GUNNISON, Colo. - #12 Colorado School of Mines took care of business at Western Colorado, riding another defensive showcase to a 44-16 win in Gunnison.

The Orediggers (6-0, 6-0 RMAC) racked up six sacks, did not allow a touchdown in the first half, and gave up only 247 yards total, including 53 on the ground, to blow by the Mountaineers (0-6, 0-5 RMAC).

Matthew King and RJ Phillips each had two sacks while James Kohlschmidt had an interception to lead the defense. Mines' offense was its usual productive self as Isaac Harker threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, Riley Hoff brought in 10 catches for 125 yards and two scores, and Cameron Mayberry ran for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Both teams traded punts to start the game, but Mines got its offense going with Ryan Manning's 12-yard touchdown pass from Harker midway through the first quarter. Western quickly got the momentum back, however, with one of the rarest plays in football as Will Lydle blocked the PAT and David Velazquez ran it back 98 yards for two points.

Mines got a big defensive stop on the next series with Kohlschmidt picking off Dylan Jacob at midfield, and that led to Scott Marshall's 24-yard field goal to open the second quarter with a 9-2 lead. King's first sack keyed a defensive stop to get the ball back, and Mines drove 70 yards to score on Brandon Farmer's three-yard plunge. That got the offense in its rhythm as Hoff caught a 27-yard touchdown on Mines' next possession to take a 23-2 lead into the half.

The Orediggers put the game out of reach with a lightning-fast 14-point swing early in the second half. After stopping Western on their opening possession, Mayberry broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown with 9:33 left in the quarter to lead 30-2; on the ensuing kickoff, Nate Renfrew hit WCU's Josh Nelson to pry the ball out at the six, and it bounced backwards into the end zone for Luke Jeter to fall on for six more points and a 37-2 lead after Marshall's PAT.

That would all but end it as Western had a pair of late touchdowns sandwiched around Hoff's second of the day to start the fourth quarter. 

NOTABLES
- Mines won its 10th consecutive game dating back to last season, extending the third-longest streak in program history.
- It was the third time Mines has held an opponent to less than 20 points this season. Western's 247 yards of offense was the second-lowest total surrendered by Mines this year.
- Western State was held to just 3-of-13 on third-down conversions. This season, the Oredigger defense has limited opponents to 27.7 percent (26-of-94) on third downs.
- Mines' defense produced its third sub-100-yard rushing game of the year. Opponents are average only 95 yards per game on the ground this season.
- The offensive line did not surrender a sack for the second straight game and has given up an RMAC-low five through six games. Mines has not given up a sack in 83 straight passing downs.
- The Orediggers produced 539 total yards of offense, balanced between 259 on the ground and 280 in the air. Mines averaged 7.1 yards per play.
- Mayberry extended his streak of consecutive games played with a touchdown to 15 games. His 115-yard day puts him on the cusp of the Mines career yardage record, now only 68 yards away from the mark.
- Manning's touchdown to open the game was the first of his career. Jeter's touchdown was also his career first.
- Mines has scored on a defensive or special teams turnover in four consecutive games, with a fumble return for touchdown against CSU-Pueblo, safeties against New Mexico Highlands and Colorado Mesa, and the fumbled kickoff for a touchdown at Western.
- Mines had a season-low three penalties.
- The Mines-Western rivalry is the oldest continuous football series in Colorado. The two met for the 94th time on Saturday, having played every year since 1925 save for the World War II years.
- Mines has won 10 of the last 12 games against Western.

NEXT UP
Mines returns to the Western Slope next Saturday to visit Fort Lewis for a noon kickoff.