THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa heads out on their shortest trip of the 2021 season on Saturday. The Peacocks will line up against the Warriors of Winona State University in Winona, Minn. on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. UIU is coming off their best performance of the season that resulted in a 42-41 overtime victory over Wayne State College. Winona State lost 38-20 on the road to No. 19 Augustana University last Saturday snapping a two-game win streak that included a 14-10 win over the University of Sioux Falls and a 26-14 win over Southwest Minnesota State University. Both teams have struggled moving the chains on possession downs this season so the game could be decided by which squad can be more efficient on third down. Upper Iowa is 14th in the NSIC on third downs converting 28.6% of their opportunities, while Winona State is only slightly better and ranked 13th in the conference with a 30.4% conversion rate. The Peacocks have been one of the best teams in the nation at blocking kicks this season. UIU's five blocks including last week's game winner by Kyle Domin rank ninth nationally and lead the NSIC. Both teams also take care of the ball once it's in their hands. UIU is one of three teams in the country with only one fumble lost, while Winona State is tied for fourth in the country with just two fumbles lost on the year.
 
THE SERIES... The Warriors carry a 14-2 advantage in the all-time series with Upper Iowa including a 12-2 record since Upper Iowa moved up to NCAA Division II, but the Peacocks have won two of the last five meetings. In 2018, Upper Iowa capped off Hall of Fame Weekend in style by scoring three touchdowns in the final quarter to rally from a two-score deficit and upset the No. 11 Warriors. The Northern Sun South Division shootout featured a little bit of everything with big plays from both teams in every phase from special teams to defense to offense. The win marked UIU's first win of the season, the first win over Winona State at Harms-Eischeid Stadium and the first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since Upper Iowa moved to NCAA Division II. UIU's first win over WSU came in 2015 in Winona, Minn. UIU defeated WSU 35-21 behind the play of quarterback Dimitri Morales, who was responsible for five touchdowns. In 2016, Winona State scored 17 points in the third quarter and forced three UIU turnovers inside the Warriors 25-yard line to post a 27-13 decision.  While in 2017, the No. 25 Warriors defeated the Peacocks 37-7 to open the NSIC South Division slate; WSU returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the game.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET... Two years ago, Upper Iowa traveled to Winona, Minn. for the NSIC Thursday Night Football Game of the Week presented by the Midco Sports Network. Winona State posted a 28-0 victory over Upper Iowa fueled by tough defense and big plays on offense. In the first quarter, Winona State outgained their guests 106-16 in total yards thanks to 76 passing yards by quarterback Owen Burke and 22 from running back Sam Santiago-Lloyd. The Warriors scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening frame including a half-back option from Santiago-Lloyd to Ethan Wittenburg and a Burke 10-yard touchdown throw to Tyler Anderson. Down 14-0 in the middle of the second quarter, the Peacocks got something started with a drive into the red zone. The team's first two first downs of the game came on the drive and the visitors were building some momentum, but a missed field goal and subsequent 80-yard drive from the Winona State offense pushed the margin to 21-0. Defensive lineman Erik Hansen registered 6 tackles in the game including 5 for loss and 4 sacks and added a fumble recovery.
 
MAKING STRIDES… The Peacock running attack has been picking up steam over the last three weeks. After a season-low 35 yards on the ground at Augustana, Upper Iowa has averaged 151 yards over the last three weeks with four rushing touchdowns. The trio of Willy Camacho, Keontae Luckett and Desean Phillips have done the work over those games thanks to solid blocking from the offensive line in front of them. Camacho leads the group with 592 yards, while Luckett rushed for 406 yards since his injury and Phillips has gained 139 in the last three games alone.
 
NOTHING "RATTIN" ABOUT THIS DEFENSE… Upper Iowa's defense has been anything but routine this season. UIU's leading tackler Joey Rattin has posted 60 stops with 40 solo tackles and 2.5 for loss. As a team, the Peacocks are 25th in NCAA Division II and lead the Northern Sun in team tackles for loss with 71, which account for 325 yards lost for their opponents. Leading the way in tackles for loss in UIU's Erik Hansen at 18.5 this season, while Laith Smith has added 7.5, Kyle Domin has notched 6 and linebackers Brody Bazile and Charlie Cunningham come in at 5.5 and 5, respectively. DJ Green Jr. leads the secondary with 50 tackles and a team-high 42 solo stops; Green has added two interceptions and two forced fumbles. UIU will look to continue to shore up their pass defense this week at Winona State. Over the last four weeks, the UIU defense has allowed fewer and fewer passing yards to their opponent including just 222 to Wayne State in last Saturday's win.
 
TAMPA TWO… DJ Emsweller, UIU's standout wide receiver this season, wears number two, and is from Tampa, Florida, but this year's "two" is all about his times in the end zone. In four of Upper Iowa's nine games this year, Emsweller has caught a pair of touchdown passes including three games in a row and in last week's win over the Wildcats. Adding his score from the first game, Emsweller has nine touchdowns and 608 yards on 32 catches. Emsweller has caught those nine touchdowns from three different quarterbacks as well. The UIU record for touchdown receptions in a season is 16, but with two more, Number 2 would be tied for the third-most in a season in Peacock football history.
 
CALLING THE SIGNALS… Marcus Orr returned to the lineup last week and threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns. He now has thrown for 1,123 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in his five games played. Orr is completing 61.6% of his passes and is averaging 224.6 passing yards per game.
 
NEXT UP... Upper Iowa will close out their 2021 season on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Peacocks will line up against the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls. The final kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m.