GAME FOUR || SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 2016 || 3:07 PM
FAYETTE, IOWA || HARMS-EISCHEID STADIUM || AG DAY
MINOT STATE BEAVERS VS. UPPER IOWA PEACOCKS
THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa will host the Beavers of Minot State University on Saturday afternoon in Fayette for Ag Day. The Peacocks are looking for their first win of the season in their final Northern Sun Conference cross-division battle of 2016. UIU is coming off a heart-breaker at Minnesota State University Moorhead 23-21, while MiSU enters the game having dropped a 41-14 to the nationally-ranked Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls. The two teams are mired in the bottom of the rankings in the Northern Sun Conference for scoring offenses; Upper Iowa is averaging 21.7 points and Minot State is scoring 13.7 per game. The Peacocks will look to continue the Beavers' struggles in the ground game; MiSU is averaging a NSIC-low 62 rushing yards/game.
THE SERIES... The Peacocks have won the teams' only two match ups thanks to a 26-22 win in 2012 at home and a 49-3 victory in their last meeting in 2014 in Minot. Two years ago, the men in blue ran away with the NSIC showdown behind 21 points in both the first and third quarters. As a team, the Peacock offense rushed for 234 yards and threw for 255 yards in a balanced attack. The UIU defense gave up only three points and 248 yards of offense to Minot State.
RUNNING FREE... Sophomore running back
Derrick Portis returned to the lineup last week after an injury sidelined him in the second quarter of UIU's opening game. Portis ran wild against the Dragons at MSU Moorhead racking up 139 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries. His 52-yard run to the end zone in the early minutes of the third quarter pulled Upper Iowa within two points. His three scores are the 41st most in the nation and 6th most rushing touchdowns in the NSIC so far this season.
99 & COUNTING... Sophomore
Jojo Simpson (#99) has been living in the opponents' back fields this season. Simpson has been coming off the edge of Upper Iowa's defensive line and making plays in all three games. He leads the team in tackles for loss and sacks and is fourth on the team in total tackles with 15. Simpson ranks 7th in NCAA DII and leads all NSIC defenders with his 4.5 sacks and ranks 6th nationally and leads the NSIC defenders with 8.0 tackles for loss. Simpson is coming off a 7 tackle performance at MSU Moorhead which included 4 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The Cedar Rapids native forced 18 yards of loss for the Dragons.
COSTLY GIVEAWAYS... The Peacocks are -5 in turnovers this season due to 7 interceptions and 3 fumbles. Opponents have made the most of UIU's giveaways scoring 36 points (12 points/game) off those turnovers. UIU has lost their three games this season by a combined 23 points (7.1/game).
BEEVERS MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN... The Peacock Tailgate Association honored the memory of former UIU football player Wally Beevers (1989 Alum) prior to today's game. Beevers played for the Peacocks as a defensive lineman from 1984 through 1987. He passed away suddenly in 2009, but will be remembered by all he touched.
COACH TO CURE... Coach Shea and the entire UIU coaching staff are joining coaches all over America today in wearing a patch on their left arms to help defeat a terrible genetic disorder. It's called Coach to Cure M-D. The American Football Coaches Association is working to raise awareness and research funding to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most prolific killer diagnosed in childhood. Support your favorite coach by supporting life-saving research. Either go online to CoachToCureMD.org or text the word "CURE" to 90999 to donate $5.00 on your next mobile phone bill.
THE BROADCAST TEAM... Play-by-play announcer, and Upper Iowa alum, Joe Stasi is in his 14th consecutive season as the "Voice of the Peacocks" and 16th overall. This week he will be joined by his brother Dan Stasi on the air. The AM 950 KOEL and webcast pre-game show is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. with the live simulcast on KCRG 9.2 beginning at 3 p.m.
