Illinois' Lovie Smith on loss to Iowa: 'The better team won'

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Iowa run game was like a diesel engine dealing with the cold on Saturday. It took a while, but once it warmed up, it seemingly could've run forever.

The Illinois defense, on the flip side, was worn down slowly. Every bruising Iowa run dealt another body blow to an Illini group that has taken plenty this season. Illinois' Kendrick Foster, who came in averaging more than 6 yards per carry, and the rest of his team's running game could never establish a rhythm against a Hawkeyes defense that has played as well as it has all season in the last two weeks.

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith was left in resigned disappointment after Iowa's 28-0 win.

'The better team won today,' Smith said. 'They played a smart physical football game. Looking at our team, we did not. We didn't play as well as we needed to. We needed to establish the run on the offensive side, try to keep the ball as much as we could. A lot of those things you need to do to win and we didn't.'

That's been a theme of Illinois' season, to be sure, but Iowa put them in those spots for most of Saturday's game.

The Hawkeyes held Illinois to just 10 total first downs, 61 yards rushing and 198 total yards. The Illini punted on their first 10 possessions, then traded an interception, turnover on downs, a fumble and another turnover on downs in their final four.

Smith said after the game Iowa didn't throw anything at his team they weren't expecting or didn't prepare for. The Hawkeyes were just better at it Saturday, and that's something Smith would like his team to emulate.

'It's not like they do an awful lot,' Smith said. 'That's, for the most part, how we try to play, too. This is who we are, we're going to play our defense, even if you know. We're going to be in the right spot, play hard and make you earn whatever you get. You have to like that (about Iowa). Whenever you shut an opponent out, that's saying quite a bit.'

Illinois had relied on a few players defensively all season, including linebacker Hardy Nickerson, defensive end Dawuane Smoot and defensive tackle Chunky Clement. The Illini got 11 tackles out of Nickerson, but just three from Smoot and none from Clement, who went out in the first series of the game.

Smith said injuries were a factor for Illinois, but 'defensively I thought we were hanging in there even with those guys gone. They got to put some more points on the board but I thought the defense was still hanging in there even with those guys gone.'

But the Hawkeyes wore them down enough that 'hanging in there' didn't hack it. LeShun Daniels ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Akrum Wadley ran for 82 yards and one touchdown. Iowa saw habits develop for Illinois as the game went on they were able to take advantage of, namely, Wadley said, overrunning some 'outside zone plays.'

'The offensive line was obviously doing a great job moving them off the ball, getting to the right places,' Daniels said. 'But they were overpursuing a lot of things. That opened up a lot of things back side. It was about being patient on runs.

'It's something you see on tape from them. You know they have a good, athletic defensive line, so you know they're going to run a lot. I thought we took advantage of that.'

KICKING IN THE WIND

The wind gusted upward of 30-40 mph at times on Saturday, and aside from the quarterbacks who had to throw into that wind, the kickers and punters were most affected as Iowa and Illinois tussled at Memorial Stadium.

Everything about Ron Coluzzi and Keith Duncan's kicks had to change. Long snapper Tyler Kluver had to adjust his snap — and keep his hands warm enough so he didn't mishandle one.

Coluzzi has experience punting in adverse conditions, from his days at Central Michigan, and said playing in high, cold winds puts guys like him in put up or shut up mode.

'It was a lot of fun today,' Coluzzi said. 'It's something I've enjoyed for a long time, playing in the Midwest. It's either freak out or stick to your mechanics that you work on day-in, day-out, year after year. Somehow (Kluver) kept his hands warm and did a phenomenal job snapping the ball.

'Our protection did a great job. It was a great day today.'

Coluzzi said Saturday wasn't even the worst conditions he'd faced. He recalled a game at Central Michigan that was below-0 degrees and 'just as windy as this,' as well as a few snow games. He said he likes kicking in the snow because it helps prepare for a game like Saturday, so 'you're not qhining about the ball being really hard or kicking a rock.'

The fifth-year senior had one coffin-corner punt that pinned Illinois at its own five yard-line, and after he connected, Coluzzi ran down the field in celebration, chest bumping anyone he could find.

'I just found random guys,' Coluzzi said. 'Everyone on this team, I love with all my heart. I go out there and play for them and the state of Iowa and the fans who have supported me since I got here.'

Punter celebrations on today.November 19, 2016

Punter celebrations on today.@HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/egtfYuECgm

— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN)

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