Welcome to the C.J. Beathard Era at Iowa, where everything’s coming up sunshine.
In his first game since head coach Kirk Ferentz made him the team’s No. 1 quarterback, Beathard led a dominant performance by the Hawkeyes, who took care of Illinois State, 31-14, in the season-opener on Saturday.
Despite a score that doesn’t exactly look like a blowout, Iowa was in control from beginning to end on both sides of the ball. Iowa out-gained Illinois State — a team that played for an FCS national championship last season — 431-231, with the Hawkeyes defense keeping the Redbirds’ number real low until the very end. Illinois State scored two touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes, turning a 31-0 rout into a 17-point loss.
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But still, it was all Hawkeyes. While perhaps they didn’t take as much advantage on the scoreboard as they should have, the Hawkeyes showed an offense that didn’t look like the one that struggled to gain traction under Jake Rudock’s leadership last season. Beathard completed just 15 passes but for 211 yards and a touchdown.
But it was on the ground where Iowa really impressed. Beathard reached the end zone twice using his legs. The team ran for 210 yards total, with LeShun Daniels carrying the ball 26 times for 123 yards. Jordan Canzeri added a rushing touchdown, as well.
The Iowa defense played terrifically, holding the Redbirds to a jaw-droppingly low 35 rush yards on the day. Iowa also registered five sacks, with star defensive end Drew Ott accounting for two of those.
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It was a solid non-conference win for Iowa, even if it came against an FCS opponent. The Hawkeyes went 3-1 in non-conference plays last season, winning the three games by a combined 16 points.