Can the Hawkeyes finish re-shingling 2016?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When presented with a free space on the board this season, the Hawkeyes have stamped right over top of it.

Last weekend at Illinois, the Fighting Illini could find enough gumption to ball up a single fist, while Iowa's defense produced its first shutout since 2010 in a 28-0 punchout at Memorial Stadium.

Ultimately, this probably was more of a statement about what Illinois (3-8, 2-6 Big Ten) isn't in Lovie Smith's first season as head coach than what Iowa is. Still, the shutout was a bonus and, after the Illini lost their best two defensive linemen to injury, the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3) owned this one.

Senior running back LeShun Daniels rushed for 110 of his 159 yards in the second half when he scored both of his TDs, including a 50-yarder. Iowa finished with 262 yards on 49 carries. That's just 15 fewer yards than the Hawkeyes totaled in their last three games, which, by the way, came against No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Penn State and No. 3 Michigan.

'We knew going into today that the run game was going to be big,' Daniels said. 'Going into it, you've got to have a mentality, especially with weather like this (winds gusting to 40 mph and wind chill stuck on 24 degrees), that you're going to ram it down their throats no matter what.'

It was a show of power for the Hawkeyes, at least in the second half, when they boosted their yards per carry from 4.2 (19 for 80 in the first half) to 6.0 (30 for 182 yards).

That's not a bad deal with sophomore Keegan Render and redshirt freshman Levi Paulsen seeing their first-ever pairing at the guard positions, not to mention guard Sean Welsh sliding out to right tackle.

'That's kind of an offense-wide deal,' Welsh said. 'We had some backs who had some problems earlier in the game and they stuck with it and the run game really popped open. It's just kind of the perseverance. We had to stick with it.'

Junior running back Akrum Wadley added 82 yards and a TD. Going into Friday's season finale against No. 18 Nebraska (9-2, 6-2), Wadley leads the Hawkeyes with 861 yards to Daniels' 855. This is the first time since 1990 the Hawkeyes have had a pair of 800-yard rushers (Nick Bell and Tony Stewart in '90).

'With the wind being a factor in this game, we couldn't (pass the ball) and we had to rely on our rushing attack,' Wadley said. 'LeShun Daniels put us on his back, as he should. The line always takes the pressure off the backs with their sense of urgency, coming off the ball and creating lanes for us.'

It's time to dispatch the Illinois game, a free space in the Big Ten West Division. If we wanted to, we could dwell on the weird and wonderful stat that Illinois didn't kickoff in the game. According to ESPN, that hasn't happened in a game since North Texas didn't kickoff in a 35-0 loss to Middle Tennessee State in 2006.

Huh, weird. OK, time for Nebraska.

The Huskers are very much in the Big Ten West hunt. They need Wisconsin to stumble at home against Minnesota (8-3, 5-3) and then beat the Hawkeyes. Since Nebraska entered the Big Ten in 2011, Iowa has yet to score a victory over Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium.

Sorry Hawkeyes people, Wisconsin and Nebraska are the last two standing in the West. A four-way tie between Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin would go to the Badgers by virtue of a tiebreaker that compares the teams' records against each other. Wisconsin and Iowa would be 2-1. The Badgers would then hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Iowa with its 17-9 victory at Kinnick on Oct. 22.

Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong didn't play in the Huskers' 28-7 victory over Maryland. The senior suffered a hamstring injury the week before in a victory over Minnesota. Senior Ryker Fyfe led Nebraska last weekend, throwing for 220 yards and a score.

Armstrong's status for Friday's game is up in the air, Nebraska head coach Mike Riley said in the postgame.

'I'm optimistic that we'll have Tommy back, but I'm not sure,' he said. 'I suppose on a short week we're going to have to find out as soon as we can and what that means. I'm guessing Ryker might get the early works still.'

The Hawkeyes started re-shingling their season after the Penn State debacle with the momentous victory over No. 3 Michigan two weeks ago. The 'Flip these Hawkeyes' continued with a vintage Kirk Ferentz 'defense, O-line, run game' clubbing of Illinois.

Can Iowa finish a nutty, up-and-down 2016 as the hammer rather than the nail? It's been a theme that's really run through the Hawkeyes' season.

You saw Penn State. You saw Michigan. Which is it, Iowa?

'That went down in history as being one of the worst ones we've had,' Ferentz said of the Penn State loss (41-14). 'For the guys to bounce back and play two very good defensive games back-to-back, that's good stuff. As a coach, that's what you love to see.

'We didn't do anything magical either week. It's 'go back to work,' but I think there's a little more attention to detail, a little more determination on the field.'

If it feels as if it's harder to reclaim a season rather than build one, it's because it is.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com