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09/04/10 02:05:00
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09/04 14:02 CDT No. 9 Iowa rolls past Eastern Illinois 37-7
No. 9 Iowa rolls past Eastern Illinois 37-7
By LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Adam Robinson ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in
the first half and No. 9 Iowa breezed past Eastern Illinois 37-7.
Senior Ricky Stanzi threw for 229 yards and a touchdown for the Hawkeyes (1-0),
who won their 10th straight season opener under coach Kirk Ferentz.
Iowa has its highest preseason ranking in 22 years, and the Hawkeyes made quick
work of the FCS Panthers on Saturday.
Robinson scored on TD runs of 2 and 4 yards, and Paki O'Meara blocked a punt
and returned it 42 yards to put the Hawkeyes ahead 21-0 late in the first
quarter.
Iowa got a brief scare when Stanzi landed awkwardly in the second quarter, but
he quickly returned and played until the game was well in hand.
Brandon Large was 13-of-20 passing in his first career start for Eastern
Illinois (0-1), which had just six first downs.
After a narrow escape over Northern Iowa in last year's opener, some wondered
if the Hawkeyes were going to let Eastern Illinois hang around, too.
Iowa didn't need to block two field goals in the final moments to overcome
these Panthers.
The Hawkeyes moved the ball with ease on their first two drives, both
punctuated by short rushing touchdowns from Robinson. The blocked punt by
O'Meara, a backup running back, put the Panthers in a 21-point hole before they
crossed the 50-yard line.
It was obvious from the first time Eastern Illinois touched the ball that it
wasn't going to do much against Iowa's vaunted defense.
The Panthers opened with a chop block on Iowa star defensive end Adrian
Clayborn, and Large barely got the ball out on third down as Clayborn raced
toward him in the Eastern Illinois end zone.
But nothing ever seems to come easy for the Hawkeyes - even against the
overmatched Panthers.
Eastern Illinois converted a fake punt from their own 20, setting up an 11-yard
touchdown pass from Large to Von Wise that made it 21-7 early in the second
quarter.
Stanzi slipped on a rollout and limped to the sidelines, causing a collective
gasp from a crowd of over 70,000 at Kinnick Stadium.
Robinson scored from 6 yards out to give Iowa a 28-7 lead with 8:39 left in the
first half, but all eyes were on Stanzi as trainers huddled over Iowa's senior
leader.
Stanzi came out for the next series to cheers. It was clear that the Hawkeyes,
derided by many for being lucky last season, had caught their first break of
2010.
The Panthers tried some trickery in the third quarter, and it cost them two
points. Large's screen pass in the end zone went behind his receiver and out of
bounds, giving Iowa a safety and a 30-7 lead.
Stanzi, who was 18-of-23 passing, found fullback Brett Morse for an 1-yard TD
pass with 8:27 left to round out the scoring.
Iowa held the Panthers to 157 yards.
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