GOLDEN, Colo. - On a day in which the Colorado School of Mines men's cross country and track & field teams were presented with their 2017-18 RMAC championship rings, it was only fitting that the #6 Mines football team would win a track meet.

That's exactly what the Orediggers did, scoring 42 unanswered points to rout South Dakota Mines 84-42 and remain unbeaten at 9-0 overall and 8-0 in RMAC play. 

The offensive numbers were staggering. The Orediggers scored 84 points in only three quarters, using a 35-point third quarter to break open a one-touchdown game at halftime. Their 84 points were the most in a Mines game since 1890 - as in, 128 years ago - and the 126 combined points was the most in program history and most in NCAA Division II this year. The two teams combined for 1,150 yards of offense.

Quarterback Isaac Harker completed 19-of-24 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns, with two each going to Brody Oliver and David Sommers. Cameron Mayberry ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns while Brandon Farmer found the end zone twice. Kicker Scott Marshall set the RMAC single-record with 12 PATs. Oh, and Mines even threw in a defensive touchdown on Grant Gale's fumble return for good measure.

Oliver, for his part, caught six passes for 123 yards to become Mines' all-time career receiving yards leader. Sean O'Dell had 129 yards on only three catches, including a score.

The Hardrockers (4-5) were no slouches on offense, either, as quarterback Jake Sullivan threw for 425 yards and five touchdowns and Isaiah Manley caught 14 passes for 147 yards and four scores.

Despite the lopsided final score, it was a shootout in the first half as the two sides combined for 91 points and only two punts. The Orediggers set the tone with a 54-yard touchdown pass to O'Dell on their very first offensive play, but Isaiah Manley caught the first of his four TDs on the day to tie it midway through the first quarter. Mayberry plunged in for a one-yard score before SDSMT scored two in a row to lead 21-14. 

Mayberry opened the second quarter with another one-yard run, and Logan Bock's interception set Mines up inside the SDSMT red zone for Farmer to score three plays later. The two schools traded touchdowns three more times before halftime, with the Orediggers finding points on a 22-yard Oliver catch, another short Mayberry run, and Sommers' five-yard catch with 0:07 left in the second. 

Crucially, the Orediggers got the ball first in the second half, and they capitalized with Oliver's 23-yard catch from Harker to suddenly put some space in the game at 56-42. The Mines defense also awoke, producing two straight Hardrocker punts before Sommers caught his second of the day to lead 63-42 and Farmer rumbled around the corner for an 11-yard score and a 70-42 advantage with 7:03 left in the third.

Mines truly closed the door on the next Hardrocker series, as a fumble by Sullivan was scooped up by Gale and returned 32 yards for a touchdown, making it 77-42. Another turnover - Mack Minnehan's interception - set up Mayberry's third and final score with 2:07 left in the third, and neither team would even play its starters in the fourth quarter as the Oredigger defense pitched a second-half shutout.

NOTABLES
- At 8-0 in conference play, Mines is now a win away from securing at least a share of the RMAC championship. 
- The Orediggers' 84 points were the second-most in program history and most in the modern era. The previous mark was an 83-point performance at Black Hills State in 2016.
- Mines tied their own RMAC record for touchdowns in a game at 12 (also doing it in that Black Hills State game)
- Marshall's 12-for-12 PAT day broke the RMAC record, which was co-held by three men including teammate Austin Toussaint, who was kicking in that 2016 BHSU game.
- Mayberry's four-touchdown day tied the Mines single-game record co-held by Tony Evans (vs. Chadron in 1993) and Zac Guy (vs. Southwest Baptist in 2016).
- Unsurprisingly, the game was a match-up of NCAA Division II's top two total offenses. SDSMT came in #1 and the Orediggers #2.
- Oliver surpassed Justin Gallas for the Mines receiving yards record and now stands sixth in RMAC history with 3,553 yards. He also extended his RMAC career touchdowns record with catches #56 and #57.
- The Orediggers produced 654 yards of total offense to the Hardrockers' 496. However, 426 of SDSMT's yards came in the first half - the Mines defense limited them to only 70 yard after halftime.
- Gale's defensive touchdown was Mines' third of the year. The Orediggers have scored defensive points in six of eight games this season.
- Gale had a team-high seven tackles including 2.0 for a loss.
- Bock's interception gave him a unique distinction in Mines football history. He is believed to be the first player in program history to get a defensive "bingo" - earning every defensive stat possible in a season. Bock has at least one interception, safety, forced fumble, fumble recovery, defensive touchdown, break-up, and sack this year.

NEXT UP
Mines will visit Dixie State next Saturday.