GOLDEN, Colo. - In a match-up of top-25 teams, #14 Colorado School of Mines looked the part as it put on an offensive showcase to rout #24 Colorado Mesa, 72-31, and bring the Nyikos Cup back to Golden.

Mines (5-0) produced a program-record 797 yards of total offense led by quarterback Isaac Harker, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 377 yards and five touchdowns. Brody Oliver tied the RMAC record for career touchdowns with his 50th as part of a 104-yard, two-touchdown day, and Sean O'Dell produced a career-high 148 yards and a score.

Mines' defense held CMU (3-2, 2-2 RMAC) to 3-of-15 on third down conversions with four sacks, paced by Logan Bock's eight-tackle game.

The win meant the Orediggers took back the Nyikos Cup, named in honor of former Mines and CMU administrator Dr. Michael Nyikos, for the first time since 2014.

The game was effectively over by halftime as Mines raced out to a 28-7 lead after a quarter and 49-10 at the break. CMU had a terrific chance to score first with Patrick Vigil's interception on Mines' opening drive, but the Oredigger defense forced a red zone stop and a missed field goal to keep the game scoreless. Mines responded with a quick-shot 77-yard touchdown to Sean O'Dell, and after a three-and-out, David Sommers caught a 15-yard score from Harker to lead 14-0.

CMU got on the board with a big play of their own, Peter Anderson's 69-yard catch from Eystin Salum, but Mines poured it on for the rest of the quarter with touchdowns from Cameron Mayberry and Brandon Farmer, then opened the second with Oliver's first, a 12-yard grab, to lead 35-7. CMU hit a 26-yard field goal to make it 35-10, but Mines scored twice more end the half on a 43-yard pass over the top to Mayberry and Farmer's one-yarder.

Oliver made history to open the second half, catching a 50-yard touchdown to tie the RMAC career record, and the defense got in on the action later in the quarter with a safety for the second consecutive game thanks to a James Kohlschmidt tackle in the end zone.

With the backups in, CMU would score 21 fourth-quarter points but it was largely academic as the Orediggers piled on rushing scores of 10 yards from Garrett Hyles and 55 yards from Michael Zeman.

NOTABLES
- The win snapped CMU's three-game win streak in the series.
- Mines is now 2-0 against ranked teams this season.
- The Oredigger offense generated 458 yards passing and 339 yards on the ground, averaging a first down per play at 10.2 yards. Mines' 797 yards set a program record, snapping the mark of 749 against Black Hills State in 2013.
- Mines' 72 points were the most by either team in the history of their series, which stretches back to 1975. It was the second most all-time allowed by Colorado Mesa and most since 1975 (78 vs. Adams State).
- Mines has not lost a home game in over two years, since losing to Colorado Mesa in 2016. The Orediggers have gone 743 days since that span, winning 12 straight and improving to 17-2 all-time at Marv Kay Stadium.
- The Orediggers lead the Nyikos Cuo series 6-3.
- The Mines offensive line had a virtually perfect game, not allowing a sack and giving up just a single tackle for loss in the game. They pushed Oredigger running backs to a 7.9-yards-per-carry average.
- Mayberry extended his consecutive touchdowns streak to 14 games.
- Oliver, who came into the game leading NCAA Division II with 10 touchdowns, caught two more to tie Nebraska-Kearney's Richie Ross (2002-05) for the career record of 50. Oliver also moved up to seventh on the RMAC yardage list, now at 3,314.
- Harker completed a career-high 78.6 percent of his passes and ran for a career-best 55 yards as he produced five touchdowns for the fourth time this year.
- The Mines defense held the RMAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Eystin Salum, to 173 yards passing with a touchdown and 33 yards rushing, sacking him three times. 
- Bock, Kohlschmidt, Brockton Sterling, and Luke Jeter all had sacks, while Miguel Rosendo and Kohlschmidt forced fumbles that Mesa recovered. Grant Gale had six tackles with Rosendo, Kohlschmidt, and Sterling all at five.
- Scott Marshall became the third player in program history to make 10 or more PATs in the game, going a perfect 10-for-10. He joins teammate Austin Toussaint (11 vs. BHSU in 2016) and former teammate Grayson Harris (10 vs. NMHU in 2017). 

NEXT UP
Mines visits Western State next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.