THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK FOOTBALL... The Upper Iowa football team heads to Aberdeen, S.D. this Thursday, Sept. 1 for their 2022 season opener. The Peacocks will line up against the Wolves of Northern State University at 6 p.m. on the turf at Dacotah Bank Stadium for the NSIC cross-division contest. Northern State was picked third in the NSIC North Division and seventh overall after going 7-4 a season ago.

LIVE OPTIONS... Fans that can't make the trip to Aberdeen have a pair of live options to follow all the action. Live stats and webcast links are available 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... Upper Iowa holds a 5-4 record against Northern State since the Peacocks moved up to NCAA Division II prior to the 2005 season. The Peacocks and Wolves met four times from 2006-09 including a pair of games at each team's home stadium, but have only seen each other four times in the last ten seasons.  Northern State earned 26-20 and 55-35 wins over the first two years, but Upper Iowa bounced back with 31-26 and 42-35 wins to even the series at two wins apiece. After a three-year break in the series, UIU traveled to Aberdeen, South Dakota in 2013.  The Peacocks forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter and scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with 35 seconds to play to win 24-17. UIU made it four in a row with a home win, 17-6, to open the 2015 season. The Peacocks made it five straight wins in 2017; Upper Iowa pulled away from their hosts after dominating statistically on both sides of the ball. The Peacocks converted turnovers into touchdowns and allowed just 154 yards of total offense to the Wolves for a 31-14 win. NSU broke the UIU winning streak in Fayette in 2019 with a 24-22 decision. Last season, the Wolves made it two straight with a 40-22 win in Fayette.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET… Northern State raced past the Peacocks in the second half erasing a 16-0 Upper Iowa lead on the way to a 40-22 decision in Fayette. UIU scored 16 points on their opening three drives thanks to touchdown pass from Marcus Orr to Willy Camacho, a field goal and a quick dive into the endzone by Keontae Luckett. The Wolves answered with 26 straight points in the second and third quarters. Luckett's second touchdown run of the game pulled UIU within four, 26-22, just one and a half minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Wolves found the endzone twice over the final eight minutes to grab the come-from-behind win. Camacho (138) and Luckett (46) combined for 184 yards on the ground on just 33 carries for a 5.6-yard average. Orr completed 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown with one interception.
 
CAPTAINS NAMED... The players voted and selected four captains for the upcoming season. The four on-field leaders are RJ Knaack, Marcus Orr, Eddy Gosche, and Logan Zacharias.
 
BACK ON THE LINE… Eddy Gosche, a 2021 All-NSIC South Division Second Team selection, returns to anchor the offensive line that paved the way for 331.5 offensive yards including 113.5 rushing yards per game. Gosche graduated with his degree in mathematics education last May, but returns for one final season in Peacock blue and white.  

NSIC PLAYERS TO WATCH… Running back Willy Camacho and linebacker RJ Knaack were named NSIC Players to Watch earlier in August. Camacho, a sophomore from Palmdale, Calif., ran for 663 yards and one touchdown on 150 attempts out of the Peacock backfield. The all-purpose back also caught 24 passes for 198 yards and a score and returned 18 kicks for 335 yards including a 71-yard return. Camacho's best rushing game came at home against Northern State when he racked up 138 yards against the Wolves. Knaack, a redshirt junior from Kaukauna, Wis, registered 28 tackles in 2021 notching 17 on his own and recorded 4.5 tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks. Knaack notched a season-best six tackles with three for loss including a sack at Minnesota State University Moorhead last fall; he also earned a place on the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.
 
WOLVES WARNING... (Courtesy of the NSU Wolves Communications) Northern State went 7-4 in their first season at Dacotah Bank Stadium and first season under head coach Mike Schmidt. NSU posted a 3-3 record in the NSIC North Division with victories over Minot State University, Concordia University, St. Paul, and MSU Moorhead. The Wolves tallied their first win over the University of Sioux Falls in the Division II era and first win over Winona State University since 1999, which broke a 14-game losing streak. The Wolves return 76 players from the 2021 roster and welcome 50 freshman and transfers in 2022. Dakota Larson is back at wide receiver to lead the offense after tallying 914 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021. Linebacker Nate Robinson will pace the NSU defense; the senior recorded 71 tackles including a team-high 16 for loss and 2.5 sacks.
 
ON THE HORIZON… The Peacocks will open at home on Saturday, Sept. 10 as part of Hall of Fame Weekend in Fayette. Upper Iowa will host the Dragons of Minnesota State University Moorhead on the new turf in Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. for the NSIC cross-division battle.