THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa is back on the road this Saturday for a second Northern Sun Conference South Division battle. The Peacocks will line up against the No. 25 Vikings of Augustana University at 1 p.m. from Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. Over the last three weeks, Upper Iowa has held double-digit leads over their opponents, but in each case, the Peacocks have fallen shy of victory including a 33-28 loss at Minnesota State University, Moorhead two weeks ago and a 20-14 loss at home to Southwest Minnesota State University last Saturday. Augustana is celebrating Viking Days this weekend and comes into the contest with a 4-1 record after suffering their first loss of the season last Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls, 28-26. Prior to the loss, Augie was averaging nearly 47 points a game after scoring 52 at Bemidji State University, 49 against Minot State University, and 43 against both Minnesota State University Moorhead and at the University of Mary. The Vikings are converting a whopping 48.7% of their third downs to lead the Northern Sun Conference.
 
THE SERIES... Augustana owns an 11-2 advantage in the all-time series with Upper Iowa. The Vikings won the first seven match-ups with the Peacocks after the series began in 2005. UIU put an end to that streak and earned their first win over the Vikings in 2014. The Peacocks found themselves trailing and in a familiar position with Augustana heading into the final quarter seven years ago in Fayette, but this time Upper Iowa wrote a different ending to the story. The Peacocks scored 15 unanswered points in the final quarter to rally and pull ahead of Augie by six points. UIU's defense stood up on the Vikings' final drive coming up with an interception, their sixth of the day, in the end zone. After UIU's first win in the series, Augie claimed a 41-20 win in Sioux Falls and a 54-35 victory in Fayette. Four year ago, Upper Iowa posted their second win over the Vikings, but first victory in Sioux Falls with a 21-20 decision. UIU trailed in the fourth quarter, but scored a go-ahead touchdown and held on with key stops down the stretch to preserve the win. In 2018, the Peacocks raced out to a 24-0 lead after just 10 minutes of play in the first quarter. By halftime, the Vikings had stormed back in front 35-31. UIU pulled within three points, 48-45, late in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get the go-ahead points on the board in their final possession. Augustana dominated the last match up in 2019 to the tune of a 52-0 decision at Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET... In 2019, the Peacocks and Vikings got together in Sioux Falls for the season opener. UIU mishandled Augie's first punt, and a play later, the Vikings were on the board with a rushing touchdown. Augustana kept the pressure turned up all day shutting out the Peacocks 52-0 marking the first time since Nov. 2010 that UIU had been held without a point. In total, the home team racked up 411 yards of total offense, while holding their guests to 198 yards.
 
LIVE OPTIONS... The game can be streamed through most mobile devices at NSICNet-work.com/UIUPeacocks or through the NSIC Network app on Roku and Amazon Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android televisions. Live stats and a webcast are all available online at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
 
BLOCK PARTY... The Peacock special teams has posted three blocked kicks this season, which ranks ninth in the nation and leads the NSIC. Ben Houselog, Isaac Pope and DJ Green Jr. all have gotten their hands on opponents kicks.

IN NO RUSH... UIU's defense is allowing just 64.4 rushing yards per game to opposing offenses which ranks 11th nationally and is second in the Northern Sun Conference. Upper Iowa's five opponents have rushed 155 times for an average of 2.1 yards per carry.
 
BEHIND THE LINE... The UIU defensive line and linebackers have spent a ton of time behind the line of scrimmage and have put together some of the best numbers in the nation. Upper Iowa ranks third in NCAA Division II and leads the conference in Team Tackles for Loss with 50 tackles for a 210-yard loss. Defensive end Erik Hansen leads the charge with 14.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, while Brody Bazile has added 5.5 stops behind the line and Kyle Domin, RJ Knack and Laith Smith add 5, 4.5 and 4, respectively. Hansen's numbers rank him at the top of NCAA Division II; his sacks rank 13th in the nation and lead the NSIC, while his tackles for loss are the second-best mark in the country.
 
PASSING CONNECTION... Quarterback Marcus Orr is completing 64% of his passes; which is the second-best percentage in the NSIC and ranks 25th in the nation. Orr is averaging 20 completions per game and has connected on six touchdowns to counter four interceptions. The Linn-Mar High School product is averaging 194.5 yards per game through the air.
 
GOOD HANDS TEAM... A trio of Peacock receivers have hauled in the majority of passes this season as UIU just got over the 1,000-yard mark for receiving yards last Saturday. Alexander Stevens (21-223 yds), Xavier Saldana (18-137) and DJ Emsweller (17-270) have combined for 56 catches and 630 yards. Emsweller has hauled in five touchdowns, while Saldana has one.
 
MAKING THE STOP... Bazile leads the defense with 33 tackles on the season, while Hansen is second on the squad with 30, but several Peacocks have gotten in on tackles this year. Joey Rattin has registered 25 stops, while Kyle Domin (24) and DJ Green Jr. (22) have also notched more than 20 tackles. Green Jr. also has one interception, while Terrell Powell has snatched two and handed the ball over to the UIU offense.
 
NEXT UP... Upper Iowa returns to the turf in Harms-Eischeid Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 16 for the Hall of Fame Game. The Peacocks and Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 12 p.m.