CHAMPAIGN—Illinois had been waiting all summer to get back on the field and out from under the shadow of off-field turmoil.A three-hour thunderstorm that pushed back Friday’s scheduled opener added another 17 hours to that wait.But Saturday afternoon, Illinois finally delivered the cathartic blowout the team was looking for, dropping 38 first-half points on Kent State on the way to a 52-3 win.Just eight days earlier, head coach Tim Beckman was abruptly fired after university-hired lawyers found evidence that he had interfered in medical decisions. The investigation, which continues, was sparked back in May by former offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic’s allegations that Beckman and others had pressured him to play hurt and misled him about injuries. Beckman has denied he did anything wrong and hinted he might sue over the remainder of his contract.

”We have all these things outside of us trying to get us off beat, and (the weather delay) was just another factor trying to get us off beat, and I think we handled it very well,” said Illinois linebacker Mason Monheim, who grabbed one of the three interceptions Kent State quarterback Colin Reardon threw.

“There were a lot of happy faces out there,” added Bill Cubit, the offensive coordinator who was named interim head coach when Beckman was fired.

Kent State was looking for a strong start after last season’s 2-9 finish, but didn’t find much to build on.Friday’s delay sent the team, coaches and staff scrambling late at night to book hotel rooms in two cities, Champaign and Bloomington, about an hour northwest.The brightest spot for Kent State might have been Shayne Hynes’ 43-yard field goal with 8:30 left in the game, avoiding the shutout. The Flashes had two touchdowns wiped out by penalties, and Illinois blocked a second-quarter field goal attempt.