The Peacock football team traveled north to St. Paul, Minn. to battle the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday afternoon, looking for their first win in NSIC South Division play. Upper Iowa held a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, and never looked back as they cruised to a 41-21 victory at Sea Foam Stadium. The first-ever win for UIU on the road against CSP improved their record to 2-5 overall, and 1-2 in division play. With the loss, the Golden Bears drop to 3-4 on the year, and 0-3 in the NSIC South.
 
On the opening possession of the game, Upper Iowa's defense flexed its muscles. Freshman linebacker Eric Munoz picked off a Ron Johnson pass, and returned it to the Concordia-St. Paul 34-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore running back Derrick Portis rushed for a five-yard gain, putting him over the 1,000-yard threshold for his career. Portis reached the milestone in just 15 games as a Peacock. Five plays later, sophomore quarterback Brent Lammers, making his second start of the season, rushed for his first touchdown of the season from seven yards out to put the visitors on the board, 7-0.
 
The Golden Bears moved the ball on their ensuing drive, but the defense once again forced a turnover. Defensive lineman Joe Busch tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage, and his teammate Jojo Simpson eventually picked it off in the air. Simpson, a defensive end, broke a couple of tackles and took off for a 50-yard interception-return touchdown to give UIU very emphatic 14-0 lead.
 
The Peacock defense continued its dominance on the next possession. CSP moved the ball to the Upper Iowa 23-yard line, but consecutive tackles for loss by Nate Roemer and Adam Lytle set up a third-and-long for the home team. Darius Cohen blitzed off the edge sacked Johnson for a 10-yard loss forcing a punt. Upper Iowa got the ball back looking for the early knockout punch.
 
The offense made it happen with an 8-play, 85-yard drive that bled into the second quarter. Ryan Parmely capped it off with a six-yard touchdown run, and the Peacocks were looking at a 21-0 lead with 14:53 left in the first half.
 
After a pair of punts, Concordia-St. Paul put together a 55-yard drive in 8 plays drive to get on the scoreboard. Johnson found Darnell Rolle on a screen pass, and the running back took it in from seven yards away to get CSP within two scores, 21-7.
 
With plenty of time remaining in the first half, the Peacock offense went back to work, hoping to respond after the score by the home team. Starting at their own 25-yard line, Lammers took the team on a methodical, 14-play, time-consuming drive that resulted in a momentum-swinging touchdown. Three plays after Parmely converted a fourth-and-2 at the CSP 37, Lammers kept the ball on a zone-read play, and galloped 22 yards to pay dirt. Upper Iowa ate four more minutes off the clock, and once again led by three scores.
 
After another Golden Bear punt, Lammers had his pass picked off by Jamie Fore at the Peacock 25-yard line, and CSP would take advantage. Eight plays later, Johnson connected with Alex Carr for a nine-yard touchdown pass to cut into the UIU lead, and both teams headed to halftime with the visitors on top 28-14.
 
Upper Iowa's defense was stellar once again in the third quarter, holding the Golde Bears scoreless. The Peacock offense strung back-to-back drives together, and both ended in Brady Beuschel short field goals to give the Peacocks a 34-14 lead.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears tried to make a comeback when Johnson connected with Deceon Schumann for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Peacock lead to 34-21. But once again, the Upper Iowa offense was up the challenge of responding when it mattered most. Portis caught a pass for 11 yards and Jalen Amis broke a tackle for a 19-yard reception to get the offense going. Nine plays later, on a third-and-goal from the one-yard line, Parmely busted up the middle for his second touchdown of the game, and the Peacocks provided the final blow in the Twin Cities. The visitors held on for a 41-21 victory at Sea Fome Stadium.
 
The story of the game can be told on the ground. Upper Iowa outrushed Concordia-St. Paul 227-30, including all four offensive touchdowns. The Golden Bears were effective through the air, as Johnson completed 27-44 passes for 271 yards and 3 scores, but the two interceptions were the difference. Lammers finished 16-27 for 190 yards and the pick, but the signal-caller ran for 100 yards on 15 carries and two scores. Parmely toted the ball 16 times for 56 yards and a pair of TDs, while Portis fiished with 54 yards on 17 carries. Trey MacTaggart led the receivers with 68 yards on 3 catches. Amis finished with 63 yards receiving as well.
 
The defensive dominance was once again on display for UIU. The Peacocks held CSP to 30 yards rushing on 33 attempts, while tallying five sacks and 13 tackles for loss, as well as two turnovers. Munoz led the way with 13 tackles (1.5 TFL), a sack and an interception, while lineback Adam Lytle responded with 10 tackles (2.0 TFL) in his first game back since suffering an injury. Mitchel Siech (9), Nate Roemer (2.5 TFL), and Simpson (2.0 TFL) all were stellar as well. Simpson's touchdown was the first interception-return score by a defensive lineman for Upper Iowa this season.
 
Beuschel connected on both field goal attempts on the afternoon, as well as finishing 5-5 on PATs. Beuschel was also effective on the kickoff unit, kicking the ball sky-high and resulting in a fair catch by the home team every time. The Peacocks played their most complete game of the season en route to the 20-point win.
 
Up next, the Peacocks will host the Augustana Vikings next Saturday, Oct. 22 in Fayette for Salute to Service Day. All current and former military members will be able to attend the game for free next weekend at Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.