Gameday: Iowa drills Illinois State, 31-14

The general consensus heading into Iowa's season opener was that the Hawkeyes had a stiff challenge in defending FCS runner-up and No. 2-ranked Illinois State.

But Iowa, a 10-point favorite, dominated in almost every facet of the game.

C.J. Beathard completed 15 of 24 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown and ran for another two, and the Hawkeyes ran for 221 yards and held the Redbirds' vaunted backfield to 35 yards rushing in a 31-14 victory.

On its first two possessions, Iowa took the ball 81 yards in 13 plays, then 99 yards in 12 plays, consuming a total of 13:01 of game time to take a 14-0 lead.

"This is what Iowa football is. We talked about it all off season" - Austin BlytheSeptember 5, 2015

"This is what Iowa football is. We talked about it all off season" - Austin Blythe

— Gameday Live (@IowaFBLive)

LeShun Daniels, who finished with 123 yards, ran for 54 in the first quarter, including a 27-yard scamper that put Iowa in Illinois State territory.

The Hawkeyes converted a 4th-and-2 at the Illinois State 14 when Beathard hit Tevaun Smith for five yards.

Two plays later, C.J. Beathard's six-yard touchdown run put the Hawkeyes up 7-0.

CJ Beathard gets September 5, 2015

CJ Beathard gets @HawkeyeFootball's first TD of 2015 on the QB keeper. http://t.co/yJzQyrDQ4a

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork)

After a pooch punt left the Hawkeyes at the 1, a nice balance of run and pass got them into ISU territory to start the second quarter.

Jordan Canzeri finished the scoring drive with a five-yard run to put Iowa up 14-0 with 12:35 to play in the second quarter.

"This is what they're supposed to do," BTN analyst Matt Millen said of Iowa's offense. "A good football team does this."

A screen pass to Canzeri, who switched fields for a 51-yard gain with 24 seconds to go, helped Iowa add to its halftime lead as Marshall Koehn drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired to make it 17-0.

On a scolding hot day, Iowa may have delivered a knockout punch to Illinois State in the third quarter.

A 13-play, 57-yard touchdown drive that took up just over 6 1/2 minutes of game time gave the Hawkeyes a 24-0 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Beathard's 10-yard pass to Matt VandeBerg, who got most of those yards running after the catch, and diving for the pylon, put Iowa in a comfortable position after three quarters.

BTN just took a temp reading of the turf next to me: 130 degrees. 135 in the endzone... September 5, 2015

BTN just took a temp reading of the turf next to me: 130 degrees. 135 in the endzone... #Hawkeyes #oniowa @CRGazetteSports

— Adam Wesley (@adambwesley)

Beathard added a 1-yard TD run to complete a 10-play, 66-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

Iowa's defense showed up, too. The Hawkeyes sacked Roberson five times in the first half, including two from Drew Ott in one series.

This came against an offense, led by dual-threat Indiana transfer Roberson and FCS All-American running back Marshaun Coprich, that averaged 400-plus yards per game last season.

"This (Iowa defensive front) front has dictated the game," Millen said.

"Drew Ott, wreaking havoc in the Illinois State backfield." Ott tallies his 2nd sack for September 5, 2015

"Drew Ott, wreaking havoc in the Illinois State backfield." Ott tallies his 2nd sack for @HawkeyeFootball. http://t.co/9zTYWRjMvu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork)

Illinois State backup quarterback Jake Kolbe led the Redbirds on two touchdown drives in the last six minutes of the game.

The Kinnick Stadium attendance was 59,045, the lowest it has been since 2003, but the crowd was lively.

A fake field goal in the second quarter that did not gain enough yards for a first down received a standing ovation from fans anxious for new wrinkles to the Iowa program.