games. After undergoing surgery, he returned to practice during December.
Georgia Tech — WR Demaryius Thomas, a third-team All-American, has 1,154 yards on 46 receptions, an average of 25.1 yards.
Facts and figures: Georgia Tech has rushed for more than 200 yards in 12 of 13 games, while Iowa has allowed one team to top 200 yards. . . . The Hawkeyes trailed in eight victories.
Iowa’s last bowl: 2009 Outback, 31-10 win over South Carolina.
Georgia Tech’s last bowl: 2008 Chick-fil-A, 38-3 loss to LSU.
The Associated Press
