FAYETTE, Iowa - The Upper Iowa football team (4-2, 2-1 GLVC) attempts to stay unbeaten at home this season in a matchup against Southwest Baptist (Mo.) (3-3, 2-2 GLVC). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Harms-Eischeid Stadium on Saturday.
LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to attend the game in Fayette this weekend can stay connected with a pair of live options available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, featuring access to live stats and a pay-per-view webcast through GLVCSN. Fans can also refer to the links attached to this story for all live options.
In addition to GLVCSN.com, viewers can catch the Peacocks on the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile app, as well as the GLVCSN app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
TICKET INFORMATION
New this year, tickets for all Peacock home events can be purchased digitally at tickets.uiu.edu. Single game tickets are now available online and at the ticket booth on gameday. If you want to pay in person, both Harms-Eischeid Stadium and Dorman Memorial Gymnasium are now accepting all major credit cards, checks and cash.
YOUTH DAY INFORMATION
Saturday's contest is Youth Day sponsored by Beck's Hybrids. Ages 18 and under will receive free admission to the game. All adult tickets are $10.
In the tailgate area, there will be live music from Tangle Creek before the game. There will also be three bouncy houses. Bring the whole family for a day of fun and football!
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAMS
Fans can access the interactive and digital gameday program any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans at our games and to those watching at home. QR Codes will be located around the stadium to scan with your cell phone's camera, which will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
LAST TIME OUT
The Peacocks fell, 48-21, to Truman State (Mo.) (3-3, 2-1 GLVC) this past Saturday, snapping UIU's four-game win streak. The Bulldogs scored 35 unanswered points. Upper Iowa turned the ball over three times and failed to convert on fourth down twice.
After trailing 6-0 early, the Peacocks got a drive going, ending with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Mante Morrow. Darryl Overstreet Jr. was 5-for-5 on the drive, and he started the game 9-of-10.
Trailing 13-7 late in the half, Tade Parsons recorded his second interception of the season. He returned it to the endzone to take a 14-13 lead. It didn't faze the Bulldogs, who went down and scored right before halftime with a seven-yard touchdown run by Dylan Hair.
Truman State outgained the Peacocks 155-68 in the third quarter to take a commanding 34-14 lead at the end of it. Overstreet Jr. scored on a four-yard touchdown rush with 4:28 left in the game for UIU's final score.
STATISTICS SUMMARY
Overstreet Jr. is 121-of-164 (73.8%) with 1,411 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He leads the GLVC and is second in the nation in completion percentage. Indiana's (Penn.) Matthew Rueve is the national leader at 105-of-138 (76.1%). Overstreet Jr. ranks fifth in the conference in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Morrow leads the GLVC in receiving yards with 587. His eight touchdowns this season rank second in the conference and sixth in the nation. He's totaled the ninth-most receiving yards nationally.
Redshirt freshman running back Damon Head Jr. has 358 yards on the ground with six touchdowns. He ranks sixth in the GLVC in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns. He's 28th nationally in rushing touchdowns.
On defense, linebacker Trevor Thompson leads the team in tackles with 43 (23 solo). He ranks 11th in the GLVC in total tackles. Junior defensive end Demontay Mack leads the team in sacks with four and tackles-for-loss with 7.5. Mack ranks fourth in the GLVC in sacks and is tied for fifth in tackles-for-loss.
Parsons has 40 tackles with a team-high 25 solo tackles. The junior safety is 12th in the conference in total tackles and eighth in solo tackles. He now leads the team in interceptions with two, tying for the second-most by any player in the GLVC. Defensive back Darrell Matchem is fourth in the GLVC in passes defended with a team-high six breakups.
AROUND THE GLVC
With Upper Iowa's loss on Saturday, No. 15 UIndy (6-1, 4-0 GLVC) is the lone undefeated team in GLVC play. The Greyhounds have the top offense in the GLVC, averaging 44.1 points per game, and the second-best defense, giving up 22 points per game. UIndy defeated Missouri S&T, 56-13, this past Saturday.
McKendree (Ill.) (3-3, 3-1 GLVC) is second in the conference after beating Southwest Baptist this past weekend. Quincy (Ill.) (4-2, 2-1 GLVC) is tied with Upper Iowa and Truman State. The Hawks won on Saturday vs. William Jewell (Mo.) (2-4, 0-4 GLVC), 34-33.
The Greyhounds continue to be the lone-ranked GLVC team, moving up three spots to No. 15. They received 318 votes in this week's poll, 60 more than last week.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS
Southwest Baptist's three losses this season have all been by one score. The two GLVC losses were two-point final-second losses against Missouri S&T (3-4, 1-3 GLVC) and McKendree. SBU has wins over Roosevelt (Ill.) (1-4), William Jewell (Mo.) (2-4, 0-4 GLVC) and Lincoln (Mo.) (2-4, 0-3 GLVC) this season.
The Bearcats held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter against McKendree this past weekend. McKendree scored a touchdown with nine seconds left to take the lead and win the game. Missouri S&T also kicked a field goal in the closing seconds to win, 42-40, over the Bearcats earlier this season.
Junior quarterback Jaron Saunders is 121-of-191 (63.35%) with 1,731 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. He's third in the GLVC in passing yards and is tied for second in passing touchdowns. Saunders also ranks 10th in the nation in passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns.
Senior receiver Kamau Ransom is on par with Morrow's numbers, as he is close behind in receiving yards with 576. He leads the GLVC in receiving touchdowns with nine. Nationally, Ransom is 12th in receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns.
Avery Lambert has also had a solid senior campaign at wide receiver, totaling 415 yards and five touchdowns. Senior running back Shawn Cherry has 21 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Jobe Smith leads the team in rushing with 80 carries for 438 yards and three touchdowns. He's third in the GLVC in rushing yards. Cherry has 86 carries for 270 yards.
The Bearcat defense is led by junior linebacker Ricky Woodhouse with 70 tackles (21 solo) and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. He leads the GLVC in total tackles. Senior defensive back Jed Brandon has 56 tackles and four pass breakups.
Defensive end Caleb Saner has a team-high 11.5 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. He ranks first in the conference in tackles-for-loss and third in total sacks.
SBU is second in the GLVC offensively, averaging 35.7 points per game, while the defense is seventh, giving up 30 points per game. The Bearcat offense is averaging 450 yards per game, ranking second in the conference. Southwest Baptist is second in rushing and fourth in passing.
Head coach Paul Hansen is in his first season with Southwest Baptist. He previously coached at MidAmerica Nazarene for five seasons before taking the job with the Bearcats.
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP WITH THE BEARCATS
The Peacocks picked up a 21-7 victory in Bolivar, Missouri, last season against Southwest Baptist. Upper Iowa scored all 21 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 7-0 going into it.
Overstreet Jr. scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 12:16 remaining. On the next drive, he found Cam Williams on a 46-yard touchdown pass with 8:34 left. Jayden Mitchell iced the game on a one-yard touchdown run with 2:49 left.
Mitchell led the Peacocks with 131 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Koda Gates-Bridges had nine catches for 64 yards. Overstreet Jr. finished with 180 yards on 18-of-25 (72%) passing.
Defensively, Tyler Owen grabbed an interception while Michael Mulherin and Rhett Smuitt each had four tackles. Mulherin also blocked a field goal. The Peacocks had nine players with three or more tackles.
NEXT THREE GAMES
- Saturday, Oct. 25 - On the road against William Jewell
- Saturday, Nov. 1 - Halloween football game vs. McKendree
- Saturday, Nov. 8 - Senior Day vs. Quincy
