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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The wind whipped at a consistent 25 mph Saturday, making the 37-degree temperature at Illinois Memorial Stadium feel a good 10 degrees colder and making any ball in the air -- punt, pass or kick -- an adventure.But Iowa knows how to handle this kind of game.The Hawkeyes struggled to a 7-0 halftime lead before turning the game over to LeShun Daniels Jr. and the defense on the way to a 28-0 win over the Illini.The shutout was the first for Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) since a win over Ball State in 2010. Illinois had just 198 yards of offense, had as many first downs -- 10 -- as punts and never pushed inside the Iowa 30.Watching the defense work motivated the offense to put points on the board on a day when they were tough to come by, Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard said.Theyve been flying around and hitting guys and getting to the ball the last couple of weeks, said Beathard, who was 9 of 17 for just 80 yards and an interception. Theyve stacked a couple of really good games together defensively.Daniels had 159 yards on 26 carries, including second-half touchdowns of 1 and 50 yards that put the game away.Even with quarterback Wes Lunt back from an injured back and starting his first game since early October, Illinois (3-8, 2-6) struggled to deal with the conditions and the Hawkeyes defense.We dropped the balls when we got it to the receivers. It just wasnt a good day for our offense as a whole -- we couldnt get the running game going, Illinois coach Lovie Smith said.The wind was the only reason McCarron dropped deep on punt returns Saturday, joining Desmond King as a second return man to deal with the unpredictable flight of the ball, Ferentz said. And having McCarron back there paid off late in the first half.Standing at his own 45, he waited for the low, wind-driven punt from David Reisner to find him. When it did, he broke right and found little but open space on the way to a 55-yard touchdown and the 7-0 halftime lead.THE TAKEAWAYIowa: Coming off a big win over Michigan, the Hawkeyes struggled through the first half. McCarrons touchdown looked for a while like it might be the games only points. But Iowas defense kept its foot on the Illini for four quarters, denying them points even off a pair of first-half turnovers and keeping Lunt to 137 yards and an interception on 19-of-41 passing.Illinois: The Illini had first-half chances. But they failed to turn two turnovers and some good field position into points in their last home game of the season. Lost in the final score is a solid effort from a defense that Iowa wore down as the game went on. Iowa had 136 yards at halftime, had turned the ball over twice and, minus McCarrons punt return, hadnt scored.WIND TUNNELThink the stiff wind wasnt a factor? Iowa was so concerned about it that Ferentz chose to play with the wind at his teams back rather than receive the ball to open the third quarter. And the decision paid off. The Hawkeyes forced Illinois into a three-and-out possession to open the half, then comfortably drove 77 yards for Daniels first touchdown and a 14-0 lead.Ferentz remembered making a similar move once, in 2003 against Michigan State.It didnt work out too well up in East Lansing, he said. They promptly drove 80 yards.WHO NEEDS TO THROW?Four times in his career at Iowa, Beathard has thrown for fewer than 100 yards. All four times the Hawkeyes have won, at Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2015 and the past two weeks over Michigan and Illinois.LUNT TO GRANTLunt and Illinois receiver Zach Grant were high school teammates in Rochester, Illinois, just outside Springfield, and won a pair of state titles playing at Memorial Stadium. Grant came into the game with just 17 catches this season, but the connection between the two seniors was one of the few things that worked Saturday. Grant had eight catches for 65 yards and said the connection between the two felt a little like high school again.Now thinking about it, it did a little bit. It was nice to get rolling for sure, he said.UP NEXTIowa: The Hawkeyes close at home against No. 19 Nebraska next Saturday.Illinois: Illinois finishes up at Northwestern next Saturday.---More AP college football coverage: collegefootball.ap.orgFollow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP Detroit Tigers Shirts . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Detroit Tigers Gear . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. https://www.cheaptigers.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Tigers Jerseys 2020 . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Custom Detroit Tigers Jerseys . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rutgers linebacker Greg Jones was taken by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation and later released following a hit to the head during Saturdays 58-0 loss to Ohio State.The redshirt senior looked as if he was trying to get up after appearing to take two hits to the helmet while attempting to make a tackle in the first quarter. The training staff kept him still on the turf before stabilizing Jones on a stretcher, carting him to the sideline and ultimately loading him into the ambulance in the south end zone of Ohio Stadium.According to a Rutgers spokesman, Jones was transported to Ohio States Wexner Medical Center as a precautionary measure. He was communiicating and had movement in his extremities.ddddddddddddJones later returned to the stadium and was on the sideline in the fourth quarter.Greg is fine. He was on the sideline, Rutgers first-year coach Chris Ash said. We just have to monitor him when we get back, but he was on the sideline and walking around.Jones had been one of the most productive defenders early in the season for the Scarlet Knights. Coming into the matchup with the No. 2 Buckeyes, he had been credited with 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack while starting every game. ' ' '