The Peacocks were plagued by the turnover bug on Saturday as they played their season finale in Wayne, Neb. against the Wildcats of Wayne State College. Upper Iowa turned the ball over eight times in the 28-10 loss, despite outgaining their opponent by nearly 100 yards. With the loss, UIU falls to 6-5, but still finishes with a winning record for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
It was a sloppy game for both teams, as Wayne State added a pair of turnovers themselves. The game started as a defensive slugfest with neither team scoring in the opening quarter. Early on in the second quarter, however, is when the turnovers began. After forcing a punt, UIU's
Jesse Vizzini lined up to return a punt, and it went through his hands as he called for a fair catch, and Wayne State recovered at the Peacock 16-yard line. Two plays later, the Wildcats ran it in for an 11-yard touchdown to go up 7-0.
The Peacocks would respond with two scores in the blink of an eye right before halftime. After a Wayne State punt, UIU had good field position at their opponent's 47-yard line. In just four plays, the offense moved it down the field with quarterback Brent Lammers connecting with Jarred Edmonds for a 21-yard touchdown on a jump ball in the front corner of the end zone. Upper Iowa had tied the game just like that, and then it was the defense's turn to get a takeaway.
Linebacker
Tate Thompson, playing in his final game, as 20 other Peacocks did on Saturday, picked off a pass at the 21-yard line of Wayne State to give UIU an opportunity at a lead before the break.
Brady Beuschel, UIU's all-time leader in field goals and point-after attempts, connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Peacocks a 10-7 lead at halftime. Upper Iowa scored twice in a span of 46 seconds to close the period, and had all the momentum.
In the second half, though, Wayne State took advantage of five more Upper Iowa turnovers to reclaim the lead and then add to it. The Peacocks faced a 4th-and-1 at their own 44-yard line, and decided to go for it. Running back Ryan Parmely was stopped short, and the home team took over. From their, WSC went 44 yards in five plays and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead 14-10 with just 2:32 left in the third quarter. But only trailing by one score, Upper Iowa knew they had a chance.
However, on the ensuing possession, UIU would squander an opportunity. The Peacocks moved the ball right on down the field, but the drive ended at the Wildcat five-yard line when Lammers' pass was intercepted and returned all the way to the Upper Iowa 8-yard line. The momentum completely changed, and on 3rd-and-goal, the Wildcats connected on a three-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-10. With nearly the entire fourth quarter to work with, UIU knew they still had a shot. However, the turnover bug continued for the offense, squandering any opportunity. Another late score through the air put the game away for good, as Wayne State earned a winning season with a 28-10 victory.
Lammers was intercepted five times on Sunday, and the Peacocks fumbled three more times, hindering their chances to score. Lammers did finish the afternoon 24-48 for 300 yards and a touchdown, and rushed nine more times for 25 yards. Parmely finished with 94 yards on 26 carries to lead the way on the ground, and Edmonds was a beast through the air, recording nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, that side of the ball held Wayne State to just 227 total yards including a grand total of just 51 yards rushing. Senior
Nate Roemer led the way with seven tackles, including six solo stops and a tackle for loss. Keith Schwickerath, Emannuel Otoo, and
Isaac Freese, all seniors, each recorded five tackles as well. Thompson,
Jordan Wymer, and Jojo Simpson each picked up four tackles, with Thompson adding the interception.
Upper Iowa will head into the 2018 season with big holes to fill on both sides of the ball, as they say goodbye to 21 seniors, including Vizzini, Edmonds, Schwickerath, Thompson, Beuschel, Otoo, Roemer,
Blake Bodenstein,
Matthew Danielson,
Tristan Beyer, Kris Ihde,
Austin Vaughn,
Nate Skare,
Zach Ries,
Gunner Mohs,
Wayne Doerscher,
Ross Westphal,
Ryan Eiche,
Quintin Taylor, and
Isaac Freese. UIU will look to fill the void at receiver, linebacker, and offensive and defensive line. The Peacocks will bring back Lammers and Parmely in the backfield, as well as key players at key positions. The future is bright for the Peacocks, as the program has recorded four winning seasons in the last five years, and lost back-to-back games just once.
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