Middle Tennessee's Tyrone Calico leaps to make the catch over Illinois' Bobie Singleton.(AP)

The Illini showed up for the second half, scoring four straight touchdowns to win 35-6 as the Blue Raiders succumbed to the stifling heat and Illinois' depth.

The temperature reached the mid-90s, with readings on the artificial turf at Memorial Stadium hitting 128.

Kittner threw three touchdown passes to sophomore Greg Lewis, who tied a school record for touchdown receptions in a game. Two Illinois halfbacks ran for more than 100 yards and the defense did not give up a touchdown.

"We came into this with the goal to get the win," Illinois coach Ron Turner said. "I don't think anyone on this team is overly excited about how we got it, but we got it."

Middle Tennessee drove inside Illinois' 10 three times only to be stymied by penalties and the Illini's tough defense.

Turner griped about the missed tackles that let the Blue Raiders get into scoring position, while Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum bemoaned the missed opportunities.

"We moved the ball up and down the field and we couldn't finish," McCollum said. "But it's not anything they did. It's what we did."

When its first drive stalled near midfield, Middle Tennessee quarterback Wes Counts surprised the Illini with a squib punt that rolled to the 3.

But the field position didn't matter because Illinois took just 3:34 to cross the field, scoring on a 24-yard touchdown pass -- the first from Kittner to Lewis - for a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Illini struggled, on offense and defense, the rest of the half. But the Blue Raiders squandered their best chances to score.

An offsides penalty followed by a late hit killed one drive that reached Illinois' 9. Brian Kelly kicked a 39-yard field goal.

When Middle Tennessee reached the Illinois' 3 with 20 seconds to go in the first half, defensive end Fred Wakefield burst through the line and chased Counts down for a sack and 13-yard loss.

The Blue Raiders scurried to get a field goal unit on the field, and Kelly hit the 33-yarder as time expired.

"There were some positives," Turner said. "We held them when we needed it."

Everything changed after the break. Kittner, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 185 yards, hit Lewis for two more touchdowns on the half's first two possessions.

"It seemed like they were just leaving me open, like they thought I wasn't a factor," Lewis said.

Antoineo Harris and Rocky Harvey added touchdown runs for the Illini. Harris, who gained 128 yards on the ground, ran 11 yards for a score at the end of the third quarter.

Harvey, who had 112 yards rushing, toyed with a worn Middle Tennessee defense through the fourth quarter. He took one ball around the left end, then slashed back toward the middle and outran everyone for a 62-yard score.

Turner speculated the slow start, especially the missed tackles, could be attributed to light practices. With temperatures nearing 100 all week, the Illini practiced two days without pads with less contact to keep the players fresh.

Regardless of the weather, Turner said he will not repeat that this week.

"You play how you practice," he said.