FAYETTE, Iowa- The University of Minnesota Crookston football team fell 45-3 to Upper Iowa
University Saturday night at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette, Iowa. The Golden Eagles had some offense going early but were unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities and Upper Iowa was able to do so.

The Peacocks had 434 yards of offense compared to 204 for the Golden Eagles. Upper Iowa had a balanced attack with 214 yards passing and 220 yards rushing, while UMC has able to spread the ball around in the passing game with Nathan Cole (R-So., QB, Aliso Viejo, Calif.) finding nine receivers for over 200 yards, but UMC was unable to run the ball as they had a net of -3 yards on the night.

Cole made his first career start and was 21-of-37 with 205 yards with one interception thrown on the day. He got several back-ups involved on the day led by Ryan Hutton (Jr., WR, Thief River Falls, Minn.), who had a break-out game with three catches for 70 yards. Constant Jackson (Sr., WR, Jacksonville, Fla.) had a good game with three catches for 51 yards, prior to being ejected due to a dual unsportmanlike conduct on both teams. Triston Richert (R-Fr., WR, Oakdale, Minn.) added five catches for 25 yards, while Lincoln Tappe (Fr., WR, Aiea, Hawai'i) also had a strong game with three catches for 23 yards.

Upper Iowa was led by quarterback Dimitri Morales, who was 25-of-37 with 219 yards passing for one touchdown. His top target was Jalen Amis, who had 10 catches for 67 yards with one touchdown. Jarred Edmonds had five catches for 43 yards. Cameron Lee added three grabs for 38 yards.

On the ground, Derrick Portis had seven carries for 68 yards. Alex VanGerpen added eight carries for 51 yards.

Defensively, Lethzee Calderon (Sr., DB, Eagan, Minn.) had another strong game with eight tackles, as did Bubba Adenyi (Sr., DB, Miami, Fla.), and Jake Newman (So., DB, White Bear Lake, Minn.). Conner Finnestad (Fr,, LB, Chula Vista, Calif.) had a breakout game with six tackles and 1,.5 tackles for loss. Isaiah Armstrong (Jr., DL, Fairfield, Calif.) and Austin Howard (Jr., DL, New Albany, Miss.) each added sacks for UMC.

UMC would be the first team to put much together as they drove 62 yards mid-way through the first quarter down to the six yard line. Cole would be unable to get the first down on his thrd-down attempt, setting up Mike Maw (Jr., K, White Bear Lake, Minn.) for a field goal. Maw would miss the 23-ayrd attempt wide left.

The Peacocks would respond as they drove the ball down into UMC's territory, culminating in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Morales to Amis to make it 7-0.

Upper Iowa would quick double their score as they forced UMC to a three-and-out and put Stephen Day (R-Fr., K/P, Eveleth, Minn.) into a dangerous situation punting deep in his territory. The punt would be blocked and recovered by Jordan Rommes for a touchdown to make it 14-0 Upper Iowa.

UMC would again drive the ball down to the Upper Iowa 32 led by a 33-yard pass from Cole to Hutton. However, Cole would be intercepted by Darius Cohen, stopping the drive.

Upper Iowa would again respond and turn into a drive of their own, ending in a five-yard touchdown run for Morales to make it 21-0.

UMC would drive the ball to the Upper Iowa 36 and would attempt a fourth down but an incompletion would again give the ball back to the Peacocks as the offense failed to produce on what was another good drive.

Upper Iowa would drive down to the UMC eight, but the Golden Eagle defense would come up with a big stop, forcing a field goal, which Brady Beuschel would connect on from 23 yards out to make it 24-0.

The Peacocks would add a score early in the third as Ryan Parmely went in from six yards out to make it 31-0.

The Golden Eagles would drive down the field late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter led by a 31-yard strike from Cole to Hutton. Maw would connect on a 37-yard field goal to cut the eficit to 38-3.

Later in the fourth, Tommy Singer (R-Fr., QB, Apple Valley, Minn.) would come in and throw an interception to Matt Sharp, who would set up the Peacocks at the 12. Upper Iowa would add to the score as Morales went on a 21-yard touchdown run to make it 45-3. That would be the final score as Upper Iowa would take the win.

UMC will return home to face Minnesota State University, Mankato, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation and coming off a 48-0 win over University of Mary. The Golden Eagles will face the Mavericks at 1 p.m. Sat., Sept. 26.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.