Box Score
Box Score
The Peacock football team christened the new turf field in Fayette with a non-conference win over the Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce this afternoon. Upper Iowa used strong defense all afternoon and took advantage of a fumble on a Lion punt to edge out their guests by a 15-14 count.
The teams were very close in total offense as A&M-Commerce held a slight 239 to 219 yard advantage, but the teams accounted for those yards very differently. The home team ran for 86 yards while throwing for 133, while the visitors ran for 19 yards on 22 carries and were forced to throw for 220 yards.
The UIU defense played a large role in the win this afternoon and they started from the opening possession. After the Peacock defense forced a punt attempt, the Lion kicker dropped the snap and was forced to throw the ball out of the endzone for a safety.
Upper Iowa added a 43-yard field goal midway through the first quarter and led 5-0 heading into the second.
The Lions took a slim 6-5 lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point went wide right.
Prior to the halftime break,
Jordan Otdoerfer capped off an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a touchdown run from three yards out to give the home team a 12-6 lead.
Neither team scored in the third, but the biggest play for the UIU defense came with eight minutes to play in the quarter when they stuffed a 4th and 1 play in the redzone. Lions quarterback Yogi Gallegos tried to sneak up the middle to reach past the 11-yard line, but a swell of defenders up the middle denied the attempt and UIU took over on downs.
The score remained until
Steven Sandoval hit his second field goal of the day, this one a 19-yarder, to push the UIU lead to 15-6 with just over five minutes to play in the game.
A late touchdown with twenty seconds to play gave the Lions a glimmer of hope, but
Keaton Martin fell on the onside kick and one snap later the Peacocks were 1-0.
Leading the way for the defense was
Tom Nesvik with 10 tackles.
Tony Leggett added 9 tackles including one for loss and a fumble recovery, while
Casey Popenfoose recorded 7 tackles including one for loss.
Jordan Andera made an interception and returned it 23 yards to set up the winning field goal for UIU.
On offense, redshirt freshman
Cole Jaeschke completed 9 of 17 passes for 133 yards and rushed six times for 10 yards. Otdoerfer led the rushing attack with 41 yards on 19 carries, while freshman
Chris Smith added 24 yards on 15 carries in his first collegiate start.
Jessie Hubbard caught 4 passes for 52 yards, while
Derek Giesking pulled in two passes for 42 yards.
The Peacocks (1-0) will head to #1 Minnesota Duluth next Saturday for their NSIC opener against the defending NCAA Division II Champion. The Bulldogs defeated the #8 Vikings of Augustana 20-12 this afternoon. Kickoff for next week's game is set for 1 p.m.
