Upper Iowa football made the trek out west to the campus of South Dakota Mines to go head-to-head with the Hardrockers, falling by a score of 17-10. Both teams did all of their scoring in the first half, but the third and fourth quarters were not mundane. UIU shifted to 1-2 on the season, while SDSM picked up their first win and improved to 1-2 overall.

The Peacocks had several opportunities down the stretch to score and make plays that would build momentum. UIU was 1 of 12 on third-down conversions and 1 of 4 on fourth-down conversions. 
 
With just over a minute left of play, Darryl Overstreet Jr. completed a 23-yard pass to Mante Morrow to set Upper Iowa up 11 yards shy of the SDSM end zone. Several plays later, on 3rd and 4 at the SDSM five-yard line, Overstreet was sacked for a loss of 14 yards with nine seconds remaining. On a last-chance effort, Overstreet launched a pass into the deep left corner of the end zone to Morrow, but the Hardrockers broke it up to end the game.
 
Upper Iowa was three and out on their first possession of the game. They allowed their opponents to take the 7-0 lead after a 27-yard rush through a gap in the UIU defense with 8:44 remaining in the first quarter. 
 
A 27-yard reception by Morrow and an eight-yard reception for Isaiah Gray set the Peacocks up for their first field goal of the season at 37 yards, which Henry Vakerics converted to trail the home team 7-3. 
 
South Dakota Mines' quarterback threw a game-high 44-yard pass to set the tone for their next drive. They recorded their second rushing touchdown with 1:15 to play in the first period. 
 
The UIU defense made big plays in the second quarter, starting with a sack from Gavin Sweeney to force the Hardrockers to punt on fourth down on their first possession. Hunter Kane muffed the punt attempt and set the Peacocks up 22 yards from the goal line. RJ Wells gained some distance as he rushed for 10 yards and a first down. Overstreet connected with Morrow in the end zone and brought UIU their only touchdown of the game, trailing SDSM 14-10.
 
The home team converted a 44-yard field goal with six seconds left in the first half to go up 17-10, which held for the remainder of the contest. 
 
The Peacock defense prevented the Hardrockers from scoring in the third quarter as they hovered just outside the end zone and attempted a play on 4th and 1. Ben Kamara defended a pass to a receiver in the end zone, forcing a turnover on downs. 
 
Shaquille Roman caused havoc for the Hardrockers offense again as he nabbed an interception on their first possession of the fourth quarter, adding to the team's efforts to keep SDSM off the scoreboard completely in the second half. 
 
SDSM totaled 366 yards of offense as UIU recorded 270.
 
Overstreet completed 13 of 27 attempts for 160 passing yards. Morrow and Cam Williams each compiled 62 receiving yards. Williams had the longest reception of the day at 38 yards. 
 
Wells rushed for 77 yards at an average of 5.9 yards per rush. 
 
Michael Mulherin raided the road team's defense as he tallied 11 tackles, followed by Avery Dixon with seven. 
 
Peacock football is on the road again next weekend with their first conference matchup. They head to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Sep. 21 at 1 p.m.