GAME FOUR || Saturday, September 28, 2013 || 12:00 PM
Fayette, Iowa || Harms-Eischeid Stadium
University of Mary at Upper Iowa University
Live Options: Live Stats || Live Webcast
Radio: AM 950 KOEL
Upper Iowa Game Notes || U-Mary Game Notes || Northern Sun Weekly Release || Two Deep
This Week in Peacock Football... Upper Iowa is coming off a come-from behind win on the road, 24-17. On Saturday, UIU will host the Marauders of the University of Mary in a NSIC cross division battle of 2-1 teams. U-Mary outlasted the University of Sioux Falls, 17-10, last Saturday to earn their second straight victory. The matchup is intriguing as the Peacocks and Marauders boast the top two passing offenses in the NSIC. The difference on offense is on the ground where UIU ranks as the sixth best rush offense, while U-Mary is fifteenth in rushing. On the defensive side of the ball, Upper Iowa is ranked first in total defense allowing 243.7 yards/game, while U-Mary has the third best pass defense with five interceptions. U-Mary's Head Coach Myron Schulz has 99 career wins, while Peacock Head Coach Tom Shea has 117 victories. Coach Shea was the head football coach at U-Mary from 1991-97.
The Series... The Marauders own a 4-0 record since Upper Iowa moved up to NCAA Division II. U-Mary has won two games in Fayette and two in Bismarck. The last meeting between the teams was in 2009 when the Marauders outscored the Peacocks 28-7 in the second half erasing a four-point Peacock lead.
Record Watch... UIU signal caller Cole Jaeschke has his name on top of eight Peacock records and the Moorland, Iowa native is looking to add more this week. His touchdown pass last week gives him 47 in his career, just one shy of Jesse Willis' (1995-98) total. Jaeschke is also just 32 yards shy of becoming the all-time passing yards leader at Upper Iowa surpassing Jeff Roth's (1989-92) total of 6,379 yards.
The Bliss of "Chris"… Junior running back Chris Smith is coming off of his best performance of the last two years after spending most of the 2012 campaign battling injuries. Smith was the NSIC's Newcomer and Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman in 2011. The reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns including the game winner at Northern State last week. Nationally, the Brown Deer, Wis. native is ranked 14th in total rushing yards (410), 16th in rushing yards/game (136.7) and 16th in rushing touchdowns (5). On the conference level, Smith is ranked third in all three categories.
A "Hefty" Load… Junior tight end Lucas Hefty pulled in eight passes for 82 yards and one score last week. The Traer, Iowa native is ranked 9th in the nation in three categories; receiving yards/game (127.7), total receiving yards (383) and receiving touchdowns (5). Hefty is currently 36th in the country in scoring/game (10.7) and now has 14 touchdown receptions in 20 games in the Peacock blue and white. He leads the NSIC in receiving yards total and per game and is second in the conference in receptions and touchdown receptions.
Drum Roll for "Cole"… Redshirt junior quarterback Cole Jaeschke was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance through the air against Minnesota Crookston in week one. Nationally, Jaeschke is ranked 18th in total passing yards (223.2), 19th in total touchdown passes (8), 20th in passing yards/game (306.3), 24th in points responsible for/game (18.7), 25th in completions/game (24) and 29th in total offense/game (306.7). He leads the NSIC in passing touchdowns, yards, yards/game and points responsible for.
Center of Attention... Senior middle linebacker Ethan Douglas recorded a team-high 9 tackles for the Peacocks at NSU and forced the fumble that gave Upper Iowa the ball for the game-winning drive. The Brodhead, Wis. product posted 6 solo stops and 3 tackles for 11 yards of loss last week. For the season, Douglas has 22 tackles (tied for 22nd in the NSIC) and 4.5 tackles for loss (tied for 6th in the NSIC).
Stone "Wahl"… Sophomore linebacker Alex Wahl has returned from an injury that kept him off the field in 2012 and has made an instant impact on the UIU defense. Wahl has registered 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries including the recovery that led to the Peacocks' winning drive. He is ranked 46th nationally and 5th in the NSIC in sacks/game (.8) and 58th in the country and 7th in the conference in tackles for loss/game (1.5).
