Iowa QB ready for return in Orange Bowl matchup with Georgia Tech

By Bud L. Ellis

It was not the way Ricky Stanzi hoped to end the regular season, not with Iowa unbeaten and dreaming of a berth in the BCS championship game.

And while the Hawkeyes dropped two of their final three games, Stanzi is back and looking to end the season on a positive note when Iowa takes on Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Jan. 5 at Land Shark Stadium.

The junior signalcaller injured his right ankle in Iowa’s first loss of the season, a 17-10 setback against Northwestern on Nov. 7. Under Stanzi’s steady leadership, the Hawkeyes had won 13 games in a row with Stanzi under center before the Northwestern game. Eight times during that stretch, Stanzi rallied Iowa for come-from-behind victories.

The high ankle sprain forced Stanzi to sit out Iowa’s final two regular-season games, but the quarterback is working back into shape and expects to be 100 percent when the Hawkeyes meet the Yellow Jackets in Miami. And while Georgia Tech’s high-octane offense meets Iowa’s stingy defense in the game’s focal point, Stanzi would love nothing more than to steal the storylines and the spotlight.

Stanzi has passed for 2,186 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, after throwing for 1,956 yards and 14 scores as a sophomore in 2008.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 6:50 pm by bud

Tags: Georgia Tech, Iowa, Land Shark Stadium, Northwestern, Orange Bowl, Ricky Stanzi