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Upper Iowa Football Caps Season With Candy Bowl Victory 

Written by Waylon Bolibaugh

Photo by Jared McFarlane

The Upper Iowa University football team had a memorable end to its season by earning a spot in the Candy Bowl and coming away with a big win over the Hillsdale Chargers. The bowl appearance itself was a major accomplishment for the program and showed how much the team grew throughout the season. Traveling to Hobart, Indiana, the Peacocks were focused, confident, and ready to finish the year the right way. 

The team left Fayette early Thursday morning and made the trip to Indiana together on two buses. The long bus ride gave players and coaches time to reflect on the season and hang out with each other while also locking in on the task ahead. After arriving in Hobart, the team settled in and prepared for a busy and meaningful weekend. 

Friday was filled with several team activities that made the bowl experience special. The Peacocks visited a local elementary school, where players spent time with students in the classroom, played recess, and answered any questions the students had in a Q&A. Later in the day, the team visited the Albanese Candy Factory which is one of the highlights of the Candy Bowl experience. Players enjoyed trying the different chocolate samples they had to offer and buying some candy on the way.  

That evening, Upper Iowa took part in a team dinner and conference that included the Hillsdale Chargers. This gave both teams a chance to come together in a respectful setting before facing off on the field. Coaches talked about each others season while both conferences sent representatives to speak on the game as well.  

On Saturday, it was finally time for the Candy Bowl. Upper Iowa came out ready to compete and played with intensity from start to finish. The Peacocks executed their game plan on both sides of the ball and stayed composed in key moments throughout the game. Their effort paid off as they defeated Hillsdale 37-28, earning a Candy Bowl victory and ending the season on a high note. 

The win was a proud moment for the program, the players, and Peacock fans. Finishing the season with a bowl win highlighted the team’s hard work, resilience, and unity, making the Candy Bowl a memory that will last well beyond the final whistle. 

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Peacocks Make History: Upper Iowa Heads to First-Ever Bowl Game After 8–3 Season

Written by: Waylon Bolibaugh, Collegian Staff

Photo by GLVC sports website

The Upper Iowa Peacocks have officially made school history. After finishing the regular season 8–3, UIU is bowl eligible for the first time ever, and they’re getting ready to play in the Candy Bowl on December 6th, 2025. The game will take place in Hobart, Indiana, where the Peacocks will face the Hillsdale Chargers.

This matchup is not only a chance to cap off a huge season—it’s also a chance for Upper Iowa to prove itself on a bigger stage. With a strong defense, a balanced offense, and the momentum of an 8-win season, UIU is heading into the Candy Bowl with confidence.

Game Preview: Upper Iowa vs. Hillsdale

Upper Iowa comes into the game with a lot of energy and one of its most complete rosters in years. The Peacocks have been strong on both sides of the ball, especially late in the season, and their 8–3 record shows how far the program has come.

Hillsdale, meanwhile, brings a tough and physical style of football. They’ve played a challenging schedule and know how to compete in big games. For UIU, the key will be controlling the tempo, winning the line of scrimmage, and continuing the explosive plays that helped them reach eight wins.

This matchup should be competitive, but the Peacocks have shown all year that they step up when it matters most.

Student Travel & Fan Support

To help pack the stands, Upper Iowa is offering a student bus trip to the Candy Bowl.

Cost: $35

Covers: Your ticket + transportation

This is a great chance for students to travel together and support the team during their first-ever bowl appearance.

Candy Bowl Send-Off Event

UIU is also hosting a Candy Bowl Send-Off on

📅 December 4th

⏰ 12:30 PM

📍 Main Street, Fayette, IA

Students, faculty, community members, and fans are invited to cheer on the team before they leave for Indiana.

With history already made and one more game ahead, the Peacocks have a chance to put an exclamation point on their season. Whether you’re traveling with the fan bus or joining the send-off, this is a moment that the UIU community will remember for a long time.

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Homecoming Saturday: Traditions, Tailgate, and Triumphs

Written by Luke Hanson, Collegian Staff

2025 Homecoming Week came to an exciting close on Saturday, as the Homecoming Parade, Alumni House Tropical Tailgate Party, and Homecoming football game took center stage in Fayette. Kicking off at 10:30 a.m., Upper Iowa University legends of the past, local Fayette businesses, and current UIU sports teams, clubs, and organizations led a parade through Fayette, circling around the campus and culminating at the football tailgate area. The parade started an eventful day on the east side of the Upper Iowa campus, as the Alumni House’s Tropical Tailgate Party went from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., featuring Thyron Matthews BBQ and a Bloody Mary Bar.  

The tailgate celebrations flooded towards the Peacock Pavilion as the middle of the day went on, with live music at the tailgate area to help build the anticipation for the afternoon’s big football game against Lincoln (MO). With Peacocks past and present enjoying the scenes ahead of the game, everything was set in place for a big Peacocks victory on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in late September.  

The Peacocks came in to the game flying high, fresh off a road win against a nationally-ranked Michigan Tech team and excited to be back at Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Once again, the Peacocks came out hot of the gates, executing a four-and-a-half minute opening drive that saw senior defensive lineman Eddy Latanauskas carry the ball across the goal line for his first career touchdown. Upper Iowa took a 7-3 lead into the second quarter before the flood gates opened and the offense couldn’t be stopped. The Peacocks executed three straight touchdown drives, each taking under four minutes to get into the endzone. Damon Head Jr. crossed the goal line on a two-yard rush to make it 14-3 before a long touchdown run from Darryl Overstreet Jr. and an even longer touchdown catch from Mante Morrow blossomed the Peacocks lead to 28-3 going into halftime.  

With the temperature up near 80 degrees in late September, perhaps it was the hot weather that slowed both teams down in the second half. The focus turned to the defensive side of the ball as the Peacocks looked to close out the game in the second half. Nathan Behne added a field goal in the fourth quarter before a Lincoln (MO) touchdown closed out the scoring in a 31-10 Upper Iowa win. Overall, Upper Iowa outgained Lincoln (MO) 432 yards to 334 yards, frequently getting off the field defensively on third down as the Blue Tigers were just 5-of-12 while the Peacocks sustained long drives while executing 7-of-10 third down opportunities. The win pushed Upper Iowa up to 3-1, starting GLVC action off with a dominant home win over an upstart Lincoln (MO) team.  

From the lively Homecoming Parade and tailgate activities throughout the morning and early afternoon to the UIU football team’s triumph over Lincoln (MO), there was something for everyone to enjoy across campus as the 2025 Homecoming Week came to a close. 

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Back-to-Back Days, Back-to-Back Ranked Wins for the Peacocks 

Written by Luke Hanson, Collegian staff

Photo by: Myah Brinker, UIU student

The weekend of September 20-21 will be one to remember for a while for Peacock Athletics. Peacock Football and Peacock Men’s Soccer each picked up a win over a ranked opponent on the weekend, marking the first ranked win since 2018 on the gridiron and the first ranked win since 2023 on the pitch for Peacock Athletics.  

A road trip to Houghton, Michigan, is never easy, both in the route traveled and the opponent at hand. Upper Iowa came into the weekend with a 1-1 record, riding a high after a 58-14 demolition of South Dakota Mines at Harms-Eischeid Stadium. The hosts, Michigan Tech, had won three straight games to open the season, including a win over #16 Bemidji State and found themselves ranked #24 in the nation.  

Things didn’t start the greatest for the Peacocks, as a first quarter fumble and interception saw Michigan Tech take a 7-0 lead into the second quarter. The turnaround for the Peacocks came soon enough though, as a 15-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Darryl Overstreet Jr. to Mante Morrow.  

On the Peacocks’ next drive, it was Eddie Burgess who came up big, picking up a 12-yard gain on a 3rd-and-1 before capping the drive with a nine-yard touchdown to give the Peacocks a 14-7 lead.  

After the Peacocks’ defense forced a second consecutive punt, the offense got back to work, scoring a touchdown on a third-straight drive with Logan Rosauer getting into the endzone just ahead of halftime.  

The 21-point explosion in the second quarter for Upper Iowa would be all it took offensively, as the game shifted into a defensive battle. Michigan Tech’s lone second half touchdown came on the opening drive out of the break, but the Huskies’ next two drives were halted on 4th down conversion attempts.  

With under two minutes to go, the Peacocks iced the game as they drew an offside call against the Michigan Tech defense. Seconds later, Overstreet would kneel the ball out and the Peacocks were celebrating their first win over a ranked opponent since 2018’s upset over then-#11 Winona State at Harms-Eischeid Stadium. The win brought Peacock football above .500 on the season and surging into GLVC play while also setting the stage for a men’s soccer showdown in Fayette the following day.  

An up-and-down start to the year for Upper Iowa Men's Soccer saw the Peacocks sitting at a 1-3 record heading into the team’s GLVC home opener on September 21. With the 23rd ranked team in the nation, Lewis, taking on the Peacocks in Fayette, the stage was set for an important conference matchup early on in the season.  

With 18 total goals across the Peacocks’ first four matches of the season and an exciting first ten minutes that saw both keepers called into action, a high-scoring matchup seemed likely. The visiting Flyers saw a goal called back in the 19th minute due to an offside call and seemed to be the stronger of the sides through 20 minutes.  

Head coach Jason Carlson went to his bench to find a boost, bringing on Gerardo Romo and Jonah Bowen-Burt 25 minutes into the game. A minute later, forward Abraham Navarro found himself with a bit of space on the edge of the 18-yard box, firing a shot that looked as if it would break the deadline. It came smashing off the underside of the crossbar, but bounced away from goal, keeping the game scoreless. Navarro wouldn’t be denied though, scoring just a minute later as he found himself as the recipient of a long throw-in from Reilly Moore. Needing just the slightest touch, Navarro flicked the ball up and over the Lewis goalkeeper with a header, officially scoring his first collegiate goal in the 29th minute.  

The 1-0 scoreline stood through 45 minutes, as both teams went to the halftime locker rooms with plenty yet to play for. Holding the lead, the Peacocks’ defense was called into action plenty throughout the second half as the Flyers pushed on. Senior captain Dexter Garrett was the most active among the back line, winning countless headers and clearing the ball off the goal line late on in the second half. Though the Peacocks never could find a second goal, it was a strong all-around performance for 90 minutes that eventually got the home team over the line.  

Navarro’s goal wound up being the only one of the match, as Upper Iowa’s 1-0 win marked the first victory over a ranked opponent for the program since a 2-0 upset of then-#7 UIndy on October 23, 2023. Combine the men’s soccer victory over Lewis with the football team’s Homecoming-spoiling win on the road against Michigan Tech, and it doesn’t get much better than that as a Peacock Athletics supporter.  

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“The best zero-win team in the Midwest”: Peacocks believe talent is in place for late-season surge

By LaZavion Harris/Collegian Staff

The Upper Iowa University football team has had its share of tough losses throughout this year, and the toughest loss was against Southwest Minnesota State University by a score of 21-14. It was also a Homecoming game, which is the game a team would usually want to win. The Peacocks played 57 minutes of complete football until the final three minutes in the fourth quarter. The Peacocks played to a level where their record of 0-6 did not exist going into the opening kickoff.

Samson Tufui, a senior defensive end for the Upper Iowa defensive line, was one of many defensive players who took huge shots at SMSU quarterback Andrew Haidet. “We are much better than what the record shows with our program, and I believe it shows to the people who watch,” Tufui said. It seems as if the Peacocks use the hardest route to take when it comes to winning. In the last three games, the Peacocks led the first three quarters. In each of those fourth quarters combined, the team gave up over 45 unanswered points.

Alexander Stevens, a senior wide receiver for the Peacocks, had four catches in the final drive of the fourth quarter. “I believe we have at least three wins out of the five games we’ve played if we just finish throughout the fourth quarter,” Stevens said. It is true that the Peacocks could have been on the top half of the NSIC with at least three wins. “It hurts more when you know that we are better than 75 percent of the teams we play, and for the first three quarters we are a playoff-contending team,” Stevens said.

“We are the best zero-win team in the Midwest in my eyes, and it shouldn’t be this way,” Tufui said.

There is a lot to prove if a team wants to be on top of the NSIC. The Peacocks have a tough task with the schedule remaining for them. In the second half of their schedule, they will play five of the toughest teams in the NSIC. History has shown the Peacocks overcoming the tough tasks of beating the best teams, in their own way. In 2019, the Peacocks defeated the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth in the second half of the season, which eliminated the Bulldogs from playoff contention.

In 2018, the Peacocks defeated the Warriors of Winona State University, one of the programs’ biggest upsets in their recent history. The Peacocks defeated the Warriors by a score of 34-33. It began a huge turnaround for Upper Iowa, in what would be a momentum boost for the community. The Peacocks only won two games in 2018.

Now the Upper Iowa football team is in week seven, and the team hasn’t won any games yet. The team’s search for its first win of the season didn’t get any easier against Augustana University. The Peacocks were competitive against the 25th-ranked Vikings but fell 37-20 on the road.

“We just have to get back to the basics, and I believe if we do that, we could overcome a lot of the problems we have,” Stevens said. Stevens is one of the leading wide receivers for the team on side of D.J. Emsweller. “Me, and D.J. have been together since the 2017 season, and our chemistry is like no other at the wide receiver position,” Stevens said.

“I’ve seen our team defeat some of the best teams in this conference, and it’s not a task that we can’t deliver,” Emsweller said. Emsweller is having one of his best seasons at Upper Iowa as is the leading offensive weapon for the Peacocks with a team-best seven touchdowns on 20 catches for 364 yards. “I feel as if what I’m doing isn’t enough, and we definitely have a long way to go to get to where we need to be,” Emsweller said.

It seems as if the Upper Iowa University Peacocks believe in what they can do. The rest of the season will be a task that could go either way for Upper Iowa. Most things have changed at Upper Iowa’s practices daily, and the team has shown improvement during practices. They have upgraded their workouts that take place on Sunday and Wednesday mornings.

The seniors of Upper Iowa have taken the initiative with their position groups to watch more film daily for at least an hour outside of normal football meetings. It may not show in the record, but things are changing with the culture at Upper Iowa. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Peacocks look ready to take on their new challenge.

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After false start, UIU football freshmen get second chance to begin gridiron careers

By LaZavion Harris/Collegian Staff

There have been many twists and turns throughout the last two school years. The year 2020 had not been ideal for the Class of 2024, and many first-year students did not enjoy their time in college. The coronavirus kept many students in a shell of what they would call a “dorm room.” Upper Iowa University students endured much time in quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

Aboubacar Barry, who is originally from Moline, Ill., came to Upper Iowa University in the fall season of 2020. He began his fall term with the belief as if there would be a college football season. He also had the thought of becoming a redshirt freshman because he did not know if he would have been forced to become one.

Barry was upset that football was canceled in the fall semester, but it gave him the opportunity to focus on schoolwork. His college experience became a lot harder this year with the addition of college football again. He mentioned that he eventually “lost hope and motivation” for being a college student-athlete. His love for the sport began to light a fire in him to want to train and play hard again.

Cole Ewald, who is originally from Hopkins, Minn., had the same to say about his college experience as Barry did. Ewald had to quarantine three times his freshman year, and he struggled in his first two semesters in the classroom. He struggled to get adjusted with online classes, and he said it forced him to slack off his classes for some time.

He found that new focus with the addition of football once again. He worked all the way for the spring semester to begin, but the games were canceled.

Ewald continued to struggle with his social life, and he mentioned that he was “afraid to get near people in fear of a fourth quarantine.” There was a total of four scrimmages that were scheduled, and all four we canceled just days before. Ending a spring term in the fashion that it did was very frustrating for Ewald. Things would begin to change with the upcoming school year for Ewald as he would get his opportunity to become a student athlete.

The 2021 school year has begun for Ewald, and he came in excited to work both on and off the field. He decided to become vaccinated over the winter break, so that helped his chances of not being quarantined by a long shot. Vaccinated student athletes have the option of not wearing masks if they do not want to, but it is still recommended. Non-vaccinated student athletes must test at least three times a week before any competition or travel. Ewald’s social life has become better, and he believes that we are “one step closer” to normalcy.

Alan Ayala, originally born in Fond du Lac, Wis., was another first-year student affected by the pandemic. “I had no social life, I went into a deep depression, and I had family problems back home,” said Ayala.

He instantly gravitated toward the moment of hearing about the cancelation of the 2020 football season. “I was devastated, and I no longer wanted to be here at this school anymore” Ayala said. It seemed as if he struggled to maintain being just a student without athletics.

The narrative would change for Ayala as he would get the opportunity to play, but not against other opponents. He would find his way around being in college for the first time in his life. He was anxious to wear a football helmet again, and he would get his chance to on Aug. 24, 2020.

He said life was better for him because he also did not have to quarantine again with his vaccination status. Ayala took no online classes compared to what he had to take in his freshman season. He loved that he also has not used a Zoom link since he was first introduced to Upper Iowa campus.

He gets to live his life as a redshirt sophomore alongside Barry and Ewald. “Football is important to us, because we can all agree that without it, we struggled” said Ayala and Ewald.

Together the three guys take on their sophomore season without a second redshirt. “We came in together, and now we get the chance to actually fulfill our dream,” Barry said.

Ewald would also say that he could be in the running for a starting position on the offense if he keeps working hard. “The coaches love how I work hard, and remain focused on my job,” Ewald said.

“I’m dealing with an ankle sprain that will soon be healed so I can potentially help the offense improve more,” Barry said. “It feels great to be a college student again, and it puts me in a happy place.”