SPEARFISH, S.D. - Colorado School of Mines used a potent first-half offensive attack to put the game out of reach, beating Black Hills State on the road 42-20 to improve to 2-0.

Quarterback Isaac Harker completed 27-of-40 passes for 425 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for two more scores, to put Mines (2-0, 2-0 RMAC) ahead 35-14 at halftime. Harker threw to a pair of 100-yard receivers as Brody Oliver caught seven passes for 174 yards and two scores, and Riley Hoff six balls for 129 yards and a touchdown.

The Mines defense held BHSU (0-2, 0-2 RMAC) to 10-of-20 on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth, forcing three turnovers on downs to go along with Adam Leonard's interception. Anthony Makransky and Grant Gale led the defense with seven tackles each.

After Mines stopped BHSU on the opening drive and the Yellow Jackets missed a 47-yard field goal, the visitors wasted no time getting on the board. A 60-yard completion to Riley Hoff set up Harker's first touchdown of the day as the quarterback fumbled the ball over the goal line on a run from the one, but fell on it for the score. Another quick Oredigger defensive out resulted in a 10-play, 86-yard drive capped by Cameron Mayberry's 12-yard score to lead 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

BHSU got on the board with a nine-yard Payten Gilmore run to open the second quarter, but Logan Bock's PAT block kept the score at 14-6. Mines responded two possessions later with a 17-yard strike from Harker to Oliver, and Adam Leonard's interception on the next drive set up a 60-yard Oliver catch and run to the end zone to put Mines ahead 28-6. Black Hills State answered with a Ryan Hommel pass to Isaac Jefferson to cut the deficit to 28-14 with 44 seconds to go before half, but Mines' lightning-quick offense produced more points as a key 34-yard haul by Oliver set up Harker's one-yard touchdown run as the clock struck zero.

Mines took a more conservative offensive approach in the second half and found the end zone only once, on a 29-yard Hoff catch late in the third quarter that came with the Orediggers facing 4th and 11. Their clock management paid off as BHSU also only scored once more, a 17-yard Gilmore catch with 1:06 left in the third, to set the final at 42-20.

NOTABLES
- Mines produced 561 yards of total offense to BHSU's 364.
- Oliver crossed 3,000 career receiving yards in the game, and now sits at 3,043. Oliver is the ninth player in RMAC history to cross the mark and only the second Oredigger after Justin Gallas, who compiled 3,561 from 2002 to 2005.
- Harker's 425-yard day was the best by a Mines quarterback since Justin Dvorak threw for 434 against Fort Lewis in week 5 of the 2016 season. Through two games, Harker has thrown for 742 yards and eight touchdowns. 
- Mayberry scored a touchdown for his 11th consecutive game. The redshirt junior is also knocking on the door of 2,000 career yards, sitting at 1,994 after his 89-yard day. 
- Sean O'Dell was an important outlet for Harker, catching a career- and team-high nine passes for 57 yards. 
- Both Travis Lockhart and Josh Johnston had their first career catches for Mines, while Michael Zemen had his first career carries.
- Mack Minnehan had a career-high six tackles. Geoff Keating continued to produce in the secondary with five stops and two break-ups.
- Scott Marshall was 6-for-6 on PATs and put all six kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks. Austin Toussaint put three of his five punts inside the 20 with a long kick of 46 yards.
- Mines improved to 7-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets. Mines has scored at least 41 points in all seven wins.

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to Marv Kay stadium for their rivalry game against CSU-Pueblo Saturday, Sept. 15 at noon.