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THE GAME: Northern State University looks to find their first win of the season Saturday, when they make the trip southeast to Fayette, Iowa to take on the Upper Iowa University Peacocks.  This will serve as the conference road opener for the Wolves and the home-opener and home conference opener for the Peacocks.  Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. Gene Reich will handle the play-by-play on 94.1 FM “The Rock“. 

Upper Iowa will have livestats available HERE, as well as the NSIC/Penn Atlantic Webcast on which is available HERE.

THE MATCHUP: The Wolves of Northern State have gotten off to a rough start, allowing 101 total points in their first two games of the season, leaving them 0-2 to start the year.  This is the third straight year that Northenr State has started 0-2.  The Wolves were picked to finish 11th in the conference and tied for fifth in the North Division.
    The Peacocks are 1-1 on the young season, including 0-1 in the conference after losing to the University of Mary last weekend by a score of 48-31.  Prior to the 2009 campaign, the Peacocks were picked to finish 13th in the NSIC by the league's coaches, and seventh in the South Division.

SERIES HISTORY:  Northern State holds a 2-1 advantage in the young series, with the only loss coming by a 31-26 final score last year in Aberdeen.  The Wolves won at home in 2007 by a score of 55-35, and on the road in Fayette in 2006 by a score of 26-20.

NSIC SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

 Saturday, September 5
Winona State at Bemidji State                        1:00 pm       
Northern State at Upper Iowa                         1:00 pm       
Minnesota Crookston at Augustana              1:00 pm       
St. Cloud State at Wayne State (NE)              1:00 pm       
Concordia St. Paul at MSU Moorhead           2:00 pm       
Minnesota State at Mary                                   2:30 pm       
Minnesota Duluth at SW Minnesota State    6:00 pm  

REDEMPTION:  The tale of last year's ball game between Northern State and Upper Iowa was undoubtably the number of turnovers involved.  Northern State found themselves on the short-end of the stick that day, as they coughed up the football on five occasions (3 INT, 1 FUM, 1 Downs), with the Peacocks turning three of those turnovers into 21 points.
    The end of the game was surrounded by controversy as the last turnover, coming on downs, proved to be the biggest of the day.  With Northern State trailing 31-26 with under a minute to go, wide receiver Brian Jark took a reverse handoff from quarterback Eric Ellingson on a fourth and two, and as Jark was being tackled, threw the ball back to Ellingson who rushed 35 yards into the end zone for what he thought was the go-ahead score.  The officials, however, ruled that Jark was down before he pitched the ball, and the ball was turned over to the Peacocks who then ran out the clock for the victory.

TOMMY BOY:  Northern State junior kicker Thomas Parrott a junior from Tampa, Fla. was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List prior to the 2009 season.  A 2008 Second Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selectionafter being an Honorable Mention in 2007, Parrott has connected on 48 of 53 PAT's in past two seasons.  He earned NSIC Player of the Week honors as a Freshman after connecting on 7 of 7 PAT's and adding a FG in the Wolves 52-9 win over Minnesota-Crookston on October 20, 2007.  Parrot donates his time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers as a chemistry tutor to Northern State students, and also participated in the United Way and Northern State University Day of Champions event to assist with various community service projects in the Aberdeen area.

ABOUT NORTHERN STATE:  The Wolves have gotten off to their third-straight 0-2 start after opening up with tough opponents in Missouri Western State and Winona State; both teams are now 2-0. 
    The Wolves have been stagnant on offense thus far, scoring only 15.5 points per contest, which is 12th in the conference.  After finishing second in the conference in passing yards a season ago, the Wolves are having trouble moving the ball through the air, averaging only 146.0 yards per game, good for 12th in the NSIC.  The rushing offense has been a surprise, gaining 116.0 yards per game, which is a considerable upgrade from the 2008 squad that averaged 73.8 yards on the ground per contest, but is still only 12th in the conference ths far on the young season.   The Wolves have been consistent thus far, as they are also 12th in the conference in total offense per game by averaging 262.0 yards per contest.  The Wolves -5 turnover ratio has bit them in the kiester thus far, and turnovers were the main storyline in the matchup between the two squads last season.  The -5 turnover ratio by the Wolves is last in the conference.
    The defensive unit hasn't fared much better thus far, giving up an NSIC worst 50.5 points per game.  The Wolves are ranked: 11th in the NSIC giving up 220.0 passing yards per game, 13th in rushing defense, giving up 223.0 yards per game, and 13th in total defense, giving up 443.0 yards of total offense per game. 
    The Wolves have yet to return a punt this season, adding further insult to injury to the 0-2 Wolves.

ABOUT UPPER IOWA:  The Peacocks lost their first NSIC game of the season last Saturday in an offensive shootout with the University of Mary 48-31 in Bismarck, N.D.  They opened up the season with a 65-6 drubbing of non-conference foe Lincoln University in Lincoln, Mo.  The Peacocks scored on eight of nine red-zone posessions in that matchup.
    The Peacocks are currently fourth in the conference in total offense, averaging 433.5 yards of total offense in their first two matchups of the season.  They have not only churned out the yardage, but have been able to put it in the end-zone, averaging 48.0 points per game, which is currently second in the NSIC, and fifth in the country. 
    The Peacocks are currently ranked in the top-40 in four major offensive categories including scoring offense (5th), total offense (25th), passing offense (30th, 262.0 ypg), and rushing offense (39th, 171.50 ypg).
    UIU quarterback Ben Curran is currently third in the NSIC in passing yards per game, averaging 238.0 yards per contest.  Curren holds down the third spot in the conference in total offense as well, averaging 247.0 yards per game.

DESLAURIERS STORIES:  Northern State junior wideout and captain, Trent DesLauriers, continues to be one of the better offensive performers for the Wolves this season.  Saturday vs. Winona State DesLauriers had career-highs in catches and yards when he caught seven balls for 96 yards, including a 57-yard catch, also a career-long.

STOP THAT SKID:  The Wolves have lost seven-straight games since their homecoming win vs. Minnesota, Crookston last season on October 4th, and have now lost 13 of their last 14 games.  The last time the Wolves lost seven-straight games was between the last game of 1976 and the first six games of 1977.

DID YOU KNOW?:  From 1960-1968, the Northern State College Wolves won nine-straight South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference championships with a combined record of 60-13-2 (.800 w%) over that span, including seven one-loss seasons.  They were the last nine seasons Clark Swisher was at the helm of the Wolves program.  Jim Kretchman took over in 1969 and went 9-0 in his first season.

JARK EYES HISTORY BOOKS:  Senior wide receiver and Aberdeen native Brian Jark etched his name into the Northern State record books last weekend against Winona State, becoming the school's all-time leading receiver with 218 career receptions.  He is still closing in on all-time records for TD receptions, reception yards, and a host of other NSIC records.  He trails Damien Hoffman of Minnesota Morris by seven receptions for the all-time NSIC lead in that category.

NSU RECORDS:   
Receptions -     Brian Jark     - 218
                    Brent Sheehan     - 217   
Yards -        Brent Sheehan    - 3,072
                              Brian Jark    - 2,453           
TD's -               Josh Martin     -22
                              Brian Jark    -19
NSIC RECORDS:
Receptions -     1. Damien Hoffman, Minnesota-Morris - 185
                             2. Brian Jark, NSU - 178
Yards -               1. Chris Samp, WSU - 2, 855
                          11. Brian Jark, NSU - 1,969
TD's                   1. Chris Samp, WSU - 43
                         t-8. Brian Jark, NSU - 16

CAPTAINS:  Senior wide receiver Brian Jark, junior wide receiver Trent DesLauriers, senior outside linebacker Ryan Olerud, and senior inside linebacker Anthony Ponzo, Jr. will serve as the Northern State captains for the 2009 season.

SHRINE GAME:  The Wolves will be hosting their annual Shrine Game on September, 26th when the Bemidji State Beavers come to town.  All proceeds from the game go to the local Shriner Hospital.

DID YOU KNOW (2)?:  Sophomore running back Calvin McGruder placed fourth in the 2008 NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the high jump with a leap of 6-5.5 inches.  He also placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 22-9.75 inches.

Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

**GO WOLVES**