FAYETTE - Old Iowa Conference counterparts reunited Saturday, as Upper Iowa's football squad hosted Loras. As it turns out, Loras barely recognized the team it took on.

The Duhawks used to defeat Upper Iowa with regularity, most recently in 2003. The Peacocks, however, have grown up a bit.

Saturday served as evidence of that, as UIU, now in its third year as a full-fledged member of Division II, thumped Loras, 38-11. The hosts looked as if their growing pains are a thing of the past, as they registered 25 first downs and 288 rushing yards.

"Times have changed. We're a lot better football program than when they used to beat us," said all-American wideout Dwayne Croker, whose UIU program had lost its last five home openers before Saturday's triumph.

"Coach (Mike) Knoll has us doing our thing."

The coach, though a bit unimpressed with a slow start Saturday, largely concurred with that sentiment.

"Overall, pleased with the performance," said the third-year Peacocks coach. "We were a little sluggish … but we took care of business."

Upper Iowa's offense averaged 395.2 yards per game in 2006, and flashed similar glimpses of potential greatness Saturday. The 1-0 Peacocks' passing game was smooth, as was the slashing running of T.C. Hicks, who ripped off huge chunks of yardage early and often, accumulating 122 rush yards in the first 30 minutes alone.

"We've got a lot more confidence than last year," said UIU receiver Kyle Hosch, referring to Saturday's impressive offensive showing.

Hicks gave the hosts a 9-0 lead barely nine minutes in, taking a sweep around left end before splitting a pair of defenders and lunging head-long into the end zone for a 29-yard score.

Then UIU tied a bow on the first half in grand fashion, as wideout Aaron McFarland made an acrobatic, diving grab for a 10-yard touchdown with just 1:18 remaining. That handed UIU a 17-3 advantage.

From the third quarter on, UIU largely controlled the clock. Final proof that the football gods were smiling on the Peacocks came with six minutes left, when Mike Minikwu, a plodding, 5-foot-8, 296-pound fullback, reeled in a one-handed touchdown grab.

The Peacocks, though slightly shaky early, played with fire throughout. All day, their pads were popping, as their defense dealt out de-cleaters. That allowed the hosts to hold Loras (0-1) to just 66 total rush yards and 119 through the air.

"We just couldn't complete passes," said a subdued Ben McMahon, a Waterloo Columbus grad currently starting at receiver for the Duhawks.

"We had been pointing toward this game since we came back from Christmas break in January," UIU's Knoll said after Saturday's action. "We did a lot of (off-season) work in the weight room, a lot of conditioning at 5 a.m.

"And today was the pay-day."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

Loras 3 0 2 6- 11

Upper Iowa 9 8 14 7 - 38

Upper Iowa - FG Mike Sharp 25

Upper Iowa - T.C. Hicks 29 run (kick failed)

Loras - FG Taylor Buhmeyer 22

Upper Iowa - Aaron McFarland 10 pass from Kevin Linnell (Linnell run)

Loras - Safety, tackle in end zone

Upper Iowa - Croker 20 pass from Jay Lehman (Sharp kick)

Upper Iowa - Ryan Hudgins 8 pass from Lehman (Sharp kick)

Loras - Matt McLaughlin 3 run (pass failed)

Upper Iowa - Mike Miniku 5 pass from Lehman (Sharp kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

LORAS UIU

First downs 9 25

Rushes-yards 30-66 52-288

Passing yards 119 178

Passes 12-27-2 14-25-0

Return yards 169 91

Penalties-yards 6-50 3-20

Punts-avg. 8-34.5 3-33.7

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-1

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

LORAS - Alex McGrew 17-56, Tim Andrews 4-9, Olijuwon Davis 2-7, Matt McLaughlin minus-7.

UIU - T.C. Hicks 16-139, Steven Steine 12-60, Kevin Linnell 6-30, Travis Grace 10-24.

Passing

LORAS - Matt McLaughlin 12-26-2, 119 yards.

UIU - Kevin Linnell 6-13-0, 69 yards, 1 touchdown; Jay Lehman 8-11-0, 109 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Receiving

LORAS - Mike Hachey 4-39, Jon Gill 3-33, Mitch Einck 2-33, McGrew 2-10.

UIU - Dwayne Croker 3-46, Aaron McFarland 3-33, Ryan Hudgins 2-25, Allen Conrad 2-17, Kyle Hosch 1-16.