Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, Mekhi Sargent ran for 91 yards and a score, and No. 20 Iowa beat Miami (Ohio) 38-14 in their season opener on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start, but that was erased by the consistent ground game and some big plays from Stanley, who finished 21 of 30 in Iowa’s sixth straight season-opening win.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Sheldon Croney Jr. scored from a yard out in triple overtime and 21st-ranked Iowa State rallied to stave off Northern Iowa 29-26. La’Michael Pettway had a pair of touchdown catches for the Cyclones (1-0), who barely survived the season’s first major upset after entering the season ranked for the first time in 41 years.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska scored two defensive touchdowns and one on special teams, bailing out a sluggish offense and leading the No. 24 Cornhuskers to a 35-21 victory over South Alabama. The five-touchdown favorite Huskers led only 14-7 at half and totaled just 66 yards in the second half. But their defense had five takeaways. The Huskers had three non-offensive touchdowns for the first time since 2005.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader hit run-scoring singles during St. Louis’ two-run ninth inning, and the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 for a sweep of their day-night doubleheader. St. Louis improved to 8-1 in its last nine games and moved 2½ games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning after Kansas City loaded the bases on three bunts, and the Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5. Bubba Starling hit his first homer at Kauffman Stadium after growing up about 30 miles away, and Hunter Dozier connected for the 24th time this season for Kansas City. Anthony Santander went deep twice for the Orioles, who fell apart defensively in the eighth when Kansas City tried to play small ball.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas was suspended for the season opener for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, and the club made a pair of trades on what became a busy cut day. The Chiefs sent backup running back Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans for Martinas Rankin, who is expected to provide depth along the offensive line. They also sent defensive back Mark Fields to the Minnesota Vikings for a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, Mekhi Sargent ran for 91 yards and a score, and No. 20 Iowa beat Miami (Ohio) 38-14 in their season opener on Saturday night.

The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start, but that was erased by the consistent ground game and some big plays from Stanley, who finished 21 of 30 in Iowa’s sixth straight season-opening win.

Iowa opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal by Keith Duncan, but trailed in the second quarter after RedHawks quarterback Brett Gabbert — brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert — picked apart the Iowa secondary on a 77-yard scoring drive. Gabbert finished 17 of 27 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Hawkeyes used a combination of Sargent and Toren Young on the ground and Stanley finding 10 different receivers to counter and slowly pull away. Sargent had 14 carries and Young finished with nine for 48 yards and one touchdown.

Two moments stood out in particular for Iowa, for different reasons. Starting left tackle Alaric Jackson left the game in the first quarter with an apparent right knee injury. Conversely, Michigan transfer Oliver Martin caught his first pass with the Hawkeyes, a nine-yard touchdown from Stanley. He finished with two catches for 14 yards and the score.

UP NEXT
Iowa stays home next week, opening Big Ten play by hosting Rutgers on Saturday.
Miami (OH) returns hosts Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

(2-0) AHSTW 21-21, CAM 11-13
(2-0) AHSTW 21-21, Essex 9-12
(2-0) Ankeny 25-25, Lewis Central 20-18
(2-0) Ankeny Centennial 21-22, Lewis Central 16-10
(2-1) Atlantic 16-22-15, Earlham 21-20-4
(2-0) Atlantic 21-21, Riverside 18-16
(2-1) Baxter 16-21-15, Nodaway Valley 21-19-10
(2-0) CAM 21-21, Essex 15-11
(2-0) CAM 21-21, Riverside 17-16
(2-0) Carroll 21-21, Burlington Notre Dame 19-13
(2-0) Carroll 21-21, North Polk 16-17
(2-0) 23-21, Gilbert 21-18
(2-0) Coon Rapids-Bayard 21-21, Colfax-Mingo 14-13
(2-0) Coon Rapids-Bayard 29-21, Baxter 27-7
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 16-21-15, Atlantic 21-16-11
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 19-21-15, Riverside 21-13-6
(2-1) Council Bluffs Jefferson 21-19-15, AHSTW 19-21-11
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, East Sac County 7-9
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, Logan-Magnolia 6-7
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, St. Albert 11-10
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-21, Underwood 8-15
(2-0) Council Bluffs Lincoln 21-23, Glenwood 18-21
(2-1) Denison-Schleswig 21-12-15, AHSTW 12-21-11
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, Atlantic 18-9
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, CAM 17-10
(2-0) Denison-Schleswig 21-21, Essex 12-18
(2-0) Harlan 21-21, Treynor 13-17
(2-0) Holy Trinity Catholic 21-21, Carroll 15-16
(2-1) Kuemper Catholic 15-25-15, Humboldt 21-23-11
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Emmetsburg 15-3
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Fort Dodge 17-18
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, Grand View Christian 17-12
(2-0) Kuemper Catholic 21-21, South Central Calhoun 12-12
(2-0) Lewis Central 21-21, Waukee 17-15
(2-1) Central 21-21-20, Nevada 17-23-18
(2-1) Logan-Magnolia 21-14-15, Treynor 16-21-11
(2-0) Nodaway Valley 21-21, Colfax-Mingo 8-9
(2-0) Nodaway Valley 21-21, Coon Rapids-Bayard 10-16
(2-1) Red Oak 21-15-15, Des Moines Roosevelt 12-21-11
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Ames 15-14
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Bondurant-Farrar 14-17
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Gilbert 10-16
(2-0) Red Oak 21-21, Williamsburg 10-16
(2-0) Riverside 21-21, Earlham 17-8
(2-0) Riverside 21-21, Essex 9-9
(2-1) Sidney 19-21-15, Tri-Center 21-13-11
(2-1) Sidney 21-12-15, Treynor 19-21-11
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, Harlan 11-7
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, Indianola 17-16
(2-0) Sidney 21-21, St. Albert 13-12
(2-0) Treynor 27-21, Tri-Center 25-14
(2-1) Underwood 17-21-15, Sidney 21-19-10
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Harlan 18-15
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Treynor 15-19
(2-0) Underwood 21-21, Tri-Center 19-15
(2-1) Underwood 24-19-15, Indianola 22-21-13
(2-1) Waverly-Shell Rock 21-12-15, Red Oak 15-21-10
(2-0) Waverly-Shell Rock 21-22, Carroll 18-20

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Backup quarterback Andrew Zimmerman threw for two scores, Nate Ketteringham threw for another and North Dakota spoiled coach Todd Stepsis’ debut by beating Drake 47-7 in Saturday’s season opener for both teams.

The Fighting Hawks held the Bulldogs 13 total yards in the first quarter, 40 at halftime and 129 overall and scored a safety when a high snap on a Drake punt attempt rolled out of the end zone.

Ketteringham, 19 of 15 for 152 yards, capped North Dakota’s second drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Noah Wanzek and Zimmerman, 7 of 9 for 132, threw a 28-yard TD pass to Garett Maag and a 35-yarder to Travis Toivonen.

The Fighting Hawks had 439 total yards, including 136 rushing, with James Johannesson scoring on a 1-yard run, Cam Mckinney on a 4-yarder and Noah Grover on a 5-yarder.

Drake’s offense got going in the third quarter, with true freshman Ian Corwin capping and eight-play, 65-yard drive with a 10-yard TD pass to Devin Cates. Corwin was 8 of 20 for 55 yards with an interception.