GAME SEVEN || SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2014 || 6:00 PMFAYETTE, IOWA || HARMS-EISCHEID STADIUM || MILITARY DAYUPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY VS. WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY
LIVE OPTIONSWEBCAST || LIVE STATS || NSIC SCORES || AM 950 KOEL
WEEKLY NOTESUPPER IOWA || WINONA STATE || NORTHERN SUN || TWO DEEPS
THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... The Peacock football team enters into week seven's match up against Winona State University (3-3, 0-2 NSIC South) having lost their first game of the season last Saturday at Southwest Minnesota State University (28-25). The Warriors come to Fayette on a three-game losing streak with two of the losses coming to a pair of top-3 ranked teams in #3 Minnesota Duluth and #2 Minnesota State. Sandwiched in between was a loss in Wayne, Neb. on Wayne State's homecoming. Upper Iowa will look to bounce back this week against their geographically-closest foe in the Northern Sun. Both teams pass for just under 300 yards per game, but the Peacocks outgain the Warriors by 60 yards a game on the ground. UIU and WSU both struggle on third down converting less than 40% of the time so the game could be decided on the possession downs Saturday night. Upper Iowa will celebrate Military Day and welcome back the 1964 Peacock football team that went 8-1 a half century ago.
50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY... Head Coach Eb Eischeid led the 1964 team to a 6-0 start, an overall record of 8-1 and a share of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship. The roster included All-IIAC performers Charlie Brown (Def. End), Frank Nevelle (Off. Tackle), Ken Bye (Off. Guard), Bob Reinert (Back), Ron Herdliska (Back), Clarke Campbell (Quarterback), Bob Schulte (Def. Tackle) and Larry Nemmers (Def. Back). The Peacocks scored 326 points, which ties for the third most points in a season behind the 1966 team that tallied 338 points and the 2009 team that scored 335. The defense was even more dominating as it only allowed its opponents an average of 6 points per game. The total points allowed by UIU's defense, 54, are still a record at Upper Iowa. Campbell threw 15 touchdown passes to UIU receivers throughout the year including Reinert, who crossed the goal line 14 times on rushes and receptions. Nemmers is tied for the record for interceptions in a game with 4, which he did against Iowa Wesleyan. Nemmers also recorded a punt return for 88 yards, the fifth longest in UIU history, against Simpson. John Grubb holds the record for yards on a punt return with his 95-yard return against Milton.
CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS... During the Military Day game on Oct. 18, UIU will wear one-of-a-kind jerseys produced by Russell Athletics especially for the Peacocks. The jerseys feature camouflage over the entire body, a United States flag above the heart and Upper Iowa in the athletics department font and colors. Fans can log on to the
UIU Military Day Football Jersey Auction website and bid on one or several of the 97 jerseys that will be made available and auctioned to the public. Numbers 1-99 are available with the exception of numbers 33 and 34, which are the two retired numbers in UIU's history. The only way to obtain one of these special UIU Military Day game jerseys is through the
auction site. Starting bids for the Military Day game jerseys will begin at $100 for each jersey and bids will go up in $15 increments after the initial bid. Jerseys can be bought outright for $400. Jerseys will be available for pick up at Upper Iowa's final home game of the season against Wayne State College on Nov. 1. If bid-winners are unable to attend the game, then jerseys can be shipped to them.
THE SERIES... Winona State has claimed all ten meetings with Upper Iowa including eight victories since Upper Iowa moved up to NCAA Division II and joined the NSIC. The Warriors and Peacocks locked up in a shootout on UIU's homecoming two seasons ago with WSU edging the home team, 45-42. Last October in Winona, the Warriors scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 28-10 halftime lead and held off Upper Iowa in the second half to post a 49-32 victory despite allowing UIU to gain 607 yards of total offense. Winona State scored three touchdowns on plays of 30 yards or more and added defensive and special teams scores as well. Jaeschke completed 30 passes for 428 yards and 2 touchdowns, but WSU picked off three passes in the game.
RARE AIR… Senior Cole Jaeschke passed the 10,000-yard mark last week when he threw for 342 yards at Southwest Minnesota State. The UIU quarterback has thrown for 10,155 yards in his career including 10,022 in 38 conference games, which is the most of any quarterback in Northern Sun Conference history. He is also now second in total offense (passing yards plus rushing yards) all-time in the NSIC needing 829 yards to become the conference's all-time leader in that category as well. Jaeschke has thrown for the 4th most completions in the nation and most among NSIC QB's with 166 and is connecting with his receivers at a completion percentage of 61.5% (36th NCAA/2nd NSIC). His 1,791 passing yards are ranked 14th among NCAA DII signal callers and 2nd in the NSIC, while his 1,826 yards of total offense are 21st best in the country and 3rd in the conference. His 11 touchdown passes (39th NCAA/5th NSIC) add on to his program record for scores thrown in a career; he now has 73 through the air and has added 7 on the ground.
NIGHT AT "SMITH"-SONIAN... Senior Chris Smith battled through injuries last week to gain 104 yards on the ground highlighted by a 55-yard rush to the end zone for his 16th touchdown of the season. Smith added five catches for 63 yards to reach 167 all-purpose yards last Saturday. In 32 games for Upper Iowa, the senior tailback has 4,154 in 32 games (129.8 yards/game). Smith is 2nd in the nation in rushing touchdowns (42 in his career) and is averaging 2.7 trips over the goal line per game. Smith has carried the ball 142 times for 941 yards in 2014. The Brown Deer, Wis. product is 3rd in the country in rushing yards and yards per game (156.8), and is also ranked 8th nationally with 181.7 all-purpose yards per game. He is now third all-time in Northern Sun Conference history in career rushing yards and needs 685 yards to become the all-time leader in NSIC history (137.0 yards per game).
"WAHL"-EYE "FISH"-ING... Redshirt juniors Alex Wahl and Tyler Fisher are leading the Peacock defense from their linebacker positions. The Peacock defense has registered 40 tackles for loss (9th NSIC). Wahl's 74 tackles (12th NCAA/3rd NSIC), 46 solo stops (3rd NCAA/1st NCAA) and 3 forced fumbles (7th NCAA/1st NSIC) lead the team, while Fisher is second on the team in tackles with 56 (7th NSIC) and solo tackles with 28 (9th NSIC).
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS... The Peacocks picked off another pass last week raising their season total of interceptions to 11, which ties Sioux Falls for the 8th highest count in the country and largest tally in the NSIC. Chayz Holt leads the team with 5 (6th NCAA/1st NSIC), while fellow corner Javon Moore's 3 picks rank him 30th in the nation and 4th in the NSIC. Jeff Arends has two interceptions to tie for 7th in the Northern Sun, while safety Paul Yokas pulled in the remaining takeaway. Holt is also ranked 7th in the nation and first in the NSIC in passes defended with 12.
WEAPONS OF MASS RECEPTION... Quarterback Cole Jaeschke has a wealth of weapons around him including four solid targets as the team enters week seven. Redshirt sophomore Trey MacTaggart has joined seniors Shay Gutman, Lucas Hefty and Derek Giesking in the forefront of UIU's passing game. Last week, MacTaggart returned a punt for 91 yards and added a pair of catches for 34 yards, while Giesking pulled down 10 passes for 111 yards and Gutman caught 9 balls for 84 yards. For the season, Gutman has snared 42 catches (19th NCAA/ 4th NSIC) for 569 yards (30th NCAA/6th NSIC) and five scores (40th NCAA/5th NSIC). The Cedar Rapids product has caught 170 passes for 2,527 yards in his career. He is currently fourth on the all-time receptions list trailing the leader Dwayne Croker (2004-07) by 24 and the all-time receiving yards list behind the record holder Jackie Bridges (1989-92) by 115 yards. Giesking, who missed the first game, has caught 38 balls for 387 yards (13th NSIC) and 2 touchdowns. His 7.6 receptions per game are 10th best in the NCAA and tops among NSIC receivers, while his yards per game (77.4) are 7th best in the conference. Hefty has hauled in 32 catches (10th NSIC) for 318 yards (24th NSIC) and two scores.
"RED"-DY, SET, GO... The Peacock offense struggled in the redzone last week converting only two of its five opportunities, but still ranks 23rd in the country and 4th in the NSIC making good on 87.5% of their possessions inside the 20. On defense, Upper Iowa is ranked 13th in the country and 1st in the NSIC in redzone defense holding opponents to a 60% success rate. Upper Iowa has held their opponents to twelve scores (4 FG/8 TD) in twenty trips into the redzone. UIU has made stops when it counts as opponents have only converted 5 of 20 fourth down attempts resulting in a fifteen turnovers on downs.
