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 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 13th-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 during the past two years.

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.

Iowa's Fred Russell (2) outruns Florida's Daryl Dixon (34). Russell rushed for 150 yards in the Hawkeyes' 37-17 Outback Bowl victory Thursday at Tampa, Fla.

“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.

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.

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