ARVADA – A 19-yard touchdown pass from Justin Dvorak to Cole Spurgeon with 3:02 remaining proved to be the game winner for the No. 16 Colorado School of Mines football team on Saturday, as the Orediggers remained unbeaten with a 44-37 victory over Western New Mexico at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Mines (6-0, 4-0 RMAC) churned out 96 plays for 531 yards in the win and benefitted from nine WNMU (2-4, 1-3 RMAC) penalties in the contest that helped overcome a season-high four turnovers.
The Oredigger defense forced five turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by sophomore Jalen Champagne.
Tied 37-37 with 5:28 remaining, Mines marched 75 yards on eight plays over the next 2:26 for the deciding touchdown from Dvorak to Spurgeon on a back-shoulder deep fade route in the front corner of the end zone.
The second of two interceptions by Champagne on the ensuing drive gave Mines the ball back with 2:14 remaining and, after a 3-and-out by the offense, Western New Mexico took over again with 1:44 to play on its own 26-yard line.
Despite getting in to Mines' territory, WNMU quarterback Mitch Glasmann was sacked for an 11-yard loss in the waning seconds by junior Billy Sprague to end the game.
Dvorak finished 32-of-60 for 413 yards and four touchdowns through the air to lead the offense. He also carried 11 times but was held to minus-three yards on the ground and was picked off twice. The Tomball, Texas, product has claimed each of the last two RMAC Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Senior Tevin Champagne, the elder Champagne brother, carried 22 times for 103 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He also caught three passes for 11 yards and a 10-yard touchdown in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Spurgeon led the receiving corps with 10 receptions for 171 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. The junior has caught eight or more passes and gone for 90 or more yards receiving in each of the last three games. His 171 yards on Saturday set a new career high for the Gretna, Neb., product.
Fellow junior Jimmy Ellis caught eight balls for 115 yards, including a 36-yarder that set up Champagnes 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He totaled 109 return yards as well for a total of 224 all-purpose yards in the contest – his second-straight game with 180-plus total yards.
Nate Wiemers made another big impact for the squad with six receptions for 90 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the first quarter. Senior Diamond Gillis finished with four catches for 29 yards and a 7-yard score in the third quarter.
Defensively, Champagne added six stops (five solo) along with his pair of interceptions, while senior Kole Kadavy notched a game-high 18 tackles (10 solo) during the afternoon. The reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week added an interception and a tackle for loss in the win and has now notched 12 or more tackles in each of the last four contests.
Sprague finished second on the team with 11 stops (two solo) in addition to a team-high 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries.
Ryan Griffith and Chris Pinson added seven stops and a pass breakup apiece, while Dallas Fields and Andrew Renfrew each notched six and 0.5 tackle for loss.
Avery Llewellyn finished 3-for-5 on field goals and made all five of his extra points on the way to 14 points on Saturday. He was true on attempts from 44, 43 and 33 while missing on attempts from 32 and 57. His 57-yard attempt had the distance but bounced off the left upright at the end of the third quarter. He also punted four times with a 42.8 average and notched two touchbacks on eight kickoffs.
Mines will have a short week to prepare for Fort Lewis (2-4, 1-3 RMAC) - the Orediggers' opponent on Thursday on national television (INFORMATION). The Skyhawks upset No. 2 CSU-Pueblo (5-1, 3-1 RMAC) on Saturday in Durango by a score of 23-22.
Fans that can't make it to the game on Thursday are invited to Jackson's LoDo in Denver for a watch party beginning at 5:30 p.m. (INFORMATION).
Scoring Summary
Qtr Time Scoring Play | Score
1st 12:33 WNMU - Donald Byrd 56 yd pass from Mitch Glasmann (Josh McIntire kick) | WNMU, 7-0
03:57 CSM - Nate Wiemers 43 yd pass from Justin Dvorak (Avery Llewellyn kick) | Tied, 7-7
2nd 08:39 CSM - Avery Llewellyn 44 yd field goal | Mines, 10-7
05:01 WNMU - Willie Bobbit 25 yd pass from Mitch Glasmann (Josh McIntire kick) | WNMU, 14-10
03:07 CSM - Tevin Champagne 1 yd run (Avery Llewellyn kick) | Mines, 17-10
00:09 WNMU - Marques Rodgers 4 yd pass from Mitch Glasmann (Josh McIntire kick) | WNMU, 21-17
3rd 09:42 CSM - Avery Llewellyn 43 yd field goal | WNMU, 21-10
07:48 CSM - Diamond Gillis 7 yd pass from Justin Dvorak (Avery Llewellyn kick) | Mines, 27-21
03:49 CSM - Avery Llewellyn 33 yd field goal | Mines, 30-21
01:02 CSM - Tevin Champagne 10 yd pass from Justin Dvorak (Avery Llewellyn kick) | Mines, 37-21
4th 13:29 WNMU - Donald Byrd 12 yd pass from Mitch Glasmann (Brent Courtney pass from Marques Rodgers) | Mines, 37-29
05:28 WNMU - Marques Rodgers 3 yd run (Mitch Glasmann rush) | Tied, 37-37
03:02 CSM - Cole Spurgeon 19 yd pass from Justin Dvorak (Avery Llewellyn kick) | Mines, 44-37
