Box Score
On senior day in Fayette, the Peacock defense and a junior wide receiver delivered an upset victory in the team’s final home game this season. Upper Iowa blocked a potential game winning field goal for Wayne State with 24 seconds to play to claim the 21-20 win.
Trailing 14-6 at halftime, junior wideout Jessie Hubbard returned the opening kick 92 yards for a touchdown that pulled UIU within two, 14-12. Hubbard started his return to the middle and was almost taken down at the 20, but he broke out toward the UIU sideline and ran away from the Wildcat pursuers for the score. The Peacocks tied the score on their two-point conversion thanks to a Ben Curran-John Baldwin connection.
Hubbard crossed the goal line again as the clock moved under two minutes to play in the quarter. Curran found Hubbard when he was forced out of the pocket on 3rd and 10 from the 24-yard line. The junior wideout ducked into the end zone just inside of the pylon thanks to a great block by La’Mont Williams.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kevin Paulsen recorded his second huge return of the game. His first, a 60-yard return, resulted in a three-play, 17-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. This time Paulsen returned the kick 86 yards to the UIU three-yard line. Nick Pulscher took the first snap off left tackle for what seemed to be a tying score. However, the extra point team for the Wildcats was in disarray as the holder ran onto the field late. The result was a rushed kick and a missed extra point that left the Peacocks with a 21-20 lead as the third quarter came to an end.
Both defenses dug in and did not allow a point on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but Wayne State made one last push for the win on their final possession.
The Wildcats took the ball at their own 20-yard line with 2:39 showing on the clock. Quarterback Evan Johnson led the Wildcats 66 yards in 10 plays to set up the potential game winning kick. Johnson hit on five of his seven pass attempts finding Paulsen and Tommy Warren on two occasions each. Wayne State put the kick down at the twenty, but the Peacocks blocked the field goal for the second time in the game. The first block came on a 42-yard attempt in the second quarter when DaeJohn Love sprinted around the edge to knock the ball down.
Upper Iowa took over and knelt down once to seal the victory and give the 19 Peacock seniors a memory that they can keep for the rest of their days.
Hubbard caught 10 passes for 78 yards and added 114 yards in kick returns. Dominique Jackson caught the Peacocks’ first touchdown on a 44-yard bomb from Curran and added two more catches for a total of 71 yards. Seniors Zach Schaeffer and John Baldwin also made three nice grabs in traffic for the UIU offense. UIU also got a combined 105 yards on the ground with Sam Epsteen (67) and Jordan Otdoerfer (38). Curran completed 17 of his 27 attempts for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Peacock defense was led by freshman Ethan Douglas and senior Joe Nix, who each recorded 8 tackles. Douglas had 7 solo stops, while Nix had 3 tackles for loss. Nate Curran and Jordan Andera each posted 7 tackles, while Aaron Miller had 6 tackles.
The Peacocks will be on the road for their final two games of the season. Upper Iowa will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota next Saturday for a match up with Concordia University at 1 p.m.
