Colorado School of Mines vs. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Saturday, 12 p.m.
Marv Kay Stadium | Streaming: RMAC Network [Live Video] [Live Stats] [Media Notes] [Tickets] 
 

---

This year's meeting of the Mines will be a battle of two of the nation's top offenses as Colorado School of Mines hosts South Dakota Mines in an important RMAC clash.

WATCH US
Every Mines game this season will be seen live online on the RMAC Network at MinesAthletics.com/tv. Archived games are available on demand any time as well.

WEATHER REPORT
Perfect fall football weather is forecast with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s with light west winds.

FAN PARKING
Lot K parking (next to Stermole Soccer Stadium and accessed off 11th Street) is available to all fans for $10. Handicap parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the 12th and Maple Street lot and Lot K. Handicap fans can also be dropped off at the 12th Street (Gate 1) entrance to the stadium. All other campus parking is free. Please obey posted signs if using Golden city parking. For driving directions and a gameday parking map visit Directions.

MINES BY THE NUMBERS
411.1 - passing yards per game by Mines, best in the nation
106 - career TD passes by Justin Dvorak, two shy of the RMAC record
40 - more plays ran by Mines than Azusa Pacific last week (92 to 52)
14 - TD catches by Brody Oliver, one shy of the Mines record
7.0 - tackles for loss by the Mines defense against Azusa Pacific
2 - top-10 ranked teams Mines has beaten this season

THE SERIES
This will be the 18th meeting of the Mines, with the Orediggers holding a perfect 17-0 all-time advantage. The Orediggers have outscored SDSMT 356-91 in six games since 2010.

WEEK 6 REWIND
Colorado School of Mines dominated both sides of the ball as they stunned #10/12 Azusa Pacific, 27-23, at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers kept the previously-unbeaten Cougars (5-1) off the field with 92 offensive plays, 40 more than APU ran. Justin Dvorak threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns, three to Brody Oliver, who produced 120 yards on nine catches. Against one of the nation's top-rated defenses, Mines rang up 481 yards of total offense. The Mines defense was equally spectacular, holding APU to 13 first downs with four sacks and a key fourth-quarter interception by Jalen Champagne to prevent a go-ahead touchdown. Ty Young's third-quarter score proved decisive as Mines held Azusa Pacific scoreless for the final 28:52 of the game. Mines ran a whopping 40 more offensive plays than the Cougars (92 to 52), keeping the APU defense on the field for more than 33 minutes.

IN THE RANKINGS
Mines received nine votes in this week's AFCA poll after upsetting then-#10 Azusa Pacific last week.

DVORAK MAKES HARLON HILL TROPHY CASE
Mines quarterback Justin Dvorak has compiled historic numbers through six games this season, cementing himself as one of the top Harlon Hill Trophy candidates for NCAA Division II's best player. Dvorak leads the nation in virtually every passing stat, including yards (2,428), touchdowns (25), completions per game (30.17), and total offense per game (416.0). He now owns every major passing record at Mines, and is now 906-for-1373 (66.0%) for 11,310 yards and 106 passing touchdowns, in addition to 20 rushing touchdowns. His next target: the RMAC career passing touchdowns record of 109, held by Western New Mexico's Mitch Glasmann.

NO ONE BETTER
Justin Dvorak's stats aren't just historic by Mines standards - they're historic nationally. Dvorak is the active leader in all of college football - every division - in career passing yards (11,310), touchdown passes (106), and total offense (12,162).

OLIVER BREAKING OUT
Brody Oliver's receiving production refuses to slow down, with the redshirt sophomore compiling 100+ yards and at least one touchdown in all six games this season, and he has three or more touchdown catches in half of those games. Oliver enters this weekend leading NCAA Division II in receiving yards (841) and leading every NCAA division with 14 touchdowns. Oliver has been so fast out of the gate that he is only two scores away from surpassing a pair of records: the Mines single-season receiving TDs mark, and the NCAA D-II tight ends record (both 15). 

KEEPING IT CLEAN
Mines is one of the nation's least-penalized teams this year, averaging only 4.17 flags per game (sixth in D-II) and 37.6 penalty yards per game (seventh). Mines was flagged only once for five yards at Fort Lewis and twice for 14 yards against Azusa Pacific.

TIMELY TAKEAWAYS
Each of the last two weeks, Mines has sealed a win thanks to a fourth-quarter interception. At Fort Lewis, it was safety Drew Stephon who came down with the pick (and Caleb Courkamp had a key fumble recovery also in the quarter); against Azusa Pacific, Jalen Champagne intercepted the Cougars in the red zone to halt their comeback bid and allow Mines to kill the remainder of the clock.

CAN'T KEEP THEM DOWN
Mines has been one of the best teams in the country this year on third down, ranking fourth in D-II with a 55.7 percent conversion rating. As a result, Mines is also one of the best first-down generating teams in D-II, ranking second with 166 this season. Mines held a whopping 30-13 first downs advantage over Azusa Pacific last week.

KEL-SO GOOD
Arguably Mines' biggest impact defensive player this year has been redshirt sophomore end Michael Kelso, who leads Mines with 6.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and three hurries. Kelso leads Mines linemen with 25 tackles, as well. Kelso made a career-high 2.5 TFL against Azusa Pacific, getting in on 1.5 sacks with two additional quarterback pressures.

LAST YEAR VS. SDSMT
Justin Dvorak tied an RMAC record with eight touchdown passes to lead an offensive explosion as Colorado School of Mines opened Marv Kay Stadium and the 2015 season with a 63-28 romp over South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. A standing-room-only sellout of 5,386 saw head coach Gregg Brandon earn his first win on Mines' sideline as Dvorak threw for career-bests of 555 yards, eight touchdowns, and completed 37 of 49 attempts. Six different receivers caught scores, led by Cole Spurgeon '16 and Ty Young's two apiece, and Spurgeon hauled in eight catches for 185 yards.

RICE A CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
Center Richie Rice was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy on Wednesday, one of 156 from every level of college football who will vie for the sport's premier scholar-athlete award. The National Football Foundation will award 12 to 14 finalists with $18,000 postgraduate scholarships. Rice was a 2015 First-Team Academic All-American and the NFF Colorado Chapter Academic Player of the Year.

BLASTER TRACKER
Mines' friendly mascot, Blaster the Burro, loves to graze on the west end's grass during games. But when Mines finds the end zone, Blaster takes off on a goal line-to-goal line run with his handlers, Mines Blue Key. Last year, the racing burro (yes, that's a real thing) ran the field 32 times for 6,400 rushing yards. In three home games this year, Mines' 18 touchdowns have yielded him 3,600 yards - a little over two miles' worth of running.

GOOD POINT
Mines has scored points in 110 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 10, 2007. The last time Mines was shut out was on Nov. 3, 2007 - an 18-0 loss at Colorado Mesa (then Mesa State).

SCOUTING SDSMT
South Dakota Mines enters the weekend tied for first in the RMAC at 5-1 overall and 4-1 in-league. Their long loss came to CSU-Pueblo, 37-10. They possess one of the nation's most potent offenses, scoring 42.8 points per game while generating 529.5 yards of total offense. Their attack is balanced (259.2 rushing yards/270.3 passing yards). Dual-threat quarterback Jake Sullivan is completing 69.7% of his passes for 1,602 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, while also rushing for 396 yards and eight touchdowns. Running backs Connor Silveria (461 yds, 4 TD) and Dorian Cowart (445 yds, 4 TD) have split time at tailbasck, while Marcus Sanchez (24 rec., 343 yds) has been Sullivan's top receiving target. Defensively, the Hardrockers allow 29 points and 424 yards per game. David Jakpor leads the team with 51 tackles, and Jake Fitzgerald has 36 with 4.5 for a loss.

NEXT TIME
The Orediggers visit new RMAC member Dixie State in Utah on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.