FAYETTE, Iowa - The second quarter was the difference on Saturday (Sept. 27) as Upper Iowa scored three touchdowns during that period and held on for a 31-10 win over the Lincoln football team.

Upper Iowa (3-1, 1-0 GLVC) scored early in the first quarter on a one-yard run, but Lincoln (2-2, 0-2 GLVC) got on board when Luka Sari kicked a 23-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the opening stanza. Isaiah Tate opened that scoring drive by tossing a 15-yard pass to Israel Tate and JaDarrius Thomas later had an 11-yard run to get the Blue Tigers into UIU territory. JaDarrius Thomas, who gained a team-high 56 yards on the ground, also had a 17-yard carry to get LU within field goal range.

The game changed in the second quarter, as the Peacocks scored three touchdowns while keeping the Blue Tigers off the board. Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, but the Peacocks got back on the board in the fourth with a 30-yard field goal. Lincoln had a quick response, as Amari Turner scored on an 89-yard pass thrown by Jaylen Thomas to make it a 31-10 contest. Jaylen Thomas threw for 134 yards and Isaiah Tate passed for 69 yards.

Jareese Howard gained 52 yards on the ground while Marcus Harris and Kantrell Jordan had 10 rushing yards apiece. Israel Tate finished with two receptions for 54 yards and Harris ended the day with 46 receiving yards. Max Roth had a punt travel 68 yards, the second-longest by a GLVC player in 2025, and averaged 45.7 yards per punt while Sari averaged 65.0 yards on kickoffs.

Desean Logan-Russell, who finished with seven tackles on the afternoon, intercepted a pass while Jamarion Darough broke up a pass and Michael Allen was credited with a hurry. Jordan Hoskins led Lincoln with nine tackles, including combining with J'Addison Brown on a tackle for loss, and Brown finished with five takedowns while Qwalan Miller added seven tackles. Devayne Johnson and Andrew Sourinhaphong each made five tackles.

The Blue Tigers will be at home for their next two games, beginning next Saturday (Oct. 4), when Lincoln hosts Southwest Baptist at 12:00 p.m. CDT.