FAYETTE, Iowa - The Peacock football team (4-1, 2-0 GLVC) takes its four-game winning streak on the road this week against Truman State (Mo.) (2-3, 1-1 GLVC). It's a matchup of the two teams that tied for second place in the GLVC last season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Stokes Stadium in Kirksville, Missouri.
LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to attend the game in Kirksville 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.
LAST TIME OUT
Damon Head Jr. scored four touchdowns and ran for a career-high 111 yards in Upper Iowa's 36-26 win over Missouri S&T (3-3, 1-2 GLVC) this past Saturday. He led a controlling and dominant Peacock ground game that ran for 249 yards while the defense held the Miners to 47 rushing yards.
The Peacocks scored on three straight possessions in the second half to help take a 17-point lead. Jayden Gordon broke two tackles on a 26-yard touchdown for the second one to take a nine-point lead. He finished the game with six carries for 58 yards.
Darryl Overstreet Jr. finished the game 17-of-23 (73.9%) with 183 yards through the air. He had 10 carries for 69 yards on the ground. Tight end Eddie Burgess was the leading receiver with five catches for 71 yards.
Linebacker Trevor Thompson led the team defensively, tying a career-high with 12 tackles (seven solo). Evan Dorn had an interception in the first half while adding eight tackles (two solo). Defensive lineman Demontay Mack had a key sack in the fourth quarter.
This win marked the fourth-straight for the Peacocks, a feat they have not accomplished since 2014. The team has a chance to tie 2014's five-game winning streak this Saturday against the Bulldogs.
AFCA POLL
The Peacocks received three votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association Coaches' Poll. No. 18 UIndy is the only other GLVC team receiving votes in the poll with 258. Chadron State (Neb.) and Henderson State (Ark.) tied UIU with three points in the poll.
STATISTICS SUMMARY
Overstreet Jr. is 99-for-135 (73.3%) with 1,181 yards and 10 passing touchdowns. He's fifth in the GLVC in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The senior's completion percentage leads the conference and ranks third in the nation.
Head Jr. is now up to 341 yards on the ground with six rushing touchdowns. He's now tied for the GLVC lead in rushing touchdowns and is fifth in rushing yards. Nationally, he ranks 19th in rushing touchdowns.
Mante Morrow leads the team in receiving with 471 yards and seven touchdowns. He leads the GLVC in receiving yards and is second in receiving touchdowns. Nationally, he ranks fifth in receiving touchdowns and 17th in receiving yards.
Thompson and Tade Parsons are the team leaders in tackles with 35 each. Parsons leads the team in solo tackles with 21. They are both tied for 12th in the GLVC in total tackles.
Mack leads the team in sacks with four, including a strip sack. He ranks fifth in the GLVC and 26th nationally in sacks. He's also fifth in the GLVC in tackles for loss with 6.5.
The Peacock offense is averaging 30.6 points per game, which ranks third in the GLVC. Upper Iowa's defense is allowing 21 points per game, ranking second in the conference. The Peacocks have a 51.6% conversion rate on third downs, which leads the GLVC and ranks eighth nationally.
AROUND THE GLVC
No. 18 UIndy (5-1, 3-0 GLVC) defeated William Jewell (Mo.) (2-3, 0-3 GLVC) by a score of 63-17 to continue to lead the GLVC standings. Greyhound quarterback Gavin Sukup threw six touchdowns to earn GLVC Offensive Player of the Week. UIndy leads the conference in scoring, averaging 42.2 points per game.
Upper Iowa is the only other undefeated team in conference play with a 2-0 GLVC record. Southwest Baptist (Mo.) (3-2, 2-1 GLVC) and McKendree (Ill.) (2-3, 2-1 GLVC) are tied for third after they both picked up wins over the weekend.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Truman State enters this game coming off a bye week. The Bulldogs lost, 30-20, to UIndy on Saturday, Sept. 20. Truman State lost the opener by three points to Washburn (Mo.) (1-4) and a game to Division I Butler
(Ind.) (4-2), 37-27. After that, Truman rebounded with an overtime win against Davenport (Mich.) (2-2), 28-27, and a win over Missouri S&T, 49-20.
Junior quarterback Dylan Hair is back this season, throwing for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is 84-of-150 (56%) and has not thrown an interception this season. Hair is the only starting quarterback in the GLVC to not throw an interception. He's sixth in the GLVC in passing yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.
Nathan Ryan is the receiving leader with 373 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-4 junior is third in the GLVC in both of those marks. Sophomore tight end Gerard Grewe is the second option with 216 yards, and sophomore receiver Jackson Overton has added 164 yards with a touchdown after being named GLVC Freshman of the Year last season.
On the ground, senior running back Denim Cook has ran for 292 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks sixth in the conference in rushing yards. Hair has also made an impact with his legs, rushing for 235 yards.
Senior defensive back Connor Baxley leads the team and is fourth in the GLVC with 46 tackles. He leads the GLVC in solo tackles with 34. Sophomore defensive back Jaxin Patterson has 37 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, a sack and an interception. Defensive end Jack Weltha also has 47 tackles with three tackles-for-loss and a sack.
Truman State is averaging 28.2 points per game, ranking sixth in the GLVC. The Bulldog defense ranks fifth, giving up 26.8 points per game. TSU was picked second in the GLVC preseason poll, ahead of Upper Iowa in third.
Head coach Kellen Nesbitt is in his second season with the Bulldogs. He was the interim coach last season, leading Truman State to an 8-4 record, including a 29-10 win in the America's Crossroads Bowl. Nesbitt has a 10-7 record with Truman State entering this weekend's matchup.
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP WITH THE BULLDOGS
Truman State escaped Fayette with a narrow, 26-23, victory last October. Upper Iowa led 17-16 after the third quarter, but an early fourth-quarter field goal and a Hair touchdown pass gave the Bulldogs a two-score lead. A late 40-yard touchdown pass by Overstreet Jr. to Koda Gates-Bridges cut the lead to three.
Overstreet Jr. finished 22-of-36 (61.1%) with 280 yards and three touchdowns. He was under siege, being sacked five times. Morrow totaled six catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns.
The Peacocks struggled to get the ground game going, rushing for 88 yards. Truman State found success on the ground with 234 yards, getting 157 and a touchdown from Cook. Hair was 13-of-20 (65%) through the air with 150 yards and two touchdowns.
NEXT THREE GAMES
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Saturday, Oct. 18 - At home for Youth Day vs. Southwest Baptist
Saturday, Oct. 25 - Back on the road against William Jewell
Saturday, Nov. 1 - Halloween football game vs. McKendree
