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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.