GAME TWO || Saturday, September 14, 2013 || 6:00 PM
Fayette, Iowa || Harms-Eischeid Stadium
#7 University of Minnesota Duluth at Upper Iowa University
Live Options: Live Stats || Live Webcast
Radio: AM 950 KOEL
Upper Iowa Game Notes || Minnesota Duluth Game Notes || Northern Sun Weekly Release
This Week in Peacock Football... Upper Iowa will open their home slate this Saturday at
Harms-Eischeid Stadium as they welcome the #7 Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth. Both teams are coming off convincing week one victories. The Peacocks posted their first shutout in nearly 19 years with a 47-0 win at Minnesota Crookston, while the Bulldogs controlled the clock and pounded the run against Sioux Falls for a 32-7 win. The Peacocks will rely on the NSIC's reigning Offensive Player of the Week, Cole Jaeschke, to lead the offense against a stout Bulldog defense, while two-time All-NSIC linebacker Ethan Douglas will run the UIU defense as they look to continue their strong start. UMD will look to establish their running game on the legs of Austin Sikorski and a solid offensive line. Upper Iowa is also celebrating
Take A Kid to the Game today and the Fayette Youth Football team will be playing at halftime.
The Series... The Bulldogs own a 4-0 record against the Peacocks since Upper Iowa moved up to NCAA Division II. UMD has won two games in Fayette and two in Duluth. The last meeting between the teams was in 2011 when the #1 Bulldogs defeated the Peacocks 49-22.
"Cole"-Hearted Record Breaker... Redshirt junior quarterback
Cole Jaeschke has his name on top of seven Peacock records and the Moorland, Iowa native is looking to add more this season. His 5 touchdown passes last week give him 44 in his career, just four shy of Jesse Willis' (1995-98) total. Jaeschke was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after his 292 yards and 5 scores through the air. Nationally, he is ranked 2nd in passing efficiency (223.2), 4th in points responsible for (30), 11th in yards/completion (17.2), 38th in passing yards (292) and 53rd in total offense (295).
The Comeback Kid... Junior running back
Chris Smith is returning to form after battling injuries last season. Last week, Smith, the 2011 NSIC Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, ran for 122 yards on 14 carries and got in the endzone twice. Nationally, the Brown Deer, Wisconsin native is ranked 23rd in rushing yards/game (122), 24th in total rushing yards (122) and 26th in scoring (12).
"Gut"s of a Burgular... Redshirt junior wide receiver
Shay Gutman caught four passes for 90 yards and made the most of his receptions scoring three touchdowns. He is currently 3rd in the country in scoring (18). With the 90 yards last week, Gutman moved into 6th place on the all-time receiving yards list at UIU with 1,654 yards.
Not Your Typical Tight End... Junior tight end
Lucas Hefty pulled in six passes for 151 yards and two scores. The Traer, Iowa native can be found in the slot as much as he is on the end of the line. Nationally, he is ranked 16th in receiving yards/game and total receiving yards (151) and 26th in scoring (12). Hefty now has 11 touchdown receptions in 18 games played.
Rise of the Blackshirts... The UIU defense put together a total team effort to post their first shutout since 1994 last week. Eleven players recorded at least three tackles and the Peacocks recorded 14 tackles for loss including 6 sacks while holding UMC to 61 yards of total offense (-43 rushing yards) and forcing two turnovers. Nationally, the UIU defense is ranked 1st in scoring defense and rushing defense, 2nd in total defense and 6th in team tackles for loss.
Peacock Coaching Staff... Head Coach Tom Shea (5th Season)... Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers - Orv Otten (3rd Season)... Secondary - Dan Lemke (3rd Season)... Defensive Line - Justin Wyatt (1st Season)... Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line - Brian Frana (5th Season)... Quarterbacks - Jesse Montalto (9th Season)... Wide Receivers - Marty Higgins (2nd Season)... Running Backs - Dave Barclay (9th Season)... Offensive Line Assistant - Lucas Sharp (1st Season).
Radio... Upper Iowa Peacock football can be heard throughout the 2013 season courtesy of AM 950 KOEL. Play-by-play announcer Joe Stasi is in his 11th season as the "Voice of the Peacocks." He will be joined on the broadcast by Zach Carlyle, a junior sports communication major at UIU. The pre-game show is scheduled for 5:40 p.m.
About the #7 Bulldogs…
LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs drove 65 yards in six plays for a touchdown in the opening series of the night and never looked back en route to a 32-7 thrashing of the University of Sioux Falls before an overflow crowd of 5,217 at James S. Malosky Stadium Saturday. Junior running back Austin Sikorski ran for a game-high 97 yards and a pair of scores on 24 carries while redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Bauer completed 10 of 16 passes for 68 yards and also rushed for a touchdown. The Bulldogs, who had never butted heads with the Cougars before, rolled up 28 first downs and 381 yards of total offense (296 on the ground) on the evening and surrendered a mere 144 overall yards.
ANOTHER FAVORABLE NSIC FORECAST: For the first time since 2007 (when UMD was a member of the now defunct North Central Conference), the NSIC coaches chose someone other than the Bulldogs as the team to beat. In their annual preseason poll, the league coaches picked the defending NSIC kingpin Minnesota State University-Mankato to finish first in both the South Division and in the overall standings while the Bulldogs were slotted to capture the North Division crown (for a sixth straight years) and place second to the Mavericks overall (like the did one year ago after a four-year run as league champs). UMD had been chosen as the overall NSIC preseason favorite during each of its previous six years of league membership (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2003.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The 144 yards of total offense the Bulldogs gave up to Sioux Falls int the season opener was a four-year low. The last UMD foe to generate less overall yardage was Minnesota Crookston, who finished with just 78 in a 44-0 setback on Oct. 31, 2009 in Duluth. Senior defensive end Chris Vandervest paced the Bulldogs in tackles on Saturday night with a career-best eight stops (all solos), including three for a loss and one quarterback sack.
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD: For the first time since the 2004 season finale, someone other than Ted Schlafke (47 straight games between 2005-08), Jon Lynch (the first two games in 2010) or Chase Vogler (52 games) started at quarterback for the Bulldogs on Saturday night. Red freshman Drew Bauer did the honors , and was relieved for one possession in the third quarter by sophomore Eric Kline. Kline, a transfer from South Dakota State engineered a 11-play, 36-yard scoring drive before giving way to senior Brent Jorgensen, who took his first snaps in three years. It marked the first time since Nov. 6, 2010 (at Minnesota Crookston). the Bulldogs used more than two quarterbacks in one game.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: In Saturday's 32-7 triumph over Sioux Falls, 11 different Bulldogs ran the football -- the same number that did so during the entire 2012 season.
