Updated: Dec. 17, 2005, 5:37 PM ET
Ferentz, Tate give Hawkeyes the edgeScouts, Inc.
Kirk Ferentz and Iowa always finish strong. Urban Meyer and Florida are hungry to finish his first season in Gainesville with a win. Expect a nail-biter when the Hawkeyes and Gators meet in the Outback Bowl.
Iowa vs. Florida Matchups
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach Overall
Iowa Offense vs. Florida Defense
Iowa's offensive attack can best be described as balanced. RB Albert Young's emergence as a premier ball carrier this season has proven to be a huge help for QB Drew Tate and the Hawkeyes' passing game. Young lacks great size, but he is a decisive, shifty and tough runner who averaged 5.5 yards per carry this season. The Hawkeyes will look to establish Young early on in this game, but it won't be easy versus a Florida defense that ranks 10th in the nation against the run. Florida will like to have the services of playmaking DE Ray McDonald, but McDonald has been injured most of the season and this unit has held up just fine without him. The Gators do an excellent job of penetrating up front, and LBs Earl Everett (WLB) and Brandon Siler (MLB) are nasty sideline-to-sideline run defenders.
If Iowa fails to get Young going on the ground, more pressure will be placed on the shoulders of Tate. The Iowa signal caller suffered a concussion that affected his play early in the season, but he has since recovered. Tate finished the season as efficiently as any quarterback in the Big Ten and he has the weapons in WRs Clinton Solomon, Scott Chandler and Ed Hinkel to pick apart an athletic but erratic Florida secondary.
Florida Offense vs. Iowa Defense
Few teams in the nation can boast of a better linebacker tandem than Iowa's Chad Greenway (WLB) and Abdul Hodge (MLB), but it has been an uphill battle for both standout defenders this season due to a marginal supporting cast. That's why the extra time off may benefit Iowa the most, as it will give coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff the extra time they need to improve the play of their defensive front four. The Hawkeyes have been far more effective defending the run than they have been against the pass -- and that trend should hold up in this game. The Gators have been trying to get more production out of their running attack since Day 1 but those attempts have failed. They have two talented running backs in junior DeShawn Wynn and freshman Markus Manson, who continue to split carries. However, Florida poor offensive line play combined to its continuous tweaking of Urban Meyer's spread scheme has led to frustrating results.
As has been the case throughout most of this season, the Gators will need to win on the strength of QB Chris Leak's arm. Leak struggled with the scheme adjustment early this season. But since the LSU game, Meyer has taken out the option phase and has allowed Leak to spend more time as a traditional passer out of the shotgun. The result is a much more comfortable Leak has thrown eight touchdowns compared to just two interceptions in the team's last four games. If Leak has the protection he needs in order to make his reads and step into his throws, WRs Chad Jackson, Dallas Baker and Jemalle Cornelius could prove to be too much for the Iowa secondary.
Special Teams
Iowa gets a slight edge on special teams, primarily because of its overall consistency. Neither team is especially good in the kickoff return game, but Jovon Johnson gives Iowa an edge with his 18.7 yards per punt return average, including a 90-yard TD. Florida's Vernell Brown averages a respectable 7.6 yards per punt return.
Thanks to the strong leg of punter Eric Wilbur and the solid cover team around him, Florida ranks ninth nationally in net punting. Kicker Chris Hetland had been extremely reliable, but he missed two of his final six field goal attempts down the stretch. The Hawkeyes are also solid in the punting game with Andy Fenstermaker, but Kyle Schlicher gives them an edge in the kicking department after he nailed 16-of-19 attempts during the regular season.
Three Key Individual Matchups
1. Florida WR Chad Jackson vs. Iowa CB Jovon Johnson
2. Florida RBs Markus Manson and DeShawn Wynn vs. Iowa LBs Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway
3. Iowa WR Clinton Solomon vs. Florida CB Dee Webb
Scouts' Edge
Iowa is a famously strong finisher under Ferentz and this year was no exception. After beginning the season with two losses in four games, the Hawkeyes won five of their last seven games -- and those two losses came by four combined points. Florida will have the better athletes on the field but that's nothing new for Ferentz and his team. Tate is not nearly as gifted as Leak, but Tate is more consistent and finds ways to win. Hodge and Greenway will finish their brilliant collegiate careers with impressive individual performances, which will be enough to help squeak past Florida in what should be another Outback Bowl nail-biter.
Prediction: Iowa 27, Florida 24
Ferentz, Tate give Hawkeyes the edgeScouts, Inc.
Kirk Ferentz and Iowa always finish strong. Urban Meyer and Florida are hungry to finish his first season in Gainesville with a win. Expect a nail-biter when the Hawkeyes and Gators meet in the Outback Bowl.
Iowa vs. Florida Matchups
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach Overall
Iowa Offense vs. Florida Defense
Iowa's offensive attack can best be described as balanced. RB Albert Young's emergence as a premier ball carrier this season has proven to be a huge help for QB Drew Tate and the Hawkeyes' passing game. Young lacks great size, but he is a decisive, shifty and tough runner who averaged 5.5 yards per carry this season. The Hawkeyes will look to establish Young early on in this game, but it won't be easy versus a Florida defense that ranks 10th in the nation against the run. Florida will like to have the services of playmaking DE Ray McDonald, but McDonald has been injured most of the season and this unit has held up just fine without him. The Gators do an excellent job of penetrating up front, and LBs Earl Everett (WLB) and Brandon Siler (MLB) are nasty sideline-to-sideline run defenders.
If Iowa fails to get Young going on the ground, more pressure will be placed on the shoulders of Tate. The Iowa signal caller suffered a concussion that affected his play early in the season, but he has since recovered. Tate finished the season as efficiently as any quarterback in the Big Ten and he has the weapons in WRs Clinton Solomon, Scott Chandler and Ed Hinkel to pick apart an athletic but erratic Florida secondary.
Florida Offense vs. Iowa Defense
Few teams in the nation can boast of a better linebacker tandem than Iowa's Chad Greenway (WLB) and Abdul Hodge (MLB), but it has been an uphill battle for both standout defenders this season due to a marginal supporting cast. That's why the extra time off may benefit Iowa the most, as it will give coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff the extra time they need to improve the play of their defensive front four. The Hawkeyes have been far more effective defending the run than they have been against the pass -- and that trend should hold up in this game. The Gators have been trying to get more production out of their running attack since Day 1 but those attempts have failed. They have two talented running backs in junior DeShawn Wynn and freshman Markus Manson, who continue to split carries. However, Florida poor offensive line play combined to its continuous tweaking of Urban Meyer's spread scheme has led to frustrating results.
As has been the case throughout most of this season, the Gators will need to win on the strength of QB Chris Leak's arm. Leak struggled with the scheme adjustment early this season. But since the LSU game, Meyer has taken out the option phase and has allowed Leak to spend more time as a traditional passer out of the shotgun. The result is a much more comfortable Leak has thrown eight touchdowns compared to just two interceptions in the team's last four games. If Leak has the protection he needs in order to make his reads and step into his throws, WRs Chad Jackson, Dallas Baker and Jemalle Cornelius could prove to be too much for the Iowa secondary.
Special Teams
Iowa gets a slight edge on special teams, primarily because of its overall consistency. Neither team is especially good in the kickoff return game, but Jovon Johnson gives Iowa an edge with his 18.7 yards per punt return average, including a 90-yard TD. Florida's Vernell Brown averages a respectable 7.6 yards per punt return.
Thanks to the strong leg of punter Eric Wilbur and the solid cover team around him, Florida ranks ninth nationally in net punting. Kicker Chris Hetland had been extremely reliable, but he missed two of his final six field goal attempts down the stretch. The Hawkeyes are also solid in the punting game with Andy Fenstermaker, but Kyle Schlicher gives them an edge in the kicking department after he nailed 16-of-19 attempts during the regular season.
Three Key Individual Matchups
1. Florida WR Chad Jackson vs. Iowa CB Jovon Johnson
2. Florida RBs Markus Manson and DeShawn Wynn vs. Iowa LBs Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway
3. Iowa WR Clinton Solomon vs. Florida CB Dee Webb
Scouts' Edge
Iowa is a famously strong finisher under Ferentz and this year was no exception. After beginning the season with two losses in four games, the Hawkeyes won five of their last seven games -- and those two losses came by four combined points. Florida will have the better athletes on the field but that's nothing new for Ferentz and his team. Tate is not nearly as gifted as Leak, but Tate is more consistent and finds ways to win. Hodge and Greenway will finish their brilliant collegiate careers with impressive individual performances, which will be enough to help squeak past Florida in what should be another Outback Bowl nail-biter.
Prediction: Iowa 27, Florida 24
