Orange Bowl Game Day -- The Pylons

1) Think time of possession. It's sometimes an overheated stat, but not tonight. Iowa's best chance is its running game. Saddle up behind tackle Bryan Bulaga and get everything you can out of an OL that has three seniors and a star in the making in Riley Reiff. That said, someone has to run the ball. Runnig backs Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher were a little beat down at the end of the season. Robinson wore a red "no-contact" jersey and a shoulder harness during practice this week. Iowa needs to average 5.0 yards a carry.

2) Disciplined defense. Teams that have tried to go aggressive against Tech have been burned. The beauty of coach Paul Johnson's offense is that it's a single page with six or eight different blocking schemes. They force defensive backs to think run and then they hit WR Demaryius Thomas over the top. QB Josh Nesbitt is a burly, slippery runner and will do some damage on the perimeter, but he's not an accurate passer. B-back Jonathan Dwyer is a burly inside runner cut out of the mold of Shonn Greene. If Iowa can limit Techs yards per carry and force Nesbitt into passing situations, it will win the game. Iowa has to dictate, or at least have a say, in down and distance.

3) Stanziball! We've reached the conclusion this week, with the help of offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe's and QB Ricky Stanzi's comments, that decision-making isn't a strength for Stanzi. Yes, the quarterback was asked to do a lot more in Iowa's offense this season, but Stanzi had 14 interceptions. He clearly needs improvement in this area. If you put the over-under tonight at two Stanziballs, that's not good. That's a losing number for Iowa. The Hawkeyes can't afford to give Tech's offense anymore rope.

4) Perfect special teams. The team that makes positive plays in special teams wins tonight. Tech got crushed in last year's Chik-Fil-A Bowl, 38-3, by LSU. Late in the game, coach Johnson appeared to lose his poise, calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-8 from the Yellow Jackets 22-yard line. The play gained just 2 yards. LSU executed a perfect onside kick with a 14-3 lead. Don't expect that tonight. Tech's special teams have been tightened up, with kicker Tech kicker Scott Blair (14 of 19) and return specialist Jerrard Tarrant (14.3-yard average and two TDs) leading the way. Iowa kicker Daniel Murray can't miss a no-brainer. I like Iowa's coverage teams, though.

Bonus: A Gazette employee, Paul Nus, ran into Iowa CB Amari Spievey's family in the Orange Bowl parking lot. They say he still has a big decision to make.