THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL… Upper Iowa football returns to Harms-Eischeid Stadium on Saturday for their fourth home game of the 2022 season. The Peacocks will play in Fayette in three of their final four weeks this year including Saturday, Oct. 22 against Minot State University at 12 p.m. Both UIU and MiSU are hunting their first win of the season and come into the match up with 0-7 records.
 
YOUTH DAY… Upper Iowa is happy to welcome all kids aged 18 years and younger to Harms-Eischeid Stadium for FREE this Saturday. Any and all kids can gain access to the stadium for the football game for no cost.

LIVE OPTIONS... Fans that can't be in Fayette for this week's game 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 game will also be broadcast live on Eastern Iowa's CW 9.3 along with the broadcast duo of Joe Stasi and Josh McGehee.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS… Upper Iowa has partnered with HomeTown Ticketing for all six of this season's football games at Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at UIUPeacocks.com/Tickets or by paying cash at the North or South Gate. Upper Iowa students and Peacock faculty and staff have been notified on how to access their free passes to the games and may enter through either the North or South Gates with their scannable pass either printed or on their mobile device. Fans that are claiming a football, cheer or dance guest pass must sign in at the East Gate between Pattison Soccer Field and Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Fans are encouraged to stay ahead of the curve this season with the HomeTown Ticketing Fan App available on all mobile device platforms.

REMINDERS FOR FANS… Upper Iowa has a few reminders for all fans attending this weekend's game. The following are not permitted in Harms-Eischeid Stadium for any fans; backpacks, pets, outside alcohol. Fans at Harms-Eischeid Stadium are encouraged to be loud and proud supporting our Peacocks, but unruly or inappropriate behavior in the stadium are grounds for removal. Make gameday at Harms-Eischeid Stadium a great experience for yourself and all those around you.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM… Digital gameday programs are available to fans in the stadium or at home for Saturday's game. Fans can access the interactive gameday program at any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. QR Codes will also be located around the stadium to scan with your cell phone's camera that will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
 
THE SERIES... The Peacocks have won four of the five all-time matchups with the Beavers. Upper Iowa won the first meeting 26-22 in Fayette in 2012 and followed it with a 49-3 win in Minot in 2014. Six years ago, the Peacocks defeated their guests at Harms-Eischeid Stadium 35-7 behind a three-touchdown, third quarter and a trio of 100-yard rushers. UIU owned the ground game in 2016 racking up a 338-110 advantage in rushing yards. In 2018, the Peacocks dominated in Minot to the tune of a 44-9 victory fueled by 290 rushing yards. Through their first four games, Upper Iowa averaged nearly 39 points per game while allowing just over 10 points per contest. Last season, Minot State scored their first win of the series in a 17-14 nail biter. The Peacocks only converted on two of their five red zone chances and earned a first down on just five of their 13 third down attempts.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET... Upper Iowa got inside the Minot State 20-yard line five times last season, but couldn't take advantage of the red zone opportunities and lost 17-14. Both teams entered the matchup with 0-7 records. The Peacocks scored on their second possession of the game and their first possession of the second half, but couldn't capitalize in the red-zone on three other occasions. The three potential scoring drives ended at the 18-yard line on downs, at the 20-yard line on a missed field goal and at the 1-yard line when a pass attempt was intercepted. In contrast, the Beavers reached the red-zone four times in the game scoring two touchdowns, converting a field goal and running out the clock at the end of the game. UIU's defense came up with three takeaways with a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception. The Peacocks ended the game up one in the turnover margin after two interceptions by the Beavers on UIU's final two possessions of the fourth quarter. As a team, Upper Iowa ran for 181 yards and two scores on 39 carries. Willy Camacho ran for 89 yards and a score on 16 rushes, while Keontae Luckett picked up 72 yards on 19 attempts.
 
YOUNG PEACOCKS... Quarterback Darryl Overstreet Jr. became the newest Peacock to make their collegiate debut as a freshman. Last Saturday, Overstreet threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Freshman Cody Cotton has stood out on the defensive side of the ball in his cornerback position. Cotton has 25 tackles, a pair of interceptions and seven break ups in his first campaign in Peacock blue and white. This week, the Peacocks have eight freshman that will start or in the back-up spot for their position. In addition to the first-year student-athletes, UIU has 27 Peacocks on the two-deep that are in their second year of competition as sophomores or redshirt sophomores on the field.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS… Upper Iowa is averaging 59.6 yards per game on the ground this season… The Peacocks have three rushing touchdowns this season thanks to the footwork of Phillips, Aboubacar Barry and Willy Camacho… UIU is averaging 174.6 passing yards per game with ten touchdowns and six interceptions… Cole Ewald leads the receiving corps in yards with 268 on 21 catches with a pair of touchdowns, while Willy Camacho leads the squad in receptions with 25 for 244 yards and Isaiah Gray and Jahani Wright each have 14 catches and a touchdown. In total, eight Peacocks have pulled down touchdown grabs. Linebacker Collin Jones leads the team in tackles with 44, while safety Tyler Owen has 38 and linebacker Trevor Thompson has 37 stops under their belts. In total, ten Peacocks have at least 24 tackles or more including Zacarius Murray (33), Stacey Terry (29), RJ Knaack (28), Peyton Bieber (25), Cody Cotton (25), Cejai Parrish (25) and Baxter Bohr (24).
 
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS (Courtesy of Minot State Athletics Communication)…  The Beavers are averaging 236.6 yards of offense per game and have scored nine touchdowns. Dawson Macleary has been the face of the offense so far this year completing 55% of his passes for 1,204 yards on the season with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ali Mohamed has gained 401 yards on the year to average 3.2 yards per carry and three touchdowns. Macleary has relied on three main receivers, led by Peyton Lamoureux with 22 receptions for 315 yards and one touchdown. Nathan Young has made 27 receptions for 296 yards and one touchdown, while Erik Palmquist made 28 receptions for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Isaiah Bigby has been the leading defensive force doing a bit of everything for the Beavers leading with 43 tackles, while leading and tacking on three and a half tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and one safety. Five different Beavers have made a sack on the year, consisting of Carson Cayko, Caleb Ness, Jonathan Leon, Lafayette Bade, and Chase Doty all with one apiece. Kylen Miller-Levi has tied Bigby to lead MSU with two interceptions each. Charlie Raetzman has become the leading pass breakup specialist with four while five different Beavers have forced a fumble. Dillon Fedor has gone four for six tries on field goals with his longest being 47 yards.  

ON THE HORIZON… Upper Iowa will play their final road game of the 2022 season next Saturday, Oct. 29 at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. The Peacocks and Wildcats are set for a 1 p.m. kick.