Tech's offense vs. Iowa's defense in Orange Bowl

Georgia Tech will face Iowa in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 5 in Miami in a battle of offense vs. defense.

The No. 9  Yellow Jackets (11-2) earned an automatic invitation by defeating Clemson 39-34 in the ACC Championship game on Saturday in Tampa.

The No. 10 Hawkeyes (10-2) of the Big Ten received an at-large berth based upon their success this season, according to Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms. Tickets go on sale on today on ramblinwreck.com/bowl.

"They won it on the field. They were unanimous in our position as the best choice," Poms said Sunday, describing how the Orange Bowl Committee chose between Iowa and Penn State. The Hawkeyes defeated the then-No. 5 Nittany Lions 21-10 on Sept. 26.

The first-ever matchup between the schools will feature the ACC coach of the year, Paul Johnson, against the Big Ten coach of the year, Kirk Ferentz, in a game that should come down to Tech's high-scoring offense against Iowa's stingy defense.

"We are looking forward to a great game in Miami and looking forward to getting started with the Orange Bowl experience," Johnson said.

Tech's coach was recruiting on Sunday and said he hadn't started watching film yet, but he has seen Iowa on TV this season: "I've been very impressed with how physical they are and how they found a way to win games."

Featuring a strong defensive line, the Hawkeyes  are giving up 286.7 yards and 15.5 points per game, both the 10th-best marks in the country this season. Tech averages 442.7 yards and 35.3 points per game.

But Ferentz said it has been some time since he has faced an offense like Georgia Tech's. He said he first watched the Jackets "running right through" Miami last season in a Thursday night game, adding little did he know he'd be trying to prepare to face the same team in a bowl game a year later.

"Good news is we have time to get ready for it," Ferentz said. "Bad news is I don't know how to simulate it in practice. It will be a great challenge."

The Hawkeyes are averaging a pedestrian 330.8 yards and 23.1 points per game. But the Jackets' defense has had its issues the past two games against Georgia and Clemson, giving up 800 yards and 64 points.

Adding to the challenge is that Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi will return to action after missing the Hawkeyes' past two games and most of third after sustaining an ankle sprain in a loss to Northwestern on Nov. 11. Iowa lost its next game to Ohio State. Stanzi has passed for 2,186 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season. The losses saw the Hawkeyes drop from their highest ranking at No. 7 in the Associated Press poll after starting the season 9-0.