The Peacocks raced out to an early 21-0 lead on Senior Day in Fayette after three rushing touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the first 16 minutes on Saturday in Fayette. Upper Iowa looked to be in control of their guests, the Wildcats of Wayne State College. Unfortunately, Wayne State didn't see it that way and scored six touchdowns including a pair of special teams touchdowns to take a three-score lead. WSC held off a fourth quarter charge by the home team to come away with a 42-35 win. Both teams are now 3-7 in Northern Sun Conference games.

Sixteen seniors were recognized prior to the game and the opening 16 minutes couldn't have gone any better. Senior safety Jordan Wymer intercepted a pair of passes and returned one for 38 yards and one for 36 yards setting up the Peacocks inside the three-yard line. Thirty seconds into the ball game, senior running back Ryan Parmely was rumbling into the endzone for the first of his three touchdowns on the day. His second came midway through the first quarter capping off a 12-play, 66-yard drive.

Less than a minute into the second quarter senior running back Antoine Conner sprinted over the goal line from 16 yards away to close out a 5-play, 87-yard drive and give the Peacocks a 21-0 lead.

The tide began to turn on the ensuing kickoff. Aaron Wright took the kick at his own 16-yard line and then raced to the sideline and through the oncoming tacklers for an 84-yard touchdown return that provided a spark for the Wildcats.

After the kick return, the Peacock offense struggled to move the ball picking up just 34 yards on their final four possessions of the second quarter. Wayne State took advantage and scored two more touchdowns on passes from Aaron Bleil to Nate Rogers pushing the game into a 21-21 tie at halftime.

On UIU's first possession of the third quarter, a snap to the punter went high and over the head of UIU's kicker. Jonathan Argueta-Herrera picked it up and tried to get a kick off, but it was blocked and and fallen on in the endzone for a touchdown by Nicholas Joynt. Minutes later Marlon Warren put his head down and drove into the endzone for the first of two straight scores. Warren followed his one-yard touchdown run with a five-yard score with two minutes to play in the third quarter giving the visitors a 42-21 lead.

Upper Iowa began to mount a rally in the fourth quarter. The Peacocks covered 76 yards in 15 plays and took just under three minutes off the clock. Parmely scJGVkgnored his third touchdown of the day from the one with 14:22 showing on the clock. The Peacocks missed out on what looked like a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, but a dropped pass led to a failed fourth down attempt and a turnover on downs.

The Peacocks cut the deficit to 42-35 with 2:54 to play in the game when senior quarterback Brent Lammers found DJ Emsweller on a 6-yard pass and catch. UIU's defense forced a third down right away and the Wildcats threw for the first down, but the Peacocks' Daniel Ruffin Jr. intercepted the pass and gave Upper Iowa the ball at midfield with 2:38 to play.

UIU's possible game-tying drive ended with a pair of Wayne State sacks on third and fourth down. WSC rushed once up the middle and then kneeled twice to claim the win and a 7-6 lead in the all-time series with Upper Iowa.

For the game, Upper Iowa held massive advantages in first downs (28-17), rushing yards (167-99), passing yards (356-149), total offense (523-248), interceptions (3-1), but the two special teams scores and four missed conversions on fourth down in the game dug too much of a hole to climb out on top.

Senior Jordan Rommes led the team with 11 tackles on defense, while fellow seniors Jesse Hynek (9 tackles), Nic Patterson (7 tackles), Nicolas Corley (6 tackles), Tanner Thompson (5 tackles), Garrett Johnston (3 tackles), and Jordan Wymer (2 tackles, 2 interceptions) all contributed to the defense.

Lammers ran for 78 yards and threw for 356 yards moving over the 7,000-yard mark in career total offense for UIU and the 6,000-yard mark for career passing yards. Parmely rushed for 38 yards and the three scores, while Conner picked up 37 yards on the ground. Alexander Stevens led the Peacocks with 9 catches for 161 yards. Senior Skyler Lehman added 7 catches for 92 yards pushing into the 1,000-yard receiving club for his career.

Upper Iowa will wrap up their 2018 campaign in Mankato, Minn. next Saturday at 12 p.m. The Peacocks will line up against the No. 1 Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks for the final game of the season.