Upper Iowa hosted the No. 23 Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette on Thursday night. The nationally-ranked Bulldogs amassed over 500 yards of total offense on the way to a 41-14 season-opening victory over the Peacocks.
 
UMD's quarterback John Larson stole the show early on with 321 passing yards and five touchdowns in the first half; he finished the game with 447 yards and six touchdown throws on 22 completions. Armani Carmickle hauled in five passes for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns including an 84-yard bomb from Larson that put a cap on the night's scoring.
 
After the Bulldogs pulled ahead 20-0 early in the second quarter, freshman quarterback TJ Smith found senior DJ Emsweller streaking over the middle of the field for a 54-yard touchdown. The big pass followed a pair of first down runs by freshman Willy Camacho. After facing a halftime deficit of 34-7, UIU cut into the lead in the third quarter when Smith capped off a four-play, 87-yard drive with a five-yard dive up the middle and across the goal line.
 
Camacho ended the night with an impressive 101 yards on just 16 carries for an average of 6.3 yards per carry. The young back also returned four kicks for 115 yards including a long run back of 71 yards.
 
Upper Iowa ran for 134 yards on the night, while throwing for 170 yards. The passing yards are deceiving as UIU managed only four completions in the game with no receiver catching more than one pass. Three of the four receptions covered more than 50 yards.
 
Three Peacocks, Brody Bazile, Charlie Caruso, and Isaac Pope, registered six tackles apiece, while Erik Hansen recorded five stops including a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss.
 
Upper Iowa will face off against the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday, Sept. 11. The pair of NSIC foes will line up for a 12 p.m. kickoff at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.