Through one quarter of action on Saturday in snowy Mankato, Minnesota, the Peacock offense and defense controlled the action taking a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.  However, the #1 Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato tied the game 23 seconds into the second period and never looked back scoring the game's final 38 points to secure their undefeated regular season (11-0, 7-0 NSIC South) with a 45-14 victory.  With the loss, Upper Iowa finished the year with a 6-5 mark (2-5 NSIC South) for the second straight season.  The second consecutive winning season marks the first time for two straight winning seasons since the 1963 and 1964 seasons.
 
After Minnesota State scored a touchdown on their first drive, Upper Iowa answered immediately with a 5-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Cole Jaeschke to Derek Giesking.  On the team's third possession, UIU forced a second Maverick punt to take over at the midfield.  Ten plays later, Jaeschke found Shay Gutman for a 6-yard touchdown and gave Upper Iowa a 14-7 lead. 
 
Minnesota State tied the game on a drive that spanned the quarter break and finished just 23 seconds into the second quarter on a short quarterback run.   The top-ranked Mavericks added another touchdown on their next possession and kicked a short field goal just before halftime after a punt return put MSU into the redzone.
 
In the second half, MSU added the only points to the scoreboard at Blakeslee Stadium.  Minnesota State scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and added an interception return for a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
 
The Mavericks tallied 489 yards of total offense, while holding the Peacocks to 217 yards including just 54 yards on the ground.  Minnesota State raced through the snow for 297 yards on the ground in the game while owning the time of possession (38:54 – 21:06).
 
Defensively, Upper Iowa was led, as they have been all season, by linebacker Alex Wahl.  Wahl has played the last three games with a cast on his left hand due to an injury that will require surgery following the season.  Wahl, a junior, and Tate Thompson, a sophomore, both racked up 10 tackles, while senior corner Javon Moore and redshirt-junior linebacker Tyler Fisher both added 9 apiece.  Chayz Holt picked off a pass for the Peacocks pushing his season total to 8.  Wahl's 127 tackles are the most by a Peacock in a season over the ten-years that Upper Iowa has been competing at the NCAA Division II level, nine of them as a part of the Northern Sun Conference.
 
Jaeschke threw 163 yards on 17 of 35 with 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The four-year starter at quarterback, owns many records at Upper Iowa, but most importantly in the categories of career passing yards (11,714 yards), career total offense (12,174 yards), and career passing touchdowns (85).  The Moorland, Iowa native also holds the all-time records in the history of the Northern Sun Conference for career passing yards and career total offense.
 
Giesking caught 10 passes for 106 yards and a score pushing his career record for receptions at Upper Iowa to 208 and his single-season record for receptions at UIU to 93.  Gutman caught 2 passes for 11 yards finishing his career with 196 receptions (second all-time) and 2,826 receiving yards, the most all-time in Upper Iowa history.  Both are in the top four all-time among NSIC receivers in total receptions.
 
Lucas Hefty and Chris Smith each caught two passes for 9 and 28 yards, respectively.  Hefty, one of the best tight ends to play in the Northern Sun, ended his four years in Peacock blue with 176 receptions, 2,213 yards and 23 touchdowns.  On the ground, Smith closed out his historical career with 30 yards on 11 carries to set the all-time mark of rushing yards at Upper Iowa at 4,347 yards including 1,144 this season with a program-best 45 rushing touchdowns in his four years.  This season, Smith rushed for 19 scores, the second highest mark all-time at Upper Iowa behind Warren Pierce's 20 in 1966.
 
Tim Rueb converted 40 of his 43 extra point attempts this season and added 7 field goals in 12 tries for 59 points.  The 40 made extra points is an Upper Iowa all-time high passing the old mark of 33 by Randy Welcher in 1966 and Larry Nemmers in 1964.  His 7 field goals are the third-most all-time in a season for the Peacocks.
 
As a team, the Peacock offense broke the season scoring mark of 338 set by the 1966 team with 365 points this year.  Thirteen different players put points on the board throughout UIU's eleven games.  The team's 49 touchdowns this season come up just one shy of 1966's record of 50, but the offense did set a new high mark for passing yards in a season with 3,354, which broke 2012's total of 3,149 yards.