ABERDEEN, S.D. - At 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play, the Northern State University Wolves and the Upper Iowa University Peacocks enter Saturday's football game looking for one thing.  A win.

"A win would be huge," said NSU head coach Chris Boden, who is a perfect 2-0 against the Peacocks.  "These guys have been working hard for a long time, and we still believe in what we're doing. We planned on playing two tough teams early to make us better in the long run."

NSU enters the contest on the heels of a 14-39 loss to Winona State last weekend and a season-opening 27-38 setback to Missouri Western.  Those losses were not, however, without their bright spots.

Sophomore quarterback Eric Ellingson threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener and another 204 yards and a TD last week.  The 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore currently sits atop the NSIC statistics in both total passing yards (537) and yards per game (268.5).  Those numbers also put him 16th on the NCAA Division II statistics list in total passing yards.

That scenario bodes well for the Wolves, as they go up against a UIU defense that gives up more than 200 yards a game through the air.  NSU receivers Brian Jark and Trent DesLauriers will look to take advantage as the pair have combined for 258 receiving yards through the first two games of the season.

Senior running back Tavis Ve'e also figures into the Wolves' offensive mix, capable of both explosive runs out of the backfield and a few catch-and-runs per game as a receiver.  Ve'e recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the season last week, finishing with 108 yards, including a 59-yard TD run, against Winona.

UIU, on the other hand, enters the game looking not only for its first win, but also to avoid a repeat of the thrashing they received last year at Swisher Field.  Expecting a close, hard-fought contest, the Peacocks instead watched NSU put up 28 first-quarter points and score on their first eight possessions of the game.

The Peacocks rely heavily on junior running back Sam Epsteen, who is averaging 115.0 yards per game on the ground.  That mark is good for the second place spot in the NSIC statistics and 24th in the country.  Epsteen, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back, carried the ball 24 times last week for 152 yards and three touchdowns to give UIU a 21-6 lead over the University of Mary early.  As a team, the Peacocks are fourth in the conference in rushing offense, putting up 172.5 yards per game.

Defensively, NSU will look to junior linebacker Anthony Ponzo, Jr..  Ponzo has led the Wolves in tackles in both games of the season, getting in on 29 total stops thus far.  The junior also has one sack, one pass breakup and a forced fumble to his name, while sitting first in the NSIC and tied for third in the country at 14.5 tackles per game.

The Wolves will also be looking to put pressure on UIU quarterback Ben Curran against a Peacock front line that has allowed just one sack through two games.  That pressure could come in the form of Senior defensive end Wes Uepi or junior tackle Josh Carpenter, both of whom have been in on at least one sack this season.  Linebackers Ponzo and junior David Alvarez have also been successful in getting to opponent quarterbacks.

But like any coach, Boden is looking for an all-around game from his team.

"The biggest thing we need to do is protect the football," he said.  "We also need to have some success early defenensively and stop their running game. And when we have opportunities in the red zone, cash in."

Saturday's meeting between the two teams will be just the third all-time.  NSU has won both previoius games, including a 26-20 win in 2006.

Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday at Clark Swisher Stadium.  Live play-by-play action can be heard on AM 930 KSDN with Gene Reich calling the game.  Video streaming of the game is also available at www.northernsun.tv.