Upper Iowa scored a 23-13 victory against the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. The win marks the first time that the Peacock football program has defeated the perennial-powerhouse Bulldogs in program history. UMD came into the match up receiving votes in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25. The home team also had won 12 straight games at home and held a 7-0 lead in the series history. UIU's second straight win improves their record to 2-6 overall, while UMD falls to 5-3 on the season.
The Peacock defense lived by the adage "bend but don't break" on Saturday. Upper Iowa allowed 359 yards of total offense to the Bulldogs, who pushed the ball into Peacock territory seven times in the game. But UIU forced six turnovers including a pair of fumbles and four interceptions to end six Bulldog possessions including three on Upper Iowa's half of the field.
Minnesota Duluth got on the board first with a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter, but Upper Iowa jumped out in front 7-3 two possessions later. After forcing a quick punt attempt, the Peacocks blocked the Bulldog kick and took over after the punt landed just 20 yards down field. On second down,
Matt McDonald took the handoff and raced to the end zone for a 31-yard score to put the Peacocks ahead 7-3 after the extra point.
UMD answered quickly with their only touchdown drive of the game covering 80 yards in 9 plays to reclaim their three-point advantage, 10-7. Prior to halftime, the home team tried to add to their lead pushing into the red zone. On third and four from the 18-yard line,
Daniel Ruffin Jr. picked off a pass in the end zone to end the threat.
Ruffin intercepted his second pass of the game in UMD territory in the third quarter, and although the UIU offense couldn't advance the ball, the team did get a long field goal try to tie. UIU's Jonathon Argueta-Herrera missed the 48-yard kick to the left as the visitors remained three points down.
The Peacock defense didn't let the miss steal their momentum coming out and forcing another poor punt that only covered 18 yards before going out of bounds. Quarterback
Zach Reader connected on back-to-back passes to
Lane Canny for 15 yards and
Alexander Stevens for 26 yards for a touchdown and a 14-10 lead.
On UMD's ensuing possession, the Bulldogs marched quickly into the red zone set up by a big kick return to their 42-yard line. On second and nine from the Upper Iowa 20-yard line,
Christian Ruff recovered a fumble and steal another scoring chance from the home team.
Upper Iowa's defense got put into a tough spot for their next turn on the field after UIU's punter dropped a knee to the ground while catching the snap which downed the ball unintentionally and gave the Bulldogs the ball at UIU's 18-yard line. The Peacock defense stood tall and held UMD to just a field goal to preserve their lead, albeit a small one, 14-13.
UMD took their next possession right back into the red zone reaching the 10-yard line, but a holding call stalled the drive and forced a field goal try from 32 yards. The Bulldog kicker hit the left upright and Upper Iowa took advantage of the break.
The Peacocks went on a 9-play, 76-yard drive that was highlighted by a 42-yard hookup between Reader and Canny and capped off by a Herrera 21-yard field goal to push UIU's lead back to four, 17-13, with just over three minutes to play.
Upper Iowa kept the pressure up on defense and on third and long, UIU's
CJ Scott intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown and a Peacock 10-point lead, 23-13. The Peacock defense made one final statement two plays later when
Michael Sparkman intercepted a pass to end UMD's final opportunity.
Peacocks of the Game…
- Michael Sparkman and Kyle Griffin led the team with 8 tackles apiece; Sparkmand added an interception and 1 tackle for loss; Terrell Powell added 7 stops
- Laith Smith returned to the lineup on Saturday with 6 tackles including 2 tackles for loss, while Erik Hansen added 5 tackles with 3 for loss and a sack and Christian Ruff posted 3 tackles with 1 for loss and a fumble recovery
- Daniel Ruffin Jr. intercepted 2 passes and added 2 break ups in the secondary
- Jonathon Argueta-Herrera averaged 44.4 yards on his 7 punts and put three inside the 20-yard line; he also added a field goal and two extra points
- Zach Reader threw for 156 yards and a touchdown
- Lane Canny and Alexander Stevens combined for 121 receiving yards and a score
- Matt McDonald and LeVon Bellemy combined for 65 rushing yards and a score
Stats of the Game…
- Minnesota Duluth posted some big advantages in the game including first downs (23-11), total offense (359-212), total plays (81-60) and time of possession (35:13-24:47)
- Upper Iowa owned the two biggest stat catergories on the day… turnovers (6-0) and penalty yards (100-210)
Quotables…
"We told the guys to not be afraid of opportunities at halftime. As coaches, we felt we had left big plays out on the field. In the second half, we took all the opportunities they gave us and came out with the win. Daniel Ruffin had one of his best games for us today; he made some outstanding break ups and grabbed the two interceptions.
Erik Hansen and
Laith Smith also kept their motors running from the defensive line to disrupt their offense. Really happy with the defensive calls late to stay aggressive and not sit back against this team. You gotta give a lot of credit to Alex Stevens, he told us he could beat his guy and he did for a big score and McDonald came through with a great run to get us on the board. In the second half,
LeVon Bellemy played physically and pushed the pile for us when we needed it." – Head Football Coach
Tom Shea
Up Next… The Peacocks will return home to face the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff for the game at Harms-Eischeid Stadium is set for 12 p.m.
