THIS SATURDAY IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL… The Peacocks will put the wraps on their 2022 campaign on Saturday at home with a final Northern Sun Conference South Division showdown against the University of Sioux Falls. UIU and USF are slated for a 12:05 p.m. kickoff at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette. The Cougars come into the match up with a 7-3 mark overall, but just three and a half weeks ago, Sioux Falls was undefeated and in first place in the NSIC. Upper Iowa heads into Saturday with a 1-9 mark on the season thanks to a win over Minot State University in week eight.
 
CELEBRATIONS… On Saturday, the Peacocks will honor and recognize their small group of seniors prior to kickoff. In addition, with Veteran's Day on Friday, Nov. 11, Upper Iowa University and the Peacock athletics department invites all Veteran's to come enjoy the Peacock football game for FREE.
 
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 KCRG-TV 9.2 along with the broadcast duo of Josh McGehee and Warren Reyerson.
 
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. 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.
 
TRUSTING IN TREVOR… Linebacker Trevor Thompson is coming off a huge, 12-tackle performance last Saturday against Winona State University. The dozen stops propelled the Ellsworth, Iowa native to the top of UIU's defensive leaderboard with 58 tackles on the year including 38 solo stops. Thompson's 5.5 tackles for loss are second only to Baxter Bohr's 8.5 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage.
 
Season Superlatives… Last week's 75-yard pass connection between Darryl Overstreet Jr. and Jahani Wright was Upper Iowa's longest play and longest touchdown of the season. The longest rush of the year came in UIU's game against Bemidji State University when Aboubacar Barry covered 46 yards. Desean Phillips ran for a season-best 97 yards against Southwest Minnesota State University, while Willy Camacho recorded 115 receiving yards for the top total against Augustana University. Overstreet posted the highest total of passing yards in a game in his debut at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Thompson's 12 tackles last Saturday are the top mark of the season, while Bohr set top marks of 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss against the University of Minnesota Duluth.
 
THE SERIES... Sioux Falls holds an 8-1 lead in the series, which began ten years ago. Last season, the Cougars claimed a 42-21 win in Sioux Falls after scoring three times in the third quarter and a 238-yard, four touchdown rushing effort. In 2018 and 2019, the Cougars rode explosive first halves to a 34-7 win in Sioux Falls, S.D and a 47-10 win in Fayette two years ago. In 2017, the No. 13 Cougars came to Harms-Eischeid Stadium for Senior Day and the two teams locked up in a defensive battle. The teams went to the halftime break tied at 7-7, but a pair of Cougar field goals and a touchdown were the only marks to scratch into the scoreboard in the second half as USF came away with a 19-7 win. The close decision in 2017 snapped a streak of three straight dominant performances by the Cougars, who had posted a 51-7 win in 2016, 69-20 win in 2015 and a 45-21 win in 2014. During the 2013 contest in Fayette, Chris Smith set the single-season mark for rushing yards in a season (1,706); and more importantly, his 258 yards and three touchdowns fueled UIU to victory, 30- 28, over the Cougars. In 2012's wild shootout in South Dakota, which was the first-ever meeting between Upper Iowa and Sioux Falls, the nationally-ranked Cougars jumped all over the Peacocks early taking a 37-0 lead. However, UIU quarterback Cole Jaeschke put the team on his right arm and rallied the Peacocks with the greatest passing performance in Upper Iowa history. He threw for 606 yards on 43 completions on 78 attempts; all three totals set Peacock and NSIC records. Sioux Falls held on for a 54-41 win in the series opener.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET... Last season, Upper Iowa trailed by one score at halftime, 14-7, but the Cougars dominated the third quarter scoring three touchdowns on the way to a three-score win. On UIU's first possession of the second half, the Cougars blocked a punt and took over at the UIU four-yard line. Two plays later, USF had a 21-7 lead and their first of three scores in the third quarter. After falling behind 28-7, Upper Iowa took advantage of a 54-yard rush by Camacho and Marcus Orr found Cole Ewald for a seven-yard touchdown pulling UIU back within two scores 28-14. The momentum wouldn't stay on Upper Iowa's side for long though. Sioux Falls got into the end zone for the third time in the quarter after Orr was stripped at the UIU 30-yard line. After recovering the fumble, the home team needed five plays to cover the distance to the goal line and score. The Cougars rushed for 238 yards and 6.1 yards per carry with four rushes ending in the end zone. Sioux Falls added 121 passing yards to push their total offense to 359 yards on the afternoon. On the other side, the Peacocks tallied 336 yards on the day with 154 coming on the ground and 182 in the air, but the Peacocks only had one drive start outside of their own 40-yard line, and it was their last one of the game. USF had solid starting position most of the day with five of their drives starting at their own 40 or better including three possessions in UIU territory.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS (Courtesy of Sioux Falls Athletics Communication)… Sioux Falls has put up 311 points on the season averaging 31.10 points a game. Mullen has thrown for 11 touchdowns this season while the Cougars have combined for 28 rushing touchdowns. USF continues to have a pretty even spread with 2,079 rushing yards and 2,053 passing on the season. Thuro Reisdorfer continues to lead the Coo with 1,237 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season followed by Freeman with eight touchdowns and 629 yards. Ethan Wittenburg has pulled in 39 passes for 692 yards along with four touchdowns followed by Carter Slykhuis with 405 yards on 33 passes and two touchdowns. Cam Alfaro continues to lead the Cougars with 43 tackles on the season followed by Cody Jantzen and Noah Schmitt each with 41. Zach Durfee leads the team in sacks with 11.5 for a loss of 43 yards.