Northern Iowa defeats D-I newcomer St. Thomas 44-3

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Matthew Cook kicked four field goals, six Panthers scored touchdowns, the Northern Iowa defense made three interceptions and held Division I newcomer St. Thomas to 26 rushing yards in a 44-3 win on Saturday.

St. Thomas, which made the jump from Division III this season, was making its first appearance in Cedar Falls since 1927. The Tommies (1-1) had made eight D-III playoff appearances in the last 11 seasons.

They make their inaugural run through the Pioneer League with eight games starting next week.

Northern Iowa (2-1), a Missouri Valley power, gave the newcomers a tuneup, building a 20-point lead after three quarters and then scoring three more touchdowns to close out the final quarter.

Dom Williams and Vance McShane, Bradrick Shaw, Vance McShane and Kolby Gartner scored rushing touchdowns for the Panthers, who gained 193 yards on the ground and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Isaiah Weston pulled in a 60-yard TD pass from Theo Day.

Benny Sapp III came up with two interceptions and Stefan Black II picked up a third for UNI.

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