IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) _ Randy Reiners returned to the starting quarterback spot Saturday and scored a touchdown, and Ladell Betts ran for a career-best 174 yards and a TD to lift Iowa to a 24-0 victory over Northern Illinois.

The Hawkeyes (1-2) snapped a seven-game losing streak, gave Kirk Ferentz his first victory as Iowa's coach and averted what would have been the team's worst start since 1979.

Northern Illinois (0-3) has lost seven straight and is 3-33 in four seasons under coach Joe Novak.

Reiners replaced Kyle McCann, who was ineffective in Iowa's first two games, but he took until the third quarter to get the offense moving.

Kent Baker's 42-yard punt pinned the Hawkeyes back on their 1 before Reiners, who was suspended for Iowa's first game because of a public intoxication arrest, led a 17-play, 99-yard touchdown drive.

Reiners rolled right and stretched into the end zone from the 2 to give Iowa a 10-0 lead with 13:10 to play. The fifth-year senior finished with 13 completions in 18 attempts for 145 yards.

On the ensuing possession, Northern Illinois quarterback Frisman Jackson led the Huskies from their own 74 yards to the Iowa 6.

Kent Baker, who missed two earlier field goals, had a 23-yard attempt blocked by Matt Bowen. LaVar Woods scooped up the ball and ran 87 yards for a touchdown, the longest for Iowa since an 84-yarder against Purdue in 1960.

Betts put the game away with a 10-yard touchdown run with 7:03 to play.

A 27-yard run by Chris Finlen, who replaced Jackson, appeared to give the Huskies their only touchdown with 3:08 remaining, but the play was nullified by an unsportsmanlike penalty.

Iowa's first points came on a 46-yard field goal late in the second quarter by Tim Douglas that gave the Hawkeyes a 3-0 lead in a first half marred by turnovers and 10 penalties _ seven by Iowa.

Retired coach Hayden Fry was on hand for the first time since leaving the Hawkeyes last year. He was honored in a ceremony before the game.