THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... Upper Iowa heads back out on the road for their Week 7 matchup in the Northern Sun Conference. The Peacocks will line up against the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato at 1 p.m. in south central Minnesota. UIU enters the weekend working for their first win of the season, while MSU is currently 4-2 in 2022 and 0-1 in the NSIC South. Both teams are coming off a loss in week six. The Peacocks lost a 31-14 decision to Augustana University, while the Mavericks lost a 41-33 contest at Wayne State College a week ago.

LIVE OPTIONS... Fans that can't make it to Mankato, Minn. for the game in person have several options to follow along in real time. Live stats and a webcast are available through links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. In addition, the game can be streamed through most mobile devices at NSICNetwork.com/UIUPeacocks or through the NSIC Network app on Roku and Amazon Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android televisions.

THE SERIES... The Mavericks have won each of the 15 meetings in the all-time series, which began in 2004 and 2005 when Upper Iowa was moving up to NCAA Division II and then restarted when Minnesota State gained membership in the Northern Sun Conference prior to the 2008 season. In 2014, the Peacocks held a 14-7 lead after the first quarter, but dropped a 45-14 decision. Seven years ago in Fayette, UIU led 10-7 at halftime, only to surrender 31 second-half points to lose 38-10. The Peacocks held a first-half lead over the Mavericks for the third straight year during the 2016 matchup in Mankato, Minn. The difference was that UIU stayed close throughout the second half. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Peacocks pulled with five, 26-21. Minnesota State didn't let Upper Iowa get any closer though as the Mavericks scored a final touchdown with just over four minutes to play in the game securing a 33-23 victory. In 2018, the Mavericks rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 192 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air to claim a 47-7 victory in Mankato. In 2019 and 2021, the Mavericks dominated the pace of play and grabbed victories by scores of 73-21 and 58-0 inside Harms-Eischeid Stadium in the series' most recent games.

LAST TIME THEY MET... In 2021, the Peacock football team hosted the No. 24 Mavericks for their Hall of Fame Game. Minnesota State scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and controlled the action throughout posting a 58-0 win. After the Mavericks scored on their opening possession, the Peacock offense marched down the field looking for the equalizing touchdown. Big pass plays set up the Peacocks with first and goal at the one-yard line after a 29-yard reception by DJ Emsweller. Unfortunately, the Mavericks denied the Peacocks entry into the end zone and the drive ended with a missed field goal from 22 yards. Upper Iowa reached the red zone two more times in the game, but in each case turned the ball over on downs just inside the 20-yard line. Minnesota State scored touchdowns on five of their seven first-half possessions and added a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter including a 68-yard punt return for a score by Ty'Shonan Brooks and then capped off the scoring with a field goal and touchdown in the fourth. As a team, Minnesota State outgained the Peacocks 521 to 293 in total offense thanks to the Mavericks' 368 passing yards. JD Ekowa led the MSU offense with 286 yards passing and four touchdowns and added 19 yards on the ground.

INSIDE THE TEAM NUMBERS... The Peacocks have picked up 78 first downs with over half coming on passing plays. UIU has 44 first downs on passes, 25 on rushes and nine thanks to penalties… Upper Iowa has gained over 100 rushing yards per game this season, but the team loses an average of 63 rushing yards per game which equates to a 63.8 yards per game average… In six games, the Peacocks have been out-gained 1,225 yards to 383 yards on the ground… UIU is averaging 161.2 passing yards per game with seven passing touchdowns and six interceptions, while opponents are averaging 196.7 passing yards per game with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions… UIU is averaging more than 11 fewer plays on offense than their opponents per game… The Peacocks have struggled on third downs this season converting just 29% of their attempts (27-93)… The low conversion rate has forced punts for the Peacocks, five of which have been blocked.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS… Collin Jones leads the UIU defense with 38 tackles, but there are nine more Peacocks that have registered at least 20 tackles this season. Fellow linebacker Trevor Thompson has recorded 33 tackles and has posted a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss along with defensive end Baxter Bohr. Safety Tyler Owen has 31 tackles to his name, while Zacarius Murray has notched 28 stops from his corner back position. Cejai Parrish and RJ Knaack, who have logged 25 and 24 tackles, have been battling injuries over the last few weeks. Stacey Terry has filled in with his play in the secondary and has picked up 24 tackles, while Bohr and Peyton Bieber each have 22 tackles and Cody Cotton checks in with 21 stops. Bohr has scored a team-high 3.5 sacks. Cotton has a pair of interceptions this season and has broken up seven other passes from opponent quarterbacks.

THE RUNNING BACK CORPS… Upper Iowa has a deep bench with running backs this season and have gotten production from a trio of players. Desean Phillips has 369 all-purpose yards including a team-high 293 rushing yards and 76 receiving yards. Willy Camacho has run for 89 yards, picked up 167 yards in the passing game and added 10 yards in punt returns and 51 yards in kick returns. Aboubacar Barry has registered 140 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards. The Peacocks are getting 164.2 yards per game between the trio of running backs, but the three runners have only combined for four touchdowns through the first six games.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS (Courtesy of Minnesota State Athletics Communication)… As a team, MSU has tallied 353.2 yards of offense a game this season, including 210.3 passing yards and 142.8 rushing yards, while scoring 27.5 points. The Mavericks are also 5-for-7 in fourth down attempts. Shen Butler-Lawson leads the Maverick rushing attack with 285 yards and two touchdowns. Camden Dean has thrown for 527 yards and six touchdowns. Nyles Williams leads the Maverick receiving corps with 316 yards and three touchdowns. The Maverick defense has allowed 25.1 points and 393.8 yards of total offense a game this season, including 224.5 passing yards and 169.3 rushing yards. Payton Conrad leads the Maverick defense with 35 tackles, while Jacob Daulton has tallied 35 tackles and two interceptions. Trent Carpenter has tallied 20 tackles, while Terrell Hall has notched 22 tackles and defended six passes.

NEXT UP… The Peacocks will host Minot State University next Saturday, Oct. 22 on the turf in Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Upper Iowa will host Youth Day in Fayette with all kids 18 years and younger getting free admission to the game. Upper Iowa and Minot State are slated for a 12 p.m. kickoff in Fayette next weekend.