Hawkeyes open practice in Miami

Here is a potpourri of new from Miami on Monday, courtesy of the Orange Bowl staff:

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz quotes:

 On today's practice … It felt good and it was good to be somewhere the air is moving. It's been pretty still inside the indoor facility [at Iowa]. It's really good. The weather is great. We need to be outdoors. Fortunately it wasn't too hot today, although the players may beg to differ. It was okay. It wasn't outstanding, but it was okay. This is kind of a work block for us right now. Part of right now is us just getting acclimated to being outdoors again, dealing with the breeze a little bit. Things like that. It's a good start.

On coming to South Florida to begin practice a couple days early … I think if you look around the country, southern teams don't travel quite as early for obvious reasons. They can get outdoors where they're at, but in our case, we haven't been outside now since November. I think it's important we just get used to getting outside again. Also having this room helps too you know, having a little extra room.

On balancing game preparation and player's enjoying Miami … I think that's part of the trick in a bowl game. You definitely want the players to enjoy the trip, the events, and the locale. This is a little bit unique because I think their money is going to run out fast. We had that experience back in 2003 too. A little bit pricier than the Midwest here so that's a challenge certainly. We want the guys to have a chance to get out and see Miami a little bit and enjoy it. And then we certainly look forward to the festivities that the bowl sponsors provide.

On whether playing in the FedEx Orange helps with recruiting in South Florida … We actually had more Floridians on our roster last time we were here (2003). We've had a handful of captains from here in Brad Banks (QB, Belle Glade, FL - Glades Central HS), Abdul Hodge (LB, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Boyd Anderson HS) and Colin Cole (DE, Fort Lauderdale, FL - South Plantation HS) just to name a couple and we've had great success that way. We still have guys from Florida on our roster. More importantly to be in a bowl of this magnitude, it's exciting. It's a real honor and we're excited about that.

On the practice facility at Barry University … That's one of the things you never know what you're going to get when you travel to a bowl site and this is just fantastic so we feel great about that. The practice fields are tremendous, we've got plenty of space and then the facility here is fine and the people have been tremendous. That's one of the nice things. It's a good game, but also it's a good set-up for the football team.

IOWA PRACTICE NOTES

Following are some notes from the University of Iowa's first 24 hours in Miami, FL as part of the 2010 Orange Bowl: Iowa's departure from Iowa City was slightly delayed Sunday afternoon, but the Hawkeyes arrived in Miami at 6 p.m. ET to a warm welcome from members of the Orange Bowl Committee at Miami International Airport. Following a short media opportunity with Coach Kirk Ferentz and team captains, the travel party headed for team headquarters. Iowa players were on their own Sunday evening following a short team meeting players had the opportunity to check out the features of the hotel and the surrounding area near Miami Beach.

Iowa's first outdoor practice was held Monday afternoon at Barry University, the practice site for the Hawkeyes when they visited Miami, FL for the 2003 Orange Bowl. The Hawkeye players will also have free time Monday evening as well. Practice on Monday marked the first outdoor practice for the Hawkeyes since November. After a holiday break, Iowa players returned to Iowa City Dec. 26 to resume preparing for the Orange Bowl, but those sessions in Iowa City were all held indoors.

The temperature was 74 degrees when the Iowa travel party landed Sunday evening, nearly the same as Monday afternoon's temperature. Several Hawkeye players compared Monday's temperature to the temperature for their indoor practices in Iowa City.

Iowa is the second team to make a return visit to Buccaneer Field in preparation for the FedEX Orange Bowl. Iowa practiced at Barry prior to the 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl. Oklahoma has made the most visits to Buccaneer Field. They have practices at Barry three times in the past decade. The Sooners practiced at Barry prior to the 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl, again in 2005, and last year (2009) for the BCS Championship. Each time they have practiced at Barry, they have been preparing for a National Championship contest.

This is the 15th consecutive year in which Barry University has been a practice facility for one of the teams competing in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Last year, Barry University hosted two teams during the bowl season. First, CINCINNATI, called Barry University home while it practiced for the FedEx Orange Bowl. Then, a day after the Bearcats left the facility. OKLAHOMA began practice for the BCS Championship Game.

The winner of the FedEx Orange Bowl game has practiced at Barry University five times. Oklahoma captured the 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl, defeating Florida State, 13-2, to capture the National Championship. In 2000, Michigan defeated Alabama 35-34, breaking a four-year streak in which the team practicing at Barry University lost the FedEx Orange. Bowl. Prior to that, the team practicing at Barry at never won the FedEx Orange Bowl. 2009 Florida 24, OKLAHOMA 14 - BCS Championship Game 2009 Virginia Tech 20, CINCINNATI 7 2008 KANSAS 24, Virginia Tech 21 2007 LOUISVILLE 24, Wake Forest 13 2006 PENN STATE 26, Florida State 23 (3OT) 2005 Southern California 55, OKLAHOMA 19 – BCS Championship Game 2004 Miami 16, FLORIDA STATE 14 2003 USC 38, IOWA 17 2002 Florida 56, MARYLAND 23 2001 OKLAHOMA 13, Florida State 2 – BCS Championship Game 2000 MICHIGAN 35, Alabama 34 (OT) 1999 Florida 31, SYRACUSE 10, 1998 Nebraska 42, TENNESSEE 17 1997 Nebraska 41, VIRGINIA TECH 21 1996 Florida State 31, NOTRE DAME 26 BOLD ALL-CAPS indicates team that practiced at Barry University.

About Barry University … Barry University is a Catholic international university that fosters academic distinction in the liberal arts and professional studies. Sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, Barry has an enrollment of over 8,650, including 2,680 full-time undergraduate students. The 122-acre campus in Miami Shores, which is seven miles north of downtown Miami and 14 miles south of Fort Lauderdale, was founded in 1940 and has been coeducational since 1975. Sister Linda Bevilacqua, O.P., Ph.D., is Barry's 6th president and has been guiding the University since 1981. Sister Lina Bevilacqua along with Barry University Director of Athletics Michael L. Covone are members of the FedEx Orange Bowl Committee. In 2000 rankings, U.S. News& World Report ranked Barry number one for diversity among southern regional universities. Student/faculty ratio 13:1. The average class size at Barry is 14.

 Barry, which began competing in intercollegiate athletics in 1984, is a NCAA Division II member and competes in the prestigious Sunshine State Conference. While entering just its 26th year of athletic competition, Barry University has captured seven national championships – three in women's soccer (1989, 1992 and 1993), three in women's volleyball (1995, 2001 and 2004), and one in men's golf (2007). Barry University fields varsity teams in 12 sports, seven for women and five for men. Women's sports include basketball, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball, while the men compete in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis … but

NO FOOTBALL. Buccaneer Field … A state-of-the-art soccer training facility, Buccaneer Field features two 120 x 78 yard fields, a two story press box/concession stand with photo deck and seating for 1,500. The playing surface is well groomed Bermuda grass over-seeded rye grass for the winter months. In the summer of 2008 and 2009, the US National Soccer Team practiced at Buccaneer Field prior to World Cup qualifying matches. In 1996, Barry's soccer complex served as the training headquarters for the Brazilian Men's Olympic Team. In 1998, both the USA and Brazilian men's national teams trained at Barry's soccer complex prior to competing in the World Cup. Buccaneer Field has been the site of five NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Finals and two NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Finals. In 1999, Barry was the first site in NCAA history to host both the men's and women's championship events simultaneously. Barry repeated the feat again in 2000. In 2000, the New York/New Jersey Metro Stars and the San Jose Earthquake professional soccer clubs conducted their preseason training at Buccaneer Field. In 2004, Buccaneer Field hosted the World Cup of Flag Football. Teams of all ages from around the world battled for the flag football title. Just one goalpost … With no football team, Barry University puts up its lone goalpost once a year and that's for use by one of the teams practicing for the FedEx Orange Bowl.