CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Sawyer Kollmorgen threw for two touchdowns, and David Johnson rushed for 173 yards and another TD as Northern Iowa scored early and often, beating Northern Colorado 46-7 on Saturday for its first victory of the season.
The Panthers (1-2), with losses to Iowa and Hawaii, shook off the two-game losing streak quickly against Northern Colorado (1-2).
The Bears tackled preseason All-American Johnson for a loss on the first play from scrimmage, but in a matter of seconds, Kollmorgen had Northern Iowa on the board after a 22-yard run and a 39-yard TD pass to Kevin Vereen Jr.
Johnson, bottled up for 80 yards on 31 carries this season, had a breakout game with 109 yards by halftime. Darrian Miller caught one touchdown pass and ran for another. Michael Schmadeke kicked three field goals.
The Bears’ Darius Graham broke the shutout with a run from the 4 with 3:31 left.
UNC quarterback Sean Rubalcaba completed 13-of-20 passes for 147 yards without an interception but was sacked seven times.
The Bears managed 11 first downs and only 199 total yards, while the Panthers had 473 yards, 23 first downs and converted all five of their scoring chances in the red zone.
