Big second half lifts UNI over Jackrabbits

Saturday, September 15

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

0-3

Northern Iowa

3-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Northern Iowa

South Dakota State

9/15/2007 1:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

Fifth-ranked Northern Iowa scored 18 consecutive second-half points and rode the right arm of Eric Sanders and the legs of Corey Lewis to surge past South Dakota State, 31-17, in the 12th Annual Cereal Bowl Saturday night at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

UNI improved to 3-0 overall, while the Jackrabbits dropped to 0-3. The game was played before a crowd of 10,844.

The Panthers opened the scoring as they took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on nine plays. Lewis capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run ? the first of his three TDs on the night.

SDSU came right back to tie the game with a quick two-play, 70-yard drive as Ryan Berry found JaRon Harris behind the UNI defense for a 57-yard scoring strike.

After Tyler Koch's interception and ensuing personal foul penalty gave the Jackrabbits the ball at the UNI 40, SDSU took its only lead of the night. Cory Koenig finished off the nine-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The game remained that way until Lewis scored on a 5-yard run for UNI. A bad snap on the extra point prevented the Panthers from tying the game.

The kicking game prevented UNI from taking a halftime lead. On the final play of the half, Billy Hallgren had his second field goal attempt of the half ? a 32-yarder ? blocked by Eric Schroeder to preserve SDSU's 14-13 advantage.

But the second half would belong to UNI and offensive tandem of Sanders and Lewis. In one stretch, Sanders completed 19 consecutive passes, including six on an 11-play, 74-yard drive in which the Panthers took the lead for good. Lewis capped the drive with a 2-yard run at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter, and Sanders later found Victor Williams in the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Hallgren kicked a 21-yard field goal late in the third quarter before Sanders closed out the Panther scoring with an 11-yard bootleg run on UNI's first drive of the fourth quarter.

SDSU got back to within 31-17 on a 37-yard field goal by Parker Douglass with 3:38 remaining in the game.

UNI out-gained the Jackrabbits 514-265 and ran 26 more offensive playes, 77-51. Lewis topped the century mark in both rushing and receiving, carrying the ball 18 times for 125 yards and catching another 10 balls for 164 yards.

Sanders ended the night 27-of-32 for 330 yards.

Jackrabbit quarterback Ryan Berry completed 16-of-25 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. JaRon Harris led SDSU receivers with five catches for 91 yards.

SDSU's running game was paced by Koenig, who carried 14 times for 52 yards. Kyle Minett added six carries for 45 yards.

Six different Jackrabbit defenders recorded double digits in tackles. Justin Kubesh tallied a game-high 13 tackles, including a sack, with Tyler Koch adding 12 stops. Brock Campbell and Chris Johnson each recorded 11 tackles, followed by 10 tackles each from Adam Fritz and Jimmy Rogers.

Brannon Carter led UNI with eight tackles.

SDSU returns to action Sept. 22, hosting Texas State in the 41st Annual Beef Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.