Oct. 20, 2007
Box Score
St. Paul, Minnesota was the latest stop for the Peacock football road show that has been away from home three of the last four weeks. Upper Iowa took the field to face the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul. The two teams entered the game looking to climb in the NSIC standings with a midseason victory. Concordia pushed out to a 10-3 lead at halftime, but the Peacocks scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter to take a 17-10 lead. Concordia put ten points on the board in the fourth quarter including the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes to play to take the victory 20-17 and hand the Peacocks another heartbreaking loss.
After both defenses started the game with a pair of tough possessions, the Peacocks were the first to create a turnover. Safety Craig Henry intercepted a Golden Bear pass and to give the Peacock offense the ball inside the CSP 30-yard line. Momentum would not stay on the visitor's side as Lehman threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. The play was slow to develop and the Peacock quarterback threw to the sideline, but Dario Moore jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and sprinted 77 yards down the sideline for the game's first score.
Both defenses continued to dictate the game for the remainder of the first quarter. Upper Iowa took over at their own 39-yard line to begin the second quarter. The Peacocks ground out a 15-play drive that covered 61 yards and took 6:47 off the game clock. The possession included two fourth down conversions; both on completions from Lehman to wide receiver Ryan Hudgins. The drive ended on Jason Price's first collegiate field goal from 21 yards. Upper Iowa cut the lead to 7-3 with less than nine minutes to play in the half.
Concordia moved the ball very effectively on their next drive, but a holding penalty on an apparent first down throw slowed the Golden Bear offense enough for the Peacocks to force a field goal attempt. The kick sailed wide right and Upper Iowa took over at their own 28-yard line with three and a half minutes to play.
The Peacocks took the ball into the redzone, but on 4th and 7 with 1:13 to play, Lehman threw his third interception of the half on a late throw over the middle that the Concordia free safety, Chuck Meisbauer, picked off to give the ball back to the Golden Bear offense.
Concordia used a quick 7-play, 52-yard drive to put them in field goal range. Stpehan Bjerke converted on the field goal from 29 yards as time expired to give the home team a 10-3 lead at the break.
The Peacocks came out of halftime fired up and took a confident attitude onto the field. Upper Iowa started with the ball and Lehman engineered a drive featuring a few wide receiver screens, a crossing route to Dwayne Croker, and a down and out to Aaron McFarland. Poor tackling combined with a great individual effort allowed Croker to get down to the one yard line on what should have been a loss of yards. Kyle Hosch took the handoff on the next play and leapt over the pile and goal line for a game-tying touchdown.
The UIU defense came on the field and was able to shut down the CSP offense on their first possession and force a punt after a sack by David Epps on third down. The Peacock offense stormed onto the field and needed just two plays to cover 49 yards and take a 17-10 lead. Lehman hit Croker on a pass and the receiver ran the ball down inside the ten yard line. T.C. Hicks used a pair of moves to waltz into the endzone nearly untouched.
On the Golden Bears ensuing possession, the home team was penalized for an ineligible man downfield on a halfback option pass that fooled the Peacocks and would have tied the game. Concordia kept their drive alive and set up another field goal attempt from 29 yards, but for the second time Bjerke missed the attempt to the right.
Both defenses seemed to stiffen as the third quarter ended and the fourth quarter began. The Golden Bears took the ball at their own 45 with a first and ten with just over nine minutes to play in the game still trailing 17-10. A long complete pass from Kole Goodchild to Tyrone Ruffin gave the home team another first down at the UIU 36, but an offensive pass interference call on the next play made it 1st and 25 from the CSP 49.
Concordia was able to get the penalty yardage back on a reception and picked up the first on another Goodchild completion. The Golden Bears picked up their next first down as a result of a personal foul face mask on a defensive lineman. Concordia set up with a first and goal from the ten. After an incomplete pass, Goodchild rushed for three and gave the home squad a third and goal from the seven. An incomplete pass, thanks to a vicious hit by Anthony Calamita, forced another Concordia field goal attempt. Bjerke converted the kick from 24 yards and the Golden Bears cut the lead to 17-13 with 5:35 to play.
The Concordia kickoff went out of bounds and gave the Peacocks the ball at the 35-yard line. The Golden Bears defense stepped up to the challenge of stopping the Peacocks quickly. After stuffing a run and forcing an incomplete pass, the defense sacked quarterback Kevin Linnell and forced a punt. The home team took over at their own 32-yard line with just over four minutes to play.
The Golden Bears began their drive with a few short down and outs designed to gain small chunks of yards but keep the clock still. A second ineligible man down field penalty negated an apparent first down pass and after a pass was knocked down at the line by the Peacocks, the Golden Bears faced 3rd and 12 from the CSP 43. Goodchild had nowhere to go with a pass so he scrambled, but was tackled by Neil Howey at the 48, which set up a 4th and 7.
Great protection by the offensive line bought Goodchild all kinds of time as he waited for his receivers to get open. Finally a Golden Bear broke open over the middle as the quarterback hit him in stride for the first. Upper Iowa them hurt themselves with an illegal participation penalty; twelve men on the field, which gave Concordia a first down at the UIU 17. The Concordia quarterback then called his own number and from the shotgun took the ball straight up the gut following his blockers into the endzone. Concordia hit the extra point to take a 20-17 lead with 1:23 to play.
Mike Minikwu caught the short kickoff and returned it to the UIU 40 for the Peacocks final possession. Linnell connected with McFarland on a nine-yard completion and an offsides penalty on the Golden Bear defensive line gave the Peacocks a first down across midfield. After an incomplete pass, Linnell scrambled out of the pocket and threw a deep ball to McFarland who couldn't quite pull it down in traffic. Linnell, under pressure again, was called for intentional grounding which put Upper Iowa into a 4th and 15 with thirty seconds on the clock. Linnell threw a pass over the middle that the Concordia defense swallowed up for Upper Iowa's fourth interception of the game.
After a few kneel-downs by the home team, the final cannon roared and the Peacocks had suffered another heartbreaking loss; their second three point loss in the last three games. Concordia's record improves to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC, while Upper Iowa's record falls to an identical 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the NSIC.
The Peacocks' defense played well all day, but so did the Concordia defense as the held the normally high scoring UIU offense to just 17 points. If today was a sign of things to come for the Peacocks, who are in just their sophomore season in the NSIC, then Peacock fans have a lot to look forward to. Great support by the fans that traveled with the team and great support from all the players to each other as the game unfolded. It is not a day to keep your head down for the Peacocks. They are on a long road to success and they are making great strides every week.
The Peacocks were led by Croker (7 rec./109 yds), Lehman (18-27/237 yds), Hicks (25 rushes/52 yds), Hudgins (5 rec./40 yds), McFarland (4 rec./47 yds), Sherrod Guidry (6 tackles, 2 sacks), Malcolm Cole, Anthony Calamita, and Vernard Wilkins (all 6 tackles).
Upper Iowa will host the University of Mary next Saturday, Oct. 27, in their final home game of the 2007 campaign. Kickoff is set for 1:00 at Eischeid Stadium in Fayette.
