Box Score HOW IT HAPPENED
Justin Dvorak threw for 415 yards and five touchdowns to lead #7 Colorado School of Mines past Fort Lewis, 48-28, at Marv Kay Stadium.
Sam Seeton accounted for 206 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns, and Cole Spurgeon caught a pair as Mines (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) racked up 618 yards of total offense.
The win means Mines will meet #6 CSU-Pueblo next week with both teams atop the RMAC standings at 5-0; Colorado Mesa is the only other unbeaten league team remaining.
The Mines defense stepped up big in the second half as the Orediggers pulled away from a 28-28 game with 20 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters.
Seeton opened the scoring with a nine-yard catch on the opening drive as Dvorak found him across the field on a scramble. Spurgeon caught his first touchdown a few drives later on a 33-yard haul to make it 14-0.
Fort Lewis jumped back into it with touchdown runs from quarterback Jordan Doyle sandwiched around Seeton's 37-yard breakout, and tied the game at 21 with 2:17 left in the half thanks to Juquelle Thompson's two-yard catch. The Orediggers, however, needed only four plays to go 78 yards as Ty Young hauled in a 45-yard catch to give the home team a 28-21 halftime lead.
Doyle broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run on the second half's opening play to tie it, but that would be the Skyhawks' final points as Mines finished the game with 20 unanswered. Avery Llewellyn was true from 26 early in the third, and Spurgeon caught a 10-yard pass to make it 38-28 midway through the quarter. Matt Schmid converted from 15 yards out on a terrific run after the catch, and Llewellyn tacked on a 46-yarder early in the fourth quarter to set the final score.
SEETON'S BIG DAY
Sam Seeton's career-high 161 yards rushing and a touchdown went with 45 yards receiving on five catches with another score. Seeton caught the game's opening score, and his touchdown run was a burst up the seam from 37 yards. He also had a season-long 41-yard run in the second quarter.
GO FOR IT
Mines converted twice on fourth down, and both times it ended in a touchdown to Cole Spurgeon. Dvorak's first pass to Spurgeon was a 33-yard score on 4th and 8, and he hit the senior from 10 yards out on 4th and 2 later in the game.
TOUGH WHEN IT COUNTS
The Mines defense made three of its five sacks in the second half, with key drive stops by Tommy Hoskins and Andrew Renfrew holding Fort Lewis off the board for nearly the entire half. Jeff Grenfell led the Orediggers with nine total tackles; Renfrew had a pair of sacks, with Graves (1.5), Hoskins (1.0), and Dallas Fields (0.5) adding hits.
NOTABLES
- Ty Young followed up his career game last week with another 100+ yard receiving day, catching five balls for 115 yards and a score.
- Dvorak came into the game leading the nation with 29 total touchdowns, and he extended his total to 34 with his five passing scores.
- Spurgeon now has a team-best 10 touchdown catches this season.
- Mines did not punt.
- Llewellyn's 46-yard field goal was his longest of the season. He was 6-of-6 on PATs and averaged 63.2 yards per kickoff.
- Zach Richter caught a career-long 61-yard reception to set up Llewellyn's first field goal.
- Chase Nicholas made his first career start at cornerback and racked up eight tackles and a break up.
- Jimmy Ellis had a very good return day for Mines, averaging 22.7 yards per kick return and 11.3 yards on three punt takes.
- Mines held PJ Hall, one of the RMAC's top rushers at 103 yards per game, to 74 yards rushing and no touchdowns. Doyles ended 19-of-31 for 249 yards passing, but ran for three scores off 67 net yards.
- Fort Lewis missed a pair of field goals in the second half.
NEXT UP
The Orediggers visit #6 CSU-Pueblo next Saturday at 2 p.m. in a game seen live on Comcast Entertainment Television in Colorado.
