2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

 and the Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 24 sports, 11 for men and 13 for women. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are members of the...

 athletic program during the 2009 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 season. The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, and known in the area simply as Kinnick, is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in the sport of college football...

 in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...

, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. 2009 marked Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz
Kirk James Ferentz is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since 1999. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the University of Maine. He has also served as an assistant coach...

's 11th year as head coach of Iowa. The Hawkeyes finished the season as the 2010 Orange Bowl
2010 Orange Bowl
The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...

 Champions.

The Hawkeyes came off a 9–4 season in 2008
2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes football program in the 2008 college football season. Coached by Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played their seven home games in Kinnick Stadium.-Previous season:...

, including a win over South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...

 in the Outback Bowl
2009 Outback Bowl
The 2009 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played as the first official sporting event in the USA on January 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Scheduled for a kickoff of 11 AM US EST and telecast on ESPN, the game pit the South Carolina Gamecocks against the Iowa...

 and a 24–23 upset of Big Ten champion of Penn State.

Schedule

The Hawkeyes played 13 opponents in the 2009 season, finishing 11-2 (6-2 in conference play) and defeated Georgia Tech
2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2009 Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2009–2010 Football Season. The team was coached by second year head coach Paul Johnson...

 in the 2010 Orange Bowl
2010 Orange Bowl
The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...

.

Northern Iowa

at Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium
Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, and known in the area simply as Kinnick, is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in the sport of college football...

, Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...

  • Game time: 11:01 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 70°F (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: Dennis Lipski
  • TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Tom Werme, Anthony Herron and Elizabeth Moreau


The Hawkeyes struggled early, gaining just 104 yards of total offense in the first half. After trading field goals, UNI took a 10–3 lead after quarterback Pat Grace threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Mahaffey. The Hawkeyes woke up in the second half, going 70 yards in six plays and getting an 11-yard touchdown run from Adam Robinson with under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Iowa would regain the lead early in the fourth quarter when Tony Moeaki caught a touchdown pass from Ricky Stanzi.

After a Billy Hallgren field goal, the Panthers threatened late in the game, with Grace leading them down the field in the final minutes to set up a potential game-winning kick and an upset. Hallgren's first attempt was blocked, but the officials ruled the ball went behind the line of scrimmage and UNI recovered with one second left. Jeremiha Hunter blocked the second kick, sealing the victory for the Hawkeyes. This was the first time in FBS history that a team had blocked two field goals on consecutive plays.

Despite the win, Iowa's struggle against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent knocked them out of both the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 Top 25 polls until their upset of #5 Penn State at the end of the month.

Iowa State

at Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium is a stadium, in Ames, Iowa, United States. It opened on September 20, 1975 making it the newest stadium in the Big 12 Conference...

, Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...

  • Game time: 11 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 72°F (Mostly Hazy)
  • Game attendance: 52,089
  • Referee: Dave Witvoet
  • TV announcers (Fox Sports Net
    Fox Sports Net
    The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...

    ):
    Joel Meyers
    Joel Meyers
    Joel Meyers is an American sportscaster and former play-by-play announcer of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association on Fox Sports West and KCAL. Meyers left the Lakers at the end of the 2010-2011 season when the team did not renew his contract.-Career:Meyers joined the Lakers...

    , Dave Lapham
    Dave Lapham
    Dave Lapham , is a former professional football offensive lineman for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League's New Jersey Generals...

     and Jim Knox


The Cyclones scored first with a 46-yard field goal from Grant Mahoney in the first quarter. But Iowa was able to capitalize on good field position resulting from an onside kick attempt by Iowa State and took the lead for good on a one-yard pass from Ricky Stanzi to Brett Morse. The Hawkeyes benefitted from six turnovers, scoring four more touchdowns off Cyclone mistakes. Tyler Sash
Tyler Sash
Tyler Sash is an American football safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa.-College career:...

 had three of Iowa's five interceptions, tying a school record.

Arizona

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 2:36 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 76°F (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: Dan Capron
  • TV announcers (ABC
    ESPN on ABC
    ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...

    /ESPN2
    ESPN2
    ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

    ):
    Mike Patrick
    Mike Patrick
    Mike Patrick is an American sportscaster.-Career:Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pa. In 1970, he was named Sports Director at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., where he provided play-by-play for Jacksonville Sharks' World Football League telecasts...

    , Craig James and Heather Cox
    Heather Cox
    Heather Cox is an American Sportscaster who is a sideline reporter for WNBA, NBA, college basketball and college football games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports. As Heather Schoeny, she played college volleyball at University of the Pacific...



The Hawkeyes scored on the opening drive, with a 2-yard touchdown run by Adam Robinson. But Arizona tied the score at 7 after Terevin Wade returned a Ricky Stanzi interception 38 yards into the end zone. Iowa's defense would again prove to be the difference-maker in this game, not allowing a touchdown until 1:53 was remaining in the game, with the Hawkeyes well ahead. Tyler Sash also netted his seventh interception in five games (dating back to last year).

Penn State

at Beaver Stadium
Beaver Stadium
Beaver Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. The stadium is named for James A...

, State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...

  • Game time: 8:12 p.m. EDT
    North American Eastern Time Zone
    The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

  • Game weather: 52-56°F (Rainy)
  • Game attendance: 109,316
  • Referee: J. O'Neil
  • TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger
    Brent Musburger
    Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...

    , Kirk Herbstreit
    Kirk Herbstreit
    Kirk Herbstreit is an Emmy Award-winning analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football and a provider of color commentary during college football games on ESPN and ABC. He appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football. He was a quarterback on...

     and Lisa Salters
    Lisa Salters
    Alisia Salters is a journalist and former collegiate women's basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O.J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland....


The Hawkeyes fell behind early, 10–0, after a 79-yard pass from Daryll Clark
Daryll Clark
Daryll Lawrence Clark is a football quarterback who is currently a member of the Chicago Rush. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as an free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He is the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in...

 to Chaz Powell on Penn State's first play from scrimmage and then a 20-play drive by the Nittany Lions that led to a Collin Wagner field goal. But Iowa would score 21 unanswered points after that to stun Penn State for the second consecutive year. The defense shut down the Nittany Lions in the final three quarters, forcing four turnovers, and the turning point in the game came when Penn State punted, clinging to a 10–5 lead in the fourth quarter, Adrian Clayborn blocked a punt and ran it back 53 yards for a touchdown to give the Hawkeyes the lead. With the momentum changed, they were more easily able to move the ball on their final two drives. For many Penn State fans, the way the game played out reminded them of the games from their dismal 3–9 (1–7) season with many close losses in 2003, but for many Iowa fans, the way the game played out also brought back memories of 2003, reminding them of their 2003 season where they finished #8 in the nation and beat Penn State 26–14 at home, during a span of three years (2002, 2003, 2004) where they were #8 for three consecutive years and won a share of the conference championship in two of those years (2002 and 2004).

The win at Penn State on prime-time network television catapulted Iowa to a number 13 ranking in the AP poll and a number 17 ranking in the coaches' poll. At year's end, it would also prove to be a selling point for choosing the Hawkeyes over the Nittany Lions for an at-large bid in the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...

.

Arkansas State

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 11:02 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 50°F (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 67,989
  • Referee: Dennis Lipski
  • TV announcers (ESPN2
    ESPN2
    ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

    ):
    Pam Ward
    Pam Ward
    Pam Ward is an on-air personality for the cable sports television network ESPN.She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in communications....

     and Ray Bentley
    Ray Bentley
    Ray Russell Bentley is a former professional American football linebacker.-Playing career:...



Iowa jumped out to a 14–0 lead behind two touchdown passes by Ricky Stanzi. Unlike Stanzi, the offense would stall, however, which allowed the Red Wolves back into the game before the first half ended, with quarterback Corey Leonard connecting with Brandon Thompkins for a score. The Hawks would answer back in the second half, as Tyler Sash's fifth interception on the year set up a 43-yard TD pass from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt.

Stanzi was then picked off twice, the second interception going 75 yards for a touchdown (Stanzi's 2nd pick-six this year). Daniel Murray extended the lead to 10 with a 20-yard field goal, but Arkansas State wouldn't go away. They took the ball 68 yards in a 17 plays and nearly 8 minutes to close the gap within 3. The Hawkeyes would hold on though to improve their record to 5–0, with Michigan coming to town in a prime-time national telecast next.

Michigan

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 7:12 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 33°F (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: Todd Geerlings
  • TV announcers (ABC
    ABC Saturday Night College Football
    ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC presented by Southwest Airlines is a weekly presentation of college football on the American Broadcasting Company . Premiering on September 2, 2006, the program features prime time college football games starting at 8:00 p.m. ET...

    ):
    Brent Musburger
    Brent Musburger
    Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...

    , Kirk Herbstreit
    Kirk Herbstreit
    Kirk Herbstreit is an Emmy Award-winning analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football and a provider of color commentary during college football games on ESPN and ABC. He appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football. He was a quarterback on...

     and Lisa Salters
    Lisa Salters
    Alisia Salters is a journalist and former collegiate women's basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O.J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland....



The scoring began with Stanzi's third pick-six of the year, with cornerback Donovan Warren taking the intercepted pass 40 yards to give Michigan an early 7–0 lead. Iowa would respond, however, with Stanzi finding tight end Tony Moeaki for a touchdown to cap a nine-play, 57-yard drive. The Wolverines committed five turnovers to the Hawkeyes' one, the most crucial being an interception by Brett Greenwood with 46 seconds remaining in the game to seal Iowa's 10th consecutive victory, the second-longest winning streak in the nation behind Florida
2009 Florida Gators football team
The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season...

.

Wisconsin

at Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a complete stadium since 1917. It is located on the center-southern region of the University of Wisconsin campus. The stadium seats...

, Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

  • Game time: 11:02 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 40°F (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 81,043
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    ):
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch is an American sportscaster. Pasch works for ESPN, for which he calls play-by-play of college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and Arena football games. He has also been the radio voice for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL since 2002, teaming with Ron Wolfley. In 2007, Pasch...

    , Bob Griese
    Bob Griese
    Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...

     and Chris Spielman
    Chris Spielman
    Charles Christopher "Chris" Spielman is a former American football player and is currently an analyst for ESPN's coverage of college football games.-Football career:...



After a scoreless first quarter, the Badgers jumped to a 10–0 lead after freshman running back Montee Ball scored from 10 yards out. Then, in a scene reminiscent of Iowa's effort at Penn State three weeks earlier, the Hawks rattled off 20 unanswered points, while the defense intercepted Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien three times. Also similar to the win over Penn State, Tolzien was picked off two times on Wisconsin's final drives that threatened to put Wisconsin in the game again. Unlike that night, Iowa was not trailing in the 4th quarter, they took a 17–10 lead early in the 4th and nearly scored once more up 20–10 in the red zone, but couldn't convert a 4th down. Despite this, the 10-point lead was more than enough for the Hawkeyes to win.

The win, paired with Ohio State
2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of The Ohio State University for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 11–2 and...

's loss at Purdue
2009 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2009 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2009–2010 college football season. They played their home games at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. It was Danny Hope's first season as head coach following the retirement of Joe Tiller following the 2008...

, gave Iowa sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

Michigan State

at Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium (East Lansing)
Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans...

, East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

  • Game time: 7:02 p.m. EDT
    North American Eastern Time Zone
    The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

  • Game weather: 43°F (Overcast)
  • Game attendance: 74,411
  • Referee: Bill LeMonnier
  • TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Wayne Larrivee
    Wayne Larrivee
    Wayne Larrivee is an American sportscaster, who is the radio play-by-play voice of the Green Bay Packers and football and basketball play-by-play voice for the Big Ten Network.-Early life and career:...

    , Chris Martin and Lisa Byington


It was a defensive battle for 58 minutes, with both teams getting very close to the goal line, only to come away with field goals. Down 9–6 in the fourth quarter, the Spartans scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins
-College career:In 2007, newly hired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio recruited Cousins to play for the Spartans. Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the back up quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and...

 to Blair White with 1:37 left in the game. But the Hawkeyes would respond by taking the ball down the field. Finally, on 4th and goal at the 7 yard line with 2 seconds remaining, Ricky Stanzi connected with Marvin McNutt
Marvin McNutt
Marvin McNutt is a 215 pound, 6'4" junior at the University of Iowa where he majors in interdepartmental studies. McNutt is the first team wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He is also the all time leader for Iowa in receiving touchdowns, which he accomplished on October 22nd, 2011 against Indiana...

 for the game-winning touchdown.

The win gave the Hawkeyes its best start in school history at 8–0.

Indiana

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 11:02 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 41°F (Partly Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: Ron Torbert
  • TV announcers (ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    ):
    Mark Jones and Bob Davie


The Hawkeyes' perfect season and hopes at a national championship were in serious jeopardy for three quarters, as Indiana went into the locker room ahead 21–7 at the half thanks to an opening-drive score and special teams miscues by the Hawkeyes (a 9-yard punt and a fumble on a punt return deep in Iowa territory). The Hoosiers looked to extend the lead to three scores when Tyler Sash
Tyler Sash
Tyler Sash is an American football safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Iowa.-College career:...

 somehow managed to intercept a Ben Chappell pass and take it 86 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Ricky Stanzi had perhaps his worst game as Iowa's quarterback, throwing five interceptions, four in the third quarter as the Hawkeye offense played into a strong wind from the north. He and his team were able to recover in the fourth quarter, however, as Stanzi found Marvin McNutt for a 92-yard touchdown pass then on the next offensive play, connected with Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, born February 24, 1987, and sometimes nicknamed DJK, was a wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2007-2010 seasons, and also the Iowa Hawkeye's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Currently, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is a wide receiver of the...

 for a score from 66 yards out that would put Iowa up for good.

In all, the Hawkeyes scored 28 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes after trailing 24–14 to improve their record to 9–0.

Northwestern

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 11:02 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: 63°F (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: Dennis Lipski
  • TV announcers (ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    ):
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch is an American sportscaster. Pasch works for ESPN, for which he calls play-by-play of college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and Arena football games. He has also been the radio voice for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL since 2002, teaming with Ron Wolfley. In 2007, Pasch...

    , Bob Griese
    Bob Griese
    Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...

     and Chris Spielman
    Chris Spielman
    Charles Christopher "Chris" Spielman is a former American football player and is currently an analyst for ESPN's coverage of college football games.-Football career:...



In the first quarter, Ricky Stanzi quickly rattled off 10 points for the Iowa offense, putting them in the lead early. However, those would be the only points the Hawkeyes would score all day, and, as the second quarter drew to a close, the Hawkeyes would find themselves without their starting quarterback, as Stanzi went down with a high ankle sprain, effectively ending his season, and forcing untested backup, freshman James Vandenberg into the spotlight.

The spotlight would prove to be too much for Vandenberg, as he could never mount an effective enough drive to overcome the suddenly mounting score. Iowa would eventually lose the game and their number 4 ranking in the national polls.

Ohio State

at Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...

, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

  • Game time: 3:37 p.m. EST
    North American Eastern Time Zone
    The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

  • Game weather: 65°F (Clear Skies)
  • Game attendance: 105,455
  • Referee: Todd Geerlings
  • TV announcers (ABC
    ESPN on ABC
    ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...

    /ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    ):
    Sean McDonough
    Sean McDonough
    Sean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...

    , Matt Millen
    Matt Millen
    Matthew George "Matt" Millen is an American former National Football League linebacker and a former executive. Millen played for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. In Millen's 12-year NFL playing career, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams...

     and Holly Rowe
    Holly Rowe
    Holly Rowe is a sports telecaster currently working for the sports television network, ESPN. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football games which are telecast on ESPN.- History with ESPN :...



Devin Barclay kicked a 39 yard field goal in overtime to defeat the injured but spirited Iowa Hawkeyes 27-24. James Vandenberg would make his first start in place of injured Ricky Stanzi in this battle for the Big Ten championship and the conference's automatic bid, which would put the winner in the Rose Bowl
2010 Rose Bowl
The 2010 Rose Bowl, the 96th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Friday, January 1, 2010 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It featured the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks...

. Vandenberg showed remarkable poise playing such a big game in a tough environment in Columbus, completing 20 of his 33 passes for two touchdowns, including the game-tying score to Marvin McNutt with 2:42 left in regulation. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos also helped in the Hawks' comeback with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after Ohio State extended its lead to 24–10 on a 49-yard Brandon Saine
Brandon Saine
Brandon Croft Saine is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Ohio State University. He played high school football and ran track for the Piqua Indians...

 run following a Vandenberg interception. Iowa would not score in its overtime possession however.

Minnesota

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Game time: 11:02 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: 45°F (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 70,585
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

    ):
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch
    Dave Pasch is an American sportscaster. Pasch works for ESPN, for which he calls play-by-play of college football, college basketball, NBA, WNBA, and Arena football games. He has also been the radio voice for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL since 2002, teaming with Ron Wolfley. In 2007, Pasch...

     and Bob Griese
    Bob Griese
    Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...



It was a battle of defenses on Senior Day in Iowa City, as both the Hawkeyes and Gophers combined for 372 total yards and 17 punts, more than the total number of points. The game's lone touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Brandon Wegher with 52 seconds left in the first half. The Hawkeye defense also turned the Gophers away after having four chances to make it a game with the ball on Iowa's 2-yard line.

With the win, Iowa finished the season at 10–2 and a final BCS ranking of number 10. On December 6, 2009, they were selected to play the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2009 Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2009–2010 Football Season. The team was coached by second year head coach Paul Johnson...

 at the 2010 Orange Bowl
2010 Orange Bowl
The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...

 in Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

 on January 5, marking the Hawkeyes' second postseason visit to South Florida in seven years.

Georgia Tech

at Land Shark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

  • Game time: 8:22 p.m. EST
    North American Eastern Time Zone
    The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

  • Game weather: 49°F (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 66,131
  • Referee: Steve Shaw
  • TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton
    Dick Stockton
    Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...

    , Charles Davis, Chris Myers
    Chris Myers
    Christopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...

     and Laura Okmin


The Hawkeyes came into the 76th Orange Bowl as underdogs to Georgia Tech, but were able to set the tempo at the very beginning. The Hawkeyes brought a piece of Iowa with them to South Florida, the temperature was 49 degrees at kickoff, making it the coldest Orange Bowl on record. After a Marvin McNutt
Marvin McNutt
Marvin McNutt is a 215 pound, 6'4" junior at the University of Iowa where he majors in interdepartmental studies. McNutt is the first team wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He is also the all time leader for Iowa in receiving touchdowns, which he accomplished on October 22nd, 2011 against Indiana...

 fumble on the game's opening drive led to good field position for the Yellow Jackets' dangerous triple-option attack, the Iowa defense was able to force a 3-and-out.

On the next two offensive drives, quarterback Ricky Stanzi
Ricky Stanzi
-Kansas City Chiefs:Stanzi was selected with the 135th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Stanzi is second quarterback behind Tyler Palko. Regular starter Matt Cassel was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2011 season.-External links:***...

, who had surgery to repair a muscle tear that was a result of his injury against Northwestern, led the Hawkeyes into the end zone, throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt and a 21-yard pass to Colin Sandeman to give Iowa the early 14–0 advantage. But as he had done three times already in 2009, Stanzi also threw an interception that resulted in six points for the other team, with Jerrard Tarrant
Jerrard Tarrant
Jerrard DaShawn Tarrant is an American football free safety for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He attended Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Georgia.-College career:...

 scoring from 40 yards on the return.

After getting manhandled in the first half, Georgia Tech's offense would wake up, getting into scoring position on their first drive but unable to put points on the board, then getting a one-yard score from Anthony Allen to cap an 11-play, 71-yard drive and bring the Jackets to within a field goal.

Norm Parker's defense, however, was once again able to stop Tech after that, and a 32-yard touchdown by Brandon Wegher with 1:56 remaining would seal Iowa's first major bowl victory since the 1959 Rose Bowl.

Defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who announced he would return to the Hawkeyes next season, was named the Orange Bowl's Most Valuable Player. He had 9 tackles and 2 sacks. The Iowa defense limited Georgia Tech to 143 yards rushing, less than half of their average for the season.

Rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final
AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

22 -- -- -- 13 12 11 7 7 8 15 15 13 9 10 7
Coaches 21 -- -- -- 17 14 12 8 8 6 13 15 13 10 11 7
Harris Not released 14 11 11 7 8 7 12 14 13 10 11
BCS Not released 6 4 4 10 13 11 9 10

Players in the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL Club Ref
Bryan Bulaga
Bryan Bulaga
-Green Bay Packers:Bulaga began the 2010 season as a back-up offensive lineman before getting his first start in the fifth week against the Washington Redskins. He went to start every game for the rest of the season, eventually being named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Bryan became the youngest...

 
Tackle 1 23 Green Bay Packers
2010 Green Bay Packers season
The 2010 Green Bay Packers season was the 90th season in the National Football League for the Packers and the 92nd season for the team overall. With a record of 10–6, the Packers entered the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed...

 
Pat Angerer
Pat Angerer
Patrick Aaron "Pat" Angerer is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League...

 
Linebacker 2 63 Indianapolis Colts
2010 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the 58th season for the team in the National Football League, the 27th in Indianapolis, and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell...

 
Amari Spievey
Amari Spievey
Amari Spievey is an American football safety for the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Iowa. He was considered one of the top cornerback prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft...

 
Cornerback 3 66 Detroit Lions
2010 Detroit Lions season
The 2010 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 81st season in the NFL. It was Jim Schwartz's second season as head coach. The Lions spent most of the season at the bottom of their division, but with more division wins than the Vikings , the Lions ended up at 3rd place on the final day of the...

 
Tony Moeaki
Tony Moeaki
Anthony "Tony" Moeaki is an American football tight end. He finished his senior season at Iowa with 30 catches for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns. Moeaki was considered one of the top tight end prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft....

 
Tight End 3 93 Kansas City Chiefs
2010 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2010 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, the 51st overall and the second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Scott Pioli. The team improved on its 4–12 record from 2009, and won their first AFC West division title...

 
A. J. Edds
A. J. Edds
A. J. Edds is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft...

 
Linebacker 4 119 Miami Dolphins
2010 Miami Dolphins season
The 2010 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 41st season in the National Football League and 45th overall. The Dolphins are entering the 2010 season coming off a third place finish in the AFC East 7–9-Staff Changes:...

 
Kyle Calloway
Kyle Calloway
-Hartford Colonials:Calloway signed to play 2011 for the United Football League's Hartford Colonials.-Baltimore Ravens:On August 9, 2011, Calloway signed with the Baltimore Ravens, but was waived on August 21.-External links:**...

 
Tackle 7 216 Buffalo Bills
2010 Buffalo Bills season
The 2010 Buffalo Bills season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League, and their 51st overall. It was Buffalo's first season with Buddy Nix in the role of general manager and head coach Chan Gailey....

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