TAMPA, Fla. — Kirk Ferentz can rest a little easier.
Iowa's 45-year drought in January bowl games is over, the
Hawkeyes have consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time, and
Ferentz and his players can finally stop thinking about last
year's flop in the Orange Bowl.
Iowa's 37-17 rout of Florida on Thursday in the Outback Bowl
ensured all that.
''This is very gratifying and very rewarding. This is one
more hurdle for us to climb,'' Ferentz said. ''None of us had a
good taste in our mouths after the game last January. It stuck
with us.''
With Fred Russell running for 150 yards and one touchdown,
the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes answered critics who felt Ferentz
needed to win a New Year's Day Bowl to truly re-establish Iowa
as one of the nation's top programs.
Nathan Chandler threw for one TD and ran for another, Nate
Kaeding kicked three field goals and Iowa (10-3) scored on a
blocked punt for the third time this season to improve to 21-5
over the past two seasons.
Florida's season ended with a loss in the Outback Bowl for
the second straight year, and the lopsided result is almost
certain to start a renewed round of speculation about Ron Zook's
future as coach after a pair of 8-5 finishes.
''I apologize to the Gator fans. It's my responsibility to
get this football team ready to play and we weren't ready to
play,'' Zook said.
Chris Leak's 70-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Kight was the
highlight of the day for the Gators, who trailed 20-7 at the
half and saw any hopes for a comeback fade when an offensive
pass interference penalty wiped out a TD that would have cut
Iowa's lead to 27-17.
Instead, Florida punted two plays later and Chandler led an
80-yard drive that Russell capped with a 34-yard TD burst to
make it 34-10 with just under five minutes left in the third
quarter.
Iowa won a January bowl for the first time since beating
California in the 1959 Rose Bowl. The Hawkeyes had been 0-4
since then, including an embarrassing three-touchdown loss to
USC in last year's Orange Bowl.
''I think it's just one more step toward credibility,''
Ferentz said. ''I had no idea; none of us knew how many games we
would win this season. ... Our guys feel awfully good about what
they've accomplished.''
Florida rebounded from early losses to Miami, Tennessee and
Mississippi to win five of its last six regular season games.
The turnaround began with a 19-7 upset of LSU on the road, and
Leak's steady improvement was one of the keys to the surge.
The freshman quarterback was 22-of-41 for 268 yards and one
interception, but had most of his success after Iowa's Matt
Melloy blocked Eric Wilbur's punt and fell on it for a touchdown
to give the Hawkeyes a 20-point lead early in the second half.
''Chris had a tough day,'' Zook said. ''Once again, you've
got to give Iowa credit. They did a great job.''
The second-ever meeting between the schools was just as
critical for Zook as it was for Ferentz, who has turned Iowa
around after going 12-30 in his first three seasons.
Zook was not a popular choice to replace Steve Spurrier at
Florida two years ago and his 16-10 record falls well below the
standard set by his former boss, who resigned as coach of the
Washington Redskins this week.
Although there are no indications that Spurrier is interested
in returning — or that Florida wants him back - the decisiveness
of Thursday's loss won't quiet Zook critics who question whether
he's the right man for the job.
''I felt like we were prepared. I felt like we had great
practices, but we didn't play like it. That's my
responsibility,'' Zook said. ''There were times that we showed
spurts. We just couldn't sustain anything.''
The Gators were outgained 231-133 in the first half with most
of Florida's yardage coming on Leak's TD pass to Kight, who
slipped 10 yards behind the nearest defender, safety Bob
Sanders, and caught the ball in stride at the Iowa 20.
Chandler answered with a 3-yard TD pass to Maurice Brown,
then scrambled 5 yards around left end for a second-quarter TD
that put the Hawkeyes up 17-7. Kaeding added first-half field
goals of 47 and 32 yards.
Chandler finished 13-of-25 for 170 yards.
Russell broke a 25-yard run on Iowa's first play from
scrimmage and had 95 on 12 attempts at the half. He finished
with 21 carries, and had three runs of at least 25 yards in what
he said will be his last game for Iowa.
''I thought this was his best season,'' Ferentz said of the
senior running back, who plans to turn pro despite having one
year of eligibility remaining.
''With the injuries we had and the guys that we lost ...
obviously all eyes were on Fred from the get go. I thought he
played outstanding football all season long and he finished up
strong.''
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