University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
1-0
Drake(Scheel's Kick-Off Classic)
0-1
UNI Wins Season Opener, 48-7
8/31/2006 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2006
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Des Moines, Iowa - Junior quarterback Eric Sanders completed 20-of-25 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown, and sophomore tailback Corey Lewis rushed 11 times for 105 yards and two scores, as the University of Northern Iowa defeated Drake, 48-7, in the season opener for both teams.
UNI racked up 448 yards of total offense while holding Drake to just 282 total yards. As a team, the Panthers completed 22-of-27 passes for 286 yards and two scores with no interceptions. UNI rushed 33 times for 162 yards and three scores.
The crowd of 10,107 - including several thousand Panther fans -- was barely settled into their seats, when UNI's Terrell Allen got the scoring started. The junior wideout took the opening kickoff 97 yards for the score, giving UNI a 7-0 lead just 18 seconds into the contest.
After UNI's defense forced a Drake punt, the Panther offense drove 72 yards in 12 plays to make the score 14-0, as Corey Lewis went the final two yards for the score. Sanders was a perfect 4-for-4 passing on the drive. On Drake's next possession, senior Dre Dokes had the first of his two interceptions on the night, leading to a Brian Wingert 46-yard field goal. The first quarter ended with the Panthers on top, 17-0.
UNI made it 24-0 early in the second quarter when junior tailback Whitney Lewis scored his first career touchdown. Lewis went five yards to cap a nine-play, 73-yard drive that gave the Panthers a 24-0 lead.
Drake then got on the scoreboard with its lone touchdown of the night, making the score 24-7, but the Panthers answered back right before halftime. Sanders connected with James Lindgren for a seven-yard scoring strike with just 30 seconds left before intermission to make the score 31-7 at the break. Sanders completed 6-of-8 passes on the drive for 75 yards, including a 38-yard hook up with Johnny Gray that got the Panthers down to Drake's 12 yard line.
Corey Lewis scored his second touchdown of the game with 9:48 left in the third quarter. He capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring run, making the score 38-7. After Wingert's second field goal made it 41-7, freshman quarterback Patrick Grace capped the scoring with a 59-yard scoring strike to Victor Williams with 3:48 left in the game.
UNI's next game will be Sat., Sept. 9 when it hosts North Dakota. Kickoff from the UNI-Dome is set for 4:05 p.m.
Team Stats
UNI 7, DU 0
UNI - Allen, Terrell 97 yd kickoff return (Wingert, Brian kick)
UNI 14, DU 0
UNI - Lewis, Corey 2 yd run (Wingert, Brian kick), 12 plays, 72 yards, TOP 4:33
UNI 17, DU 0
UNI - Wingert, Brian 46 yd field goal 4 plays, -5 yards, TOP 1:40
UNI 24, DU 0
UNI - Lewis, Whitney 5 yd run (Wingert, Brian kick), 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 5:36
UNI 24, DU 7
DU - Moroni, Shea 22 yd pass from Retherford, D. (Rees, Logan kick) 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:15
UNI 31, DU 7
UNI - Lindgren, James 7 yd pass from Sanders, Eric (Wingert, Brian kick) 9 plays, 71 yards, TOP 3:21
UNI 38, DU 7
UNI - Lewis, Corey 12 yd run (Wingert, Brian kick), 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:31
UNI 41, DU 7
UNI - Wingert, Brian 30 yd field goal 7 plays, 24 yards, TOP 4:10
UNI 48, DU 7
UNI - Williams, V. 59 yd pass from Grace, Patrick (Wingert, Brian kick) 3 plays, 61 yards, TOP 1:43