CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —After three-straight losing efforts, the Hawkeyes finally come up with a 63-0 victory over Illinois (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten)

Iowa’s victory was also a milestone win for head coach, Kirk Ferentz, who won his 150th game of his Hawkeye career. The longest tenured coach in college football is now 150-101 as Iowa’s head coach.

“Wish it would’ve come a little sooner,” joked Ferentz after the game before deflecting credit. “The common denominator has been the kind of players we get to work with and the quality of coaches is the best part of football.”

The game started off sluggish for Iowa (7-4, 4-4 in Big Ten), but it found its groove right after the first quarter; it scored 21 points in a three minute, 17-second window to open the second quarter.

A.J. Epenesa stole the spotlight in those three minutes as he racked up a forced fumble, fumble recovery for a touchdown, a sack and a blocked punt all in a five-play sequence.

“It really flipped the momentum for us,” Parker Hesse said. “That was so fun to watch. That completely changed the feel of the game, it broke it wide open for us.

The rest of Iowa’s defense was just as stingy as Epenesa, as it was able to reign in a very potent Illinois offense.

Illinois entered the game with the second best rushing attack in the Big Ten, averaging 262.8 yards per contest, but it was limited to just 151 yards Saturday.

Quarterback A. J. Bush has done a lot of heavy lifting in the rushing game for Illinois, and he entered Saturday fresh off of a game where he rushed for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He could not repeat that success against the Hawkeyes, as he was stifled by the front seven for a mere 18 yards on 12 attempts

Passing didn’t offer much of a difference to Bush and the Fighting Illini’s offense, as Bush was limited to just 80 yards, completing 12 out of 28 passes with 2 picks.

Offensively, Iowa had the game one might expect it to have going up against the worst defense in the Big Ten.

Stanley was 13-for-21 passing while compiling 179 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and only 1 interception.

Tight end Noah Fant was Stanley’s favorite target; he had 3 receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Fellow tight end T. J. Hockenson also had himself a day, grabbing 2 passes for 48-yards to compliment his 2 touchdowns.

The Hawkeyes also found some lanes to run through, as six rushers accumulated 202 yards..

Mekhi Sargent lead the way in his second start with 120 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Toren Young also had a solid performance behind him running for 45 yards on 11 attempts along with 2 touchdowns.

It was a big night for the running backs and offensive line, as it was the first time this season the Hawkeyes had a 100-yard rusher.

“It’s nice [to have a 100-yard rusher],” center Keegan Render said. “That’s credit to the two’s that went in there. They went in there, blocked their butts off, and finished the job.”

Saturday’s blowout marked the third-straight win in the series where Iowa won by at least 29 points, and it was its second shutout in three matchups. In those past three meetings, the Hawkeyes have outscored Illinois by a combined score of 136-16.

Next, the Hawkeyes will finish up the regular season at Kinnick Stadium for Senior Day on Nov. 23rd with kick-off at 11 a.m.

They will take on the Nebraska Huskers (4-7, 3-5 in Big Ten), who are riding a two-game winning streak and are fresh off an impressive 9-6 upset of Michigan State.