What Iowa is expecting in the Outback

News article from the Des Moines register

Iowa City, Ia. — Here’s all you have to know about the South Carolina offense: They have a quarterback named Smelley.Smelley — Chris Smelley — alternates under center with Stephen Garcia, and, collectively, the two of them make Adam Weber look like Tim Tebow.The Gamecocks, Iowa’s dance partner for the 2009 Outback Bowl, rank 54th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing offense, 109th in rushing offense, 97th in total offense and 92nd in scoring offense. In losses to LSU, Florida and Clemson, South Carolina averaged 243.6 yards of offense and converted just 10-of-41 third-down opportunities.

Some bowls are designed to be shootouts.This isn’t one of them.“I wouldn’t have predicted that,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said tonight when asked about the Gamecocks’ struggles. “I really don’t know that much about them. I know this: (South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier) knows how to coach and he knows offense. And they’ll be ready to go, I know that.”So will Iowa fans. Take a bow, folks, once you find an airfare that won’t destroy your Christmas budget. The Hawkeyes are playing on New Year’s Day for the fifth time in seven years not so much because of star running back Shonn Greene (although that helped), or that massive win over previously unbeaten Penn State (although that helped too), but because of you.Northwestern beat Iowa, in Kinnick Stadium no less, and posted a better overall record (9-3), but bowls aren’t about standings — they’re about the bottom line. To the suits in Tampa, the Wildcats are a private school with a small fan base, alumni scattered across the country, and only a marginal presence in the Chicago media market.They’re a nice story. The Hawkeyes are a safe, proven investment.Bowls want fannies in the seats. Iowa faithful flock to bowls like ants to a picnic. If there’s a game in Uzbekistan, they’ll find a tent big enough to host a Hawkeye Huddle.Of course, the same could be said of South Carolina fans, which is part of what makes this game so intriguing — or, if you’re a bowl selection committee, so lucrative.The Hawkeyes and Gamecocks have never met on the football field, but they’ve got quite a bit in common. Each is the largest public university in a historically rural state. Each has a large-school rival that resides in another conference (here, Iowa State; there, Clemson). Ferentz has reportedly been on the radar for NFL teams for years; Spurrier, um, used to be.But the comparisons sort of end there.While the Hawkeyes galvanized their offensive identity over the final six weeks of the season — a little play-action and a lot of Greene — the Gamecocks have gone through more extended funks than the Dow Jones Industrial Average. South Carolina closed out its slate by dropping three of five, including back-to-back ugly setbacks against Florida and Clemson that saw Spurrier’s men outscored 89-20.“Hopefully,” the Ol’ Ballcoach told reporters tonight, “we can get back to playing the way we were (during) the middle of the season.”After a 31-14 loss to Clemson, Spurrier dumped his offensive line coach and his quarterbacks coach resigned to take a job with Tennessee. Through his first four seasons in Columbia, he’s made at least nine changes to his staff.“I’ve heard they’ve got a pretty good defense, though,” Greene said of the Gamecocks. “So I look forward to that challenge.”He heard right. They’re quick, salty and legit. First-year defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has a reputation for being as creative — and aggressive — as they come. The Gamecocks have allowed eight passing touchdowns all season.Of course, it says here they’ve also surrendered 20 scores on the ground. If you’re an Iowa fan, you have to like the smell of that.