GAME TWO || SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 || 1:00PMBISMARCK, S.D. || MDU RESOURCES COMMUNITY BOWLUPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY
Live Options
Live Stats || Live Webcast || AM 950 KOEL || NSICScores.com
Weekly Notes
Upper Iowa || U-Mary || Northern Sun || Two Deeps
THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa defended Harms-Eischeid Stadium in week one to the tune of a 17-6 victory over Northern State University, while U-Mary dropped their first game on the road, 55-7, at the University of Sioux Falls (#17). The Peacocks boast the top scoring defense and the second-best yards allowed in the NSIC after allowing just a pair of field goals and 235 yards of offense to NSU. UIU's defense was led by this week's NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
Alex Wahl, who recorded 10 tackles including 3 for loss and a sack and added an interception. The Marauders struggled on both sides of the ball against the nationally-ranked Cougars last week. Upper Iowa will look to keep their recent success against the NSIC North Division on track against U-Mary; UIU is 10-3 in their last thirteen NSIC cross-division games including seven straight wins. Upper Iowa's Head Coach
Tom Shea is familiar with Bismarck since he was the head football coach at U-Mary from 1991-1996.
THE SERIES... Prior to the 2013 season, the Marauders owned a 4-0 record against the Peacocks since Upper Iowa moved up to NCAA Division II. U-Mary won two games in Fayette and two in Bismarck. Upper Iowa posted their first win in the series in their last match up in Fayette in 2013. UIU's quarterback
Cole Jaeschke broke the all-time passing yardage record and all-time touchdown passes record and running back
Chris Smith surpassed the 2,000-yard mark in his career in UIU's victory over U-Mary. The Peacocks stormed back from a sluggish start to score 36 unanswered points on the Marauder defense including 22 points in the third quarter. Upper Iowa amassed 31 first downs thanks to 573 yards of total offense while holding U-Mary to 15 first downs on 309 yards of offense.
WAHL STANDS TALL... The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference handed out the first weekly football awards of the 2015 season and Upper Iowa's
Alex Wahl was named the NSIC Football Defensive Player of the Week. The senior linebacker recorded 9 tackles against Northern State on Saturday afternoon to lead the Peacock defense. The six points allowed by Upper Iowa were the fewest since their shutout of the University of Minnesota, Crookston on Sept. 6, 2013. Wahl had 6 solo and 3 assisted tackles including 3 for loss and a sack. After the Peacocks pushed the lead to double digits, 17-6, the Elgin, Ill. native read the quarterback and slid under a post route to pick off a Wolves pass and end any chance of a Northern State rally.
GOOD FOR MORALE... Starting quarterback
Dimitri Morales stepped on to the field for his first start in Peacock blue last Saturday and provided a huge lift for the offense completing 33 of his 46 passes for 349 yards and a touchdown to
Trey MacTaggart. The junior from Chaffey College also ran across the goal line from two yards out for the final score of the games. Morales found nine different receivers against the Wolves, but honed in on two new Peacock targets the most.
Jarred Edmonds caught 7 passes for 105 yards, while
Jalen Amis pulled in 9 balls for 47 yards. MacTaggart (6 for 95 and 1 TD) and
David Esswein (5 for 62) also were targeted multiple times.
GETTING DEFENSIVE... The Peacock black shirts were flying to the ball on Saturday as seven players registered at least four tackles led by Wahl's nine and Stephen's eight stops. As a team, UIU recorded 4 tackles for loss including Wahl's sack. In addition to the great play at and behind the line of scrimmage, the Peacocks snatched three interceptions. The first pick came when
Darius Cohen reached in on a would-be receiver and deflected a pass up in the air for
Marcus McCoy to go up and grab. The second interception came on a fade route to the corner of the end zone and Cohen outjumped the Wolves receiver to come down with the ball for a touchback. The third interception came after UIU took their 17-6 lead and all but sealed the victory when Wahl sat down in a zone and slid under a post route after reading the quarterback.
RADIO... Upper Iowa Peacock football can be heard throughout the remainder of the 2015 season courtesy of AM 950 KOEL.
THE BROADCAST TEAM... Play-by-play announcer Joe Stasi is in his 13th season as the "Voice of the Peacocks." For the fourth consecutive year he is joined on the broadcast by Zach Carlyle, a recent graduate (2015) of Upper Iowa. The pre-game show is scheduled for 12:30 a.m.
