Upper Iowa opens on new football field

FAYETTE - The changes are starting from the ground up.

The Upper Iowa football team have enjoyed the first of many changes to its facilities, and it will be on display Saturday.

When Upper Iowa takes the field for its season opener Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce at  Eischeid Stadium, the Peacocks will stepped on recently installed FieldTurf, which is part of a 7.5 million dollar renovation project. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

"All around campus there are alot of things changing," Peacocks head coach Tom Shea said. "We had a very generous donation to re-do our stadium so we got the first phase of that done with the turf, which we'll be playing on Saturday.

"It's pretty exciting. Our kids are pumped."

The transformation project received financial support from former Upper Iowa football player, who graduated in 1973, and member fo the school's Board of Trustees Steve Harms and his wife, Diane, a former UIU cheerleader. Other changes expected to be completed by the start of next season include field lighting, track, additional seating, improved sound system, a "professional grade" scoreboard with large video screen and a multi-purpose press box.

What will be the best upgrade?

"Depends on who you talk to," Shea said with a laugh. "For our players, it's the field turf."

Earlier this week Fayette had more than an inch of rain. The Peacocks practiced straight through it without dealing with muddy conditions or a torn up field the following day.

"We practice on it every day. If it rains it doesn't matter," said running back Jordan Otdoerfer, a former Starmont prep. "It's nice to have something that doesn't change."

Upper Iowa joins the ranks of other Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schools like Augustana (S.D.), Southwest (Minn.) and St. Cloud State, who have impressive facilities, according to Shea. The Peacocks are advancing to be on par with their competitors.

"In our league, there are an awful lot of nice facilities that have been built in the last seven or eight years," said Shea, noting his team actually has less preseason injuries on the new surface than previous years, which he credits to design advances over the years. "In the recruiting process, it's kind of like anything else, you've got to keep up with the Joneses."

The upgrades show a strong support of the program and the campus-wide additions by the school demonstrate a commitment to provide students with the best possible experience.

"It shows that the school stands behind the program," Otdoerfer said. "They just want to improve every aspect of the program basically (and) not just football."

Otdoerfer said many of the road games are played on FieldTurf. Now, the Peacocks will be more prepared to compete on the surface. He has noticed one major difference.

"I think it's definitely faster to play on," Otdoerfer said.

The Peacocks will look to produce new results on the new field. They were just 2-9 last year, and were 12th in a preseason poll of the 14-team NSIC. Wide receiver Jessie Hubbard was a second-team all-NSIC selection in 2010 and should be a leader for the offense. Ethan Douglass, who led the NSIC in tackles by a freshman, received honorable mention honors at linebacker. Otdoerfer is the top returning rusher from last year. He had 399 yards, averaging 3.6 a carry, with two touchdowns. 

Shea also expects solid contributions of some former Cedar Rapids preps, including former Washington players Shay Gutman and Derek Giesking, who is coming off   injury a year ago, on offense, and defensive back and former Jefferson player Terrell McBride, who previously played for the University of Northern Iowa.

After starting a number of underclassmen the last two years, their age doesn't reflect the experience of the 112 plays on the roster.

"We have very few seniors," Shea said. "We're a young ballclub with a lot of experience."

Shea is the 15th head coach at Upper Iowa, taking over in early 2009. He served as defensive coordinator for the Pecocks from 2004-07 before becoming the head coach at NAIA's Dakota State University. He starts his third season with players recruited to fit his style and he said he feels good about how they have progressed.

"We came in with the plan we were going to build this program with younger players and the old adage of grow your own," Shea said. "We're getting to that point."