GAME NINE || SATURDAY, NOV. 2, 2019 || 12 PM
FAYETTE, IOWA || HARMS-EISCHEID STADIUM
UPPER IOWA PEACOCKS VS. SIOUX FALLS COUGARS

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THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa has put together back-to-back strong performances to post a pair of victories over the University of Minnesota Crookston and the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Peacocks will now have to face their toughest challenge of the season in the form of the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday in Fayette. USF is on a four-game winning streak and boasts the top-ranked total defense in all of NCAA Division II. 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... Sioux Falls holds a 6-1 lead in the series, which began just seven seasons ago. Last season, the Cougars rode an explosive first half filled with 232 yards of offense and three touchdowns to a 34-7 win in Sioux Falls, S.D. Two seasons ago the No. 13 Cougars came to Harms-Eischeid Stadium for Senior Day and the two teams locked up in a defensive battle. The teams went to the halftime break tied at 7-7, but a pair of Cougar field goals and a touchdown were the only marks scratched into the scoreboard in the second half as USF came away with a 19-7 win. The close decision two years ago snapped a streak of three straight dominant performances by the Cougars, who had posted a 51-7 win in 2016, 69-20 win in 2015 and a 45-21 win in 2014. Six seasons ago in Fayette, Chris Smith set the single-season mark for rushing yards in a season (1,706); and more importantly, his 258 yards and three touchdowns fueled UIU to victory, 30- 28, over the Cougars. In 2012's wild shootout in South Dakota, which was the first-ever meeting between Upper Iowa and Sioux Falls, the nationally-ranked Cougars jumped all over the Peacocks early taking a 37-0 lead. However, UIU quarterback Cole Jaeschke put the team on his right arm and rallied the Peacocks with the greatest passing performance in Upper Iowa history. He threw for 606 yards on 43 completions on 78 attempts; all three totals set Peacock and NSIC records. Sioux Falls held on for a 54-41 win in the series opener.
 
TURNING THE PAGE… The Peacock defense has led the team over the last three weeks posting a plus-seven in turnovers thanks to nine takeaways. UIU had only grabbed 4 turnovers over the first four weeks, but have turned up their hunt for the ball over the last few games. Upper Iowa forced six turnovers in their upset of the University of Minnesota Duluth last week including four interceptions. Daniel Ruffin Jr. leads the team in interceptions with four including a pair last Saturday against the Bulldogs. Erik Hansen has also been creating havoc in the backfield with his teammates on the defensive line. Hansen has recorded 36 tackles this season with 15 for loss and 10.5 sacks while forcing and recovering a pair of fumbles. Michael Sparkman has stepped up in the absence of the team's tackle leader Isaac Barrett. Sparkman has recorded 34 tackles and one interception. CJ Scott made the most of his first interception for the Peacocks taking the pickoff 45 yards to the end zone last week to secure Upper Iowa's upset.
 
"READ"ING THE DEFENSE… Redshirt freshman Zach Reader opened the season as the third-string quarterback working with the scout team for reps. After a pair of injuries to Jake Schuman and Myles Herrera, Reader got his chance to play at the University of Mary. Since then, Reader has thrown for 533 yards, 6 touchdowns and just one interception, while completing 52.4% of his passes. He has also run 27 times for 72 yards. Wide receiver Alexander Stevens has played well this season despite catching the ball from three different quarterbacks. The junior has 35 catches for 534 yards and 8 touchdowns. LeVon Bellemy and Matt McDonald have helped to ease the pressure on UIU's quarterback as well. The pair have combined to run for 805 yards and 7 touchdowns through eight games.
 
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COUGARS… Sioux Falls is ranked No. 8 in Super Region Four with a 6-2 record. Their two losses came at home to Winona State University, 34-12, and Augustana University, 20-13; both the Warriors and Vikings are ranked in the region at No. 9 and No. 7, respectively. The Cougars swept their four NSIC North Division games in dominating fashion with a 40 point scoring average including a 34-3 victory at home against Minnesota Duluth.  USF has run for 222 yards per game led by Thuro Reisdorfer's 706 yards and 10 touchdowns; he is picking up 6.9 yards per carry this season. Ja'Tai Jenkins and quarterback Caden Walters are also averaging more than 5 yards per carry and have combined for 800 rushing yards and 9 scores. Walters has thrown for 1,681 yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the air attack. The Cougar defense has picked off 15 passes in eight games led by Tucker Stout and Ryan Nieman, who have 3 interceptions apiece.