MIAMI -- They paused to touch the trophy, the Orange Bowl trophy, there on the field platform.

It was real. It was theirs. The season of dreams, and sometimes nightmares, was now indelible. And there was the hardware, golden and shiny and permanent, to confirm it.

From national punching bag when they were 9-0 and threatening to inflict Big Ten on the BCS to Orange Bowl winner.

In several implausible leaps. Iowa. Yes, Iowa.

Freshman running back Brandon Wegher's 32-yard TD run with 1:56 left sealed a 24-14 victory Tuesday night over Georgia Tech before 66,131 fans, mostly Iowa fans, at Land Shark Stadium.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi tossed two touchdown passes. Iowa's defense pulled the plug on the Yellow Jackets' heralded triple-option offense. And the Hawkeyes (11-2) won their first major bowl game since the 1959 Rose Bowl.

Iowa's defense should've been the Orange Bowl MVP. Defensive Adrian Clayborn won it after two sacks, but it was the defense that held Tech to nine first downs and 155 total yards that earned it.

"It feels good," Clayborn said. "I give all the props

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa. Clayborn finished with nine tackles, including two sacks. WORTHY OF GAME MVP Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi. One bad pass aside, Stanzi returned in style for the Hawkeyes. He tossed two touchdown passes and rushed for one key first down midway through the fourth quarter. Stanzi completed 17 of 29 passes for 231 yards. He missed the last two regular-season games after suffering an ankle injury against Northwestern on Nov. 7. TURNING POINT Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer took a pitch at the Yellow Jackets' 12 and raced backward. He nearly was tackled in the end zone for a safety by Adrian Clayborn. Dwyer barely got the ball over the goal line, but the Yellow Jackets faced second and 21. Georgia Tech reached the 4 before punting. Iowa scored on its next possession to ice the game. HE'S ONLY A FRESHMAN? Iowa true freshman running back Brandon Wegher rushed for 113 yards and the game-deciding touchdown. Wegher has rushed for eight touchdowns this year, breaking the school record for TDs by a freshman. Wegher broke the record previously held by current red-shirt sophomore Jewel Hampton, who missed this season with a knee injury. Hampton had seven touchdowns last year. STROSS IS BOSS Iowa wide receiver Trey Stross came up with one of the biggest catches of his career late in the fourth quarter. With Iowa leading by three and facing third-and-8, Stross found an opening in the middle of the field, Stross settled into it and hauled in a 9-yard pass to give the Hawkeyes a first down at midfield. GETTING NUTTY Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt's first-quarter touchdown reception was his eighth of the season, fourth-best in school history. McNutt caught four passes for 21 yards in the game. BIG TEN BOWL WOES? Big Ten teams finished 4-3 in bowl games this year. The last time the Big Ten posted a winning bowl record was in 2002, when the league went 5-2. Iowa lost the Orange Bowl that season to Southern California. The league's top four teams all finished with at least 10 wins. Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State each had 11 wins, while Wisconsin posted 10. Ohio State and Iowa defeated conference champions in Bowl Championship Series games. FINAL FOUR Iowa quarterback Rick Stanzi threw his fourth interception for a touchdown this season, when Georgia Tech cornerback Jerrod Tarrant stepped in front of wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and returned the pass 40 yards. Stanzi also threw pick-sixes against Michigan, Arizona and Arkansas State. Special to the TH

to coach Norm Parker for putting together a great game plan.

"It's just a good thing we had a month to prepare, because it was difficult. It was a great plan. The coaches put us in the right situation to make plays."

They touched the trophy. They righted the wrong that rankled Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz so much after the 38-17 thud against USC in the 2003 Orange Bowl. They carried the Big Ten banner, clinching a 4-3 record for the league and two BCS bowl victories.

Stanzi completed 17 of 29 for 231 yards, two TDs and a pick six that kept Tech (11-3) in the game.

"Apparently not too rusty," Stanzi said. "I did fear that."

Tech came out of the locker room storming after falling behind 14-7 in the first half.

"We know we can move the ball on any defense," quarterback Josh Nesbitt said. "It was just a matter of going out and doing it. And you can't beat a good team when you're beating yourself."

The Jackets marched 12 plays and ate 7:10 off the clock. Their drive stalled at Iowa's 24 after a false start penalty on offensive tackle Austin Barrick. And then, kicker Scott Blair, normally very reliable, sliced a 41-yard field goal wide right.

So, 12 plays and more than seven minutes for nothing.

Iowa found the rhythm it lost in the first quarter.

Facing a second-and-19 after a holding call on tackle Bryan Bulaga, Stanzi hit Moeaki for a 23-yard gain to the 50. Moeaki (6-4, 250 pounds) basically posted up safety Morgan Burnett (6-1, 210).

Iowa came this close to a first-and-goal, but Sandeman dropped a pass that would've given the Hawkeyes a first down inside the 10. The Hawkeyes settled for Daniel Murray's 33-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead with 2:17 left in the third quarter.

Tech's big shift after a first half in which it produced its fewest yards in 20 years was attacking the perimeter. Nesbitt started pitching the ball to the outside and running a speed option right at Iowa's defensive ends, who were left in the dust in the third quarter after a brilliant first half.

It worked.

Tech narrowed Iowa's lead to 17-14 on an 11-play, 71-yard drive that was all rush, including 32 yards from star back Jonathan Dwyer. A-back Anthony Allen bashed in from the 1 with 12:30 left in the game.

Outside linebacker A.J. Edds stepped in front of a Nesbitt pass and returned it to Tech's 15. Edds followed A-back Embry Peeples perfectly on his wheel route.

But Tech, dancing through arrows all night, dodged yet another one.

On fourth-and-4 from the 4, holder Ryan Donahue pitched to Murray, who took off around the right end. Tech safety Morgan Burnett sniffed it out and tackled Murray inside the 10. Murray fumbled and Tech recovered for first down at the 12 with 6:46 left.

Again, Tech had a chance to take the lead.

The Jackets didn't want it, though.

This time, Dwyer got spun by safety Tyler Sash and run backwards into the end zone. He dodged defensive end Adrian Clayborn and another Iowa defender before just barely getting the ball over the goal line. Tech ended up going three-and-out for the fifth time.

"They were good and they had some good players," Dwyer said. "But I really think that we just shot ourselves in the foot, man. We were just nervous."

Iowa took over at its 37 with 4:54 left.

Drain 4:54 off the clock and win the school's first major bowl since 1959 and secure Iowa's second 11-win season.

They did better than that. Just as they had all night.

Iowa ran left, behind Bulaga and Wegher broke it wide for a TD. He finished with 16 carries for 113 yards.

"These guys have just fought hard each and every game," Ferentz said. "This is a great night."

The Hawkeyes ran the road gamut this season, winning at Iowa State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. When they won, they ran around the stadium rail, high-fiving fans.

They did that again last night. Then they went and touched an Orange Bowl Trophy.

Implausible leaps.

Iowa. Yes, Iowa.