GAME SEVEN || SATURDAY, OCT. 19, 2019 || 3 PM
FAYETTE, IOWA || HARMS-EISCHEID STADIUM
UIU PEACOCKS vs. UMC GOLDEN EAGLES

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THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa and Minnesota Crookston will get together on Saturday in Fayette with both teams still hunting down their first win of the season. The Peacocks have lost four of their games by a combined 20 points or 5 per game including a five-point loss to Concordia University, St. Paul, a seven-point margin to Southwest Minnesota State University, a two-point decision to Northern State University and a six-point loss at the University of Mary last Sunday.

LIVE OPTIONS... The game will be broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.2 and on AM 950 KOEL. The game can be streamed through the NSIC app on Roku and Amazon Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android televisions. Live stats and a webcast are also available online at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.

THE SERIES... Upper Iowa is undefeated in their nine meetings with the Golden Eagles of Minnesota Crookston, but the two teams have only met only three times since 2011's match up. UIU won 31-21 in Crookston in 2011, and then dominated in northwest Minnesota to open the 2013 season, 47-0, to kickoff the first of three straight winning seasons. The two teams met in 2015 in Fayette, with Upper Iowa claiming a 45-3 win. In the last get together, the Peacocks claimed a 44-7 win in Crookston, Minn. thanks to 300 yards rushing and a pair of second half punt blocks by Keith Schwickerath that both resulted in touchdowns. The Peacock defense has has dominated the Golden Eagles over the last three games, allowing just ten total points, 85 yards rushing, and 491 total yards (163.6 yards/game). UIU has outgained Minnesota Crookston 1516 to 491 in total offense in the last three match ups.
 
TWENTY-4/7… The Peacock rushing game has come on over the last five games thanks to the legs of freshman LeVon Bellemy (#7) and senior Matt McDonald (#4). Bellemy is averaging 88.0 yards per game over the last four contests including 113 yards in back-to-back games against Southwest Minnesota State University and Northern State University, while McDonald ran for 89 yards against Concordia University-St. Paul and 85 against SMSU. Bellemy scored his first two collegiate touchdowns two Saturdays ago on runs of 5 and 2 yards. UIU has steadily increased their rushing yardage per game and are now gaining 130.8 yards per game.
 
LEADING THE DEFENSE… Seniors Isaac Barrett and Daniel Ruffin Jr. and junior Erik Hansen are leading the Peacock defense this season. Barrett is dominating the UIU tackle total from his safety position with 44 stops, which ranks fifth in the conference. Barrett's total includes 23 solo tackles and a pair of tackles for loss. Ruffin is tied for second on the team with 25 tackles including 22 solo tackles. Hansen has also recorded 25 tackles including a team-high 9 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Hansen's tackles for loss rank second-best in the NSIC, while his sack total is tops among all defenders in the Northern Sun.
 
THREE SIGNAL CALLERS... The Peacocks have used three different quarterbacks this season to pass for 1130 yards and 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. The three signal callers have also picked up 152 yards on the ground. Myles Herrera has thrown for 497 yards, 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, but missed last week's game due to injury. Jake Schuman has thrown for 432 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but was injured early in last week's game. Zach Reader came off the bench last week to throw for 201 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception in his first action of the season; Reader also rushed for 82 yards at the University of Mary.
 
UMC OFFENSIVE LEADERS... The Golden Eagles use two quarterbacks for their passing attack. Tristan Robbins has thrown for 567 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Jalin Scott has thrown for 505 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Scott leads the team in rushing with 31.8 yards per game, while Robbins is second with 25.8 yards per game on the ground. Excluding the two quarterbacks, UMC is averaging less than 40 yards rushing per game.
 
GOLDEN EAGLE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE... Minnesota Crookston has five players with at least 30 tackles this season. Tysen White and Will Cross have both recorded 39 tackles, while Austin Steele has tallied 37 stops. Steele has a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks.