Nov. 9, 2007
Box Score
The Peacock football team traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for their final game of the 2007 season. Upper Iowa met the Beavers of Bemidji State in the NSIC/Merchants Bank Metrodome Football Classic. Upper Iowa's offense was strong early and staked the Peacocks to an eleven point lead early in the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Peacocks, the Beavers outscored the UIU 46-7 over the remainder of the game. Those Peacock fans that just look at the score will not now how close this game really was before the BSU ran away and won 56-28.
Upper Iowa raced out to a 21-10 lead thanks to a Jay Lehman, one-yard touchdown run, and two Lehman passes for scores; one to Ryan Hudgins (31 yards) and one to Aaron McFarland (22 yards). The first score was set up by an Anthony Calamita interception that gave the Peacocks the ball at the BSU 10-yard line.
Bemidji State stormed back on the arm of Cory Wardrope and the hands and legs of Anthony Schreiber. The pair combined for three unanswered touchdowns to vault the Beavers back in front 31-21 at halftime. After a BSU field goal, the Peacocks were able to put together a 10-play, 92-yard drive that was capped off by a T.C. Hicks 15-yard touchdown run that pulled UIU to within six points with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter.
A long drive by the Beavers and a two-point conversion gave them a 14-point lead with 14:13 to play in the game. The wheels came off when Bemidji was successful on an end around pass as Schreiber hit a wide open George Kadlec for a 44-yard touchdown and then Spencer Wagner picked off the Peacocks fifth interception of the night and returned it for a score.
Upper Iowa was led by Hicks, a senior, who ran for 147 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. Lehman was 20 of 37 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, but did have multiple interceptions. Ryan Hudgins played well in his final game for UIU pulling down 8 catches for 92 yards and a score. McFarland finished with 63 yards for the Peacocks. Malcolm Cole led the team in tackles with 10, while Eddy Umeh recorded 8 tackles. Anthony Calamita had seven tackles with one sack and one interception. Senior Sherrod Guidry tallied seven tackles as well.
Upper Iowa finished the 2007 season with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the Northern Sun Conference. The team loses 13 seniors from this year's squad and will need to replace some very talented players. Included in the group of graduates are T.C. Hicks, Dwayne Croker, Ryan Hudgins, Aaron McFarland, Allen Conrad, Jay Lehman, David Epps, Chris Calixte, Sherrod Guidry, Malcolm Cole, Adam Kirksey, Mike Minikwu, and Curtis Crittendon.
