Upper Iowa 58 Wayne State 29

            Upper Iowa forced five Wayne State turnovers and racked up 583 yards of total offense in defeating the Wildcats 58-29 Saturday evening in Northern Sun Conference football played at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette, Iowa.  Wayne State is now 5-4 on the season and 3-2 in the NSIC South while the host Peacocks improve to 6-3 and 2-3 in divisional play.
            The Wildcats got off to a quick start as the WSC defense forced a Peacock turnover on the opening series of the game as senior linebacker Nick Monzu intercepted UIU quarterback Cole Jaeschke at the Wildcat 46.  WSC drove 54 yards on nine plays and used a 14-yard pass from Zach Osborn to Nick Roth to give WSC a 7-0 lead. 
            On the next possession, WSC forced a Peacock punt that was blocked by Wildcat freshman Lane Yates through the end zone for a safety that put the 'Cats in front 9-0 with 8:18 to go in the first quarter.
            Later in the first quarter, Upper Iowa got on the scoreboard as senior running back Chris Smith found paydirt on a 41-yard run to trim the WSC lead to 9-7.
            Wayne State responded on the ensuing drive, marching 75 yards on 17 plays consuming 5:49 off the clock with Osborn finding fullback Tyler Johnson on a two-yard pass on fourth and goal, giving the Wildcats a 16-7 lead with 12:31 to play before halftime.
            Upper Iowa then erupted in the second quarter, scoring touchdowns on all four possessions with two coming off Wayne State interceptions, giving the Peacocks a commanding 36-16 lead at intermission.
            The lone score of the third quarter was on a safety for Upper Iowa as the Peacocks tackled WSC running back Ryan Ludlow in the end zone for two points with 12:10 to go in the third quarter.
            WSC was able to move the ball in the third quarter while holding Upper Iowa to just 33 yards in the quarter, but had no points to show for it after gaining 107 yards.
            The Wildcats scored on the first play of the fourth quarter as Osborn found junior wide receiver Brian Kent in the end zone on a one-yard pass play, capping a 74 yard drive, to make the score 38-22.
            After forcing an Upper Iowa punt, WSC moved the ball from their own 35 to the UIU 11, but could not score and turned the ball over to the Peacocks on downs.
            Upper Iowa then put the game out of reach by scoring on their next three possessions in the fourth quarter.  Chris Smith scored on a 22-yard run for the first score.  The next score was the result of a Wildcat interception as Jaeschke connected with Derek Giesking on a 35-yard pass and the third score on a 57-yard run by Vincent Otdoerfer for the Peacocks.
            Wayne State added a score in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard pass from Osborn to senior tight end Joe Trouba to close out the Wildcat scoring in the contest.
            Upper Iowa held a 583-420 advantage in total offense over the Wildcats.  The Peacocks were balanced with 226 on the ground and 357 passing while WSC gained 118 rushing and 302 passing.
            Wayne State's top rusher was true freshman Lane Yates with 70 yards on 15 carries followed by junior Ryan Ludlow with 41 yards on 13 carries.
            Sophomore quarterback Zach Osborn completed 27 of 51 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions.  Sophomore Nick Roth had seven receptions for 96 yards and one score while senior Cole McDaniel added seven catches for 52 yards.  Junior Brian Kent hauled in six receptions for 77 yards and one TD.
            The Wildcats had five turnovers in the contest, resulting in 21 UIU points, while Upper Iowa had one turnover. 
            Senior Chase Samuel led the Wayne State defense with nine tackles followed by senior linebacker Nick Monzu with eight stops and one interception. 
            Wayne State will play its final home game of the 2014 season next Saturday, hosting #1 Minnesota State in the annual Egg Bowl Game at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne with kickoff set for 2 p.m. in Wayne.