GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - #13/12 Colorado School of Mines retained the Nyikos Cup with a comprehensive 56-20 win at Colorado Mesa to remain unbeaten this season.
Cameron Mayberry became the first player in program history to cross 4,000 career rushing yards as part of a monster 192-yard, 2-touchdown afternoon, outgaining the Mavericks by himself as another big defensive effort helped Mines pull away early.
The Orediggers (5-0, 5-0 RMAC) produced 595 total yards offensively while the defense held the RMAC's #2 offense in the Mavericks (2-3, 2-2 RMAC) to only 188 yards.
John Matocha passed for a career-high 291 yards as he put together four total touchdowns (three passing and one rushing). Mason Karp caught a career-high 10 passes for 67 yards while Tristan Smith led all receivers with 86 yards and a touchdown. Joe Golter and Zach Peterson also caught scores and Geoff Keating returned an interception for a touchdown.
Mines scored early and often to build a 28-0 lead in the first half. It took the Orediggers only three plays to score on their opening drive after forcing a three-and-out by the hosts; Mayberry sandwiched runs of 17 and 23 yards around Golter's catch to take the early 7-0 lead, and Matocha orchestrated a touchdown on their next series, throwing for 51 yards and picking up a crucial 4th-down conversion on the ground en route to his 16-yard throw over the middle to a wide-open Peterson for the tight end's first career touchdown catch.
The second quarter opened with a 42-yard Matocha strike to Tristan Smith to put Mines in the red zone, and the freshman quarterback took it home himself for an eight-yard rushing score and a 21-0 lead less than a minute into the period. Mines needed only another minute to score again as Keating jumped a pass and returned the interception 37 yards to score.
CMU finally put together a positive drive extended by a Mines pass interference flag, and it resulted in a 37-yard Christopher Brown touchdown to cut the Oredigger lead to 28-7. A 20-yard Kobe Brewster punt return set the groundwork for Mines' next score as Matocha needed just two plays - a 10-yard completion to Karp and a scrambling 35-yard dart to Smith - to extend the advantage to 35-7.
The Mavericks benefited from a 62-yard kickoff return to set up a five-yard scoring catch by Trevon Lambert late in the half, but Mines got the ball back with 1:46 in the half and marched down the field to score on Matocha's 20-yard strike to Golter with three seconds remaining.
The Mavs had the third quarter's only score, using another long punt return to set up a one-yard catch by KJ Sapp, but the Orediggers controlled the clock with 10:42 of possession in the quarter. Mines had the only two scoring plays of the fourth quarter, first when Mayberry broke loose on a 54-yard touchdown that put him over the 4,000-yard mark, and then with Michael Zeman's 14-yard scurry in the closing seconds to make it 56-20.
NOTABLES
- The win was Mines' first in Grand Junction since 2013.
- Mines is 5-0 for the 10th time in program history and third time under Gregg Brandon.
- The Orediggers are 7-3 with the Nyikos Cup on the line. The trophy is named in honor of the late Dr. Michael Nyikos, who was an administrator at both universities and was chairman of the Board of Trustees at Mines.
- Mayberry is the first player for Mines and the ninth in RMAC history to surpass 4,000 rushing yards. He entered the weekend as the NCAA's all-divisions leader in career rushing touchdowns, and now ranks fifth in RMAC history with 52. Mayberry now has 4,021 career yards.
- Colorado Mesa averaged 439.2 total yards per game; their 188 yards was their lowest total since producing 174 vs. CSU-Pueblo in 2014.
- Mines' rush defense, which came into the weekend ranked #2 in NCAA Division II, held CMU to 42 yards on 26 attempts, the Mavs' first time under 150 yards in a game this year.
- The defense turned in a true team effort led by James Kohlschmidt and Averie Mansfield, who each had five tackles. Thirteen players had two or more stops as Nolan Reeve and Jimmy Bauer had sacks.
- Keating's interception was the fourth of his career and first pick-six.
- Matocha has now completed 70 percent or better of his passes in three of four starts this year, with 11 touchdowns to only two interceptions.
- Matocha had four receivers go over 60 yards: Smith (86), Karp (67), Josh Johnston (65), and Golter (64).
- Karp had a 73-yard touchdown catch called back on an illegal block late in the second quarter.
- CMU's Hayden Bollinger made his first career start at quarterback but was 0-for-4; the Mavs rode with Aaron Howard for most of the game instead as he was 12-for-29 for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
- Colorado Mesa was forced to punt 10 times. Austin Toussaint was outstanding for Mines with a 47.0-yard average on four boots including two inside the 20.
NEXT UP
Mines returns home to host Western Colorado Oct. 12 at noon.
