WINONA, Minn. – Andrew Spencer returned two interceptions for touchdowns in another dominant defensive effort by No. 25 Winona State University in a 37-7 victory over Upper Iowa University on Saturday afternoon at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.

WSU (5-0, 1-0 NSIC South) is off to its first undefeated start through five games since 2003.

"We're excited about this start, and it's great to be in the conversation when talking about a divisional title," said head coach Tom Sawyer. "We've got some big challenges remaining on our schedule on the road, so we'll take it one week at a time."

The Warrior defense saw its shutout slip away in the final three minutes of the game, but managed to ground the reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, quarterback Brandon Lammers, and force four Peacock turnovers.

WSU also forced Upper Iowa into three turnover-on-downs.

The Winona defense has now limited its opponent to just one offensive touchdown in four of its five games.

"The defense wants to be on the field, they play fast and aggressive, and today made some game-changing plays," Sawyer added. "They were exceptional today, but that's no fluke, as they work hard week in and week out."

Senior kicked Carter McCauley went 3-for-4 in field goal attempts on the day and became Winona's all-time leader in the category with his 46th career field goal.

With the offense struggling in the first half, McCauley's 42-yard boot put WSU on the board at the 4:40 mark of the second quarter.

The Peacocks ran just two offensive plays after the ensuing kickoff, with the second being intercepted by Spencer for his first pick-six of the day.

The teams traded punts after that late in the first half before Spencer struck again in the waning minutes of the second quarter, this time returning a 65-yard interception to give Winona a 17-0 lead at the break.

"We were able to make some plays that really snowballed and kept the momentum on our side," Spencer said. "As a whole, our defense thrives on creating opportunities and we get hungry for big moments."

McCauley bookended the first and last WSU scores of the second half, including a 48-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to become the new record holder.

In the third quarter, Darren Beenken connected with Isaiah Frandsen in the end zone for the Warriors' first offensive touchdown of the contest. Frandsen's acrobatic catch was tipped off a pair of defenders before he hauled in the score. He led the receivers with five catches for 48 yards.

Landon Jacobson rumbled in for a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter which put WSU in front 34-0 at the time. Jacobson rushed for 49 yards on three carries.

Trailing 37-0 late in the fourth quarter, Antoine Conner broke a 67-yard touchdown run for the Peacocks to spoil the Warriors' shutout bid.

Winona's two-headed attack of Eric Birth and Javian Roebuck combined for 232 yards on the ground with each player eclipsing the 100-yard mark. Birth led the way with 124 yards for his second straight 100-yard game.

WSU finished the game with 296 rushing yards, churning for over 250 yards on the ground for the second straight game.

Spencer led all defenders with 10 tackles, including seven solo efforts. He also had one tackle-for-loss and a pair of pass breakups. Luke Teague added seven tackles, followed by Adonis Brown with six.

Upper Iowa falls to 3-2 (0-1 NSIC South) with the loss.

Winona will travel to No. 7 University of Sioux Falls next week for a pivotal NSIC South showdown. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.