Navy, Air Force option attacks get Iowa's attention

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Georgia Tech's powerful offense already had Iowa's attention, but big bowl wins by Navy and Air Force made a few of the Hawkeyes take further notice.

Air Force, which runs the option out of the wishbone, hammered Houston 47-20 on Thursday. Later in the day Navy took apart Missouri 35-13. The Midshipmen run the same offense as the Yellow Jackets because it's what Paul Johnson put in when he coached there before taking over at Tech.

The Middies and Falcons totaled more than 1,000 yards and held the ball for approximately 41 minutes each.

"They say we're lucky because we've got so much time to prepare for it, but those guys had time as well and they still couldn't stop it," Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer said at Friday's news conference in Fort Lauderdale. "I think Georgia Tech is a better team than those teams, too. It's going to be challenging."

A sample of Tech's players were split on whether the big wins would affect their confidence before they take on the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt and A-back Anthony Allen said it always good to see a team that runs an offense similar to theirs do well.

Guard Cord Howard, who will be playing in his last game at Tech, and center Sean Bedford said those outcomes don't really mean anything.

"We're talking about completely different teams," Bedford said. "Navy runs the same scheme, but they aren't playing Iowa. They played a different team. Every team has a distinct personality. There's something they are known for. Something they adhere to. When you see teams face off like that, you have to keep it in mind."

This season, Tech is averaging 442.7 yards per game while holding onto the ball 34:18. Iowa, which hasn't faced an option team this season, allows 286.7 yards per game while limiting opponents' time of possession to 29:08.

"We know how good this offense is," Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds said. "The big thing is we can't sit around on our heels early in the game, just hoping and trying to figure out if we can stop it. We need to go into it confident in what we've put in. We can't wait for the game to slow down. If we wait, we'll be down 21-0 before the second quarter starts. Seeing those teams execute the way we do reinforces that we have to be ready at the first snap."

Physical practices

Several Georgia Tech players commented on how physical the practices have been as they prepare for the bowl game. It's a little bit different than last year's preparations for LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Tigers blitzed the Jackets 38-3.

Johnson said the tougher practices are the result of that loss, as well as the physical style that Iowa plays on defense. The team has run a lot of live drills with first-units squaring off against each other, as well as working on maintaining their conditioning.

Quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said he has stressed to his players that they are working hard because they don't want to end this season like they did the last.

"It's got to be in their minds," Bohannon said. "That's how we performed, that's how we finished this season. If Iowa beats us on our best day, fine, but we can't go out and lay an egg like we did last year."

Ringing in the New Year

None of Georgia Tech's players missed the 1 a.m. curfew put in place for Friday morning. Some players went to South Beach to see the sights and celebrate the holiday. Johnson said he rang in 2010 lying on his couch watching Dick Clark's TV special.