GOLDEN, Colo. - Turnovers cost #7 Colorado School of Mines as #21 Texas A&M-Commerce capitalized on mistakes to win their NCAA Second Round match-up, 23-3.

The Orediggers end their season at 12-1, tied for the most wins in program history. The Lions (11-2) won on the road for the second straight week and advance to play Minnesota State in next week's regional final.

Miklo Smalls passed for 201 yards and ran for 112 and a touchdown to lead the Lions. John Matocha had 208 yards in the air but was sacked seven times, and Mason Karp led all receivers with 83 yards on five catches.

The Lion front seven was outstanding, producing 10 sacks and holding Mines to only 86 net yards rushing.

The first half was a defensive showcase as both teams made plays to hold scoring down. Mines blocked Jake Viquez's field goal on Commerce's first series, but scored on a 24-yard Scott Marshall field goal with 3:49 left in the first quarter. Jaden Williams intercepted Small on the next series, but a strip of Mason Karp short of the goal line after his 44-yard catch and run gave Commerce a touchback and prevented a sure Mines touchdown. The Lions then drove the field and scored with one second left in the first quarter when Small broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run, making it 7-3.

A returning Cameron Mayberry was stripped of the ball again short of the goal line early in the second quarter to prevent a Mines score, and Jaylon Hodge's sack forced the ball out of Matocha's hands late in the quarter for their third turnover of the half.

Mines was gifted a turnover to start the second half as Williams forced a Ryan Stokes fumble that was recovered by Cam Forrest, but Mines ended up turning the ball over on downs inside Commerce territory. That led to fake field goal conversion for a touchdown for the Lions as Preston Wheeler completed the pass to Tyler Guice for a 34-yard score, and the Orediggers fumbled again just three plays later as Payton Searcy stripped Matocha for Hodge's recovery at the Mines 19. That led into Jemal Williams' three-yard touchdown run a few plays later, and suddenly Mines was down 20-3.

Ben Bottlinger entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter and put together an effective drive that ultimately ended in a sack on 4th and goal; Commerce then controlled a 6:10, 11-play series that ended with Viquez's 31-yard fied goal to make it 23-3.

NOTABLES
- Mines' 12-1 record is tied for the best in program history with the 2004 team, which also bowed out in the NCAA Second Round.
- Marv Kay Stadium was hosting the NCAA Second Round for the first time ever.
- Playing for the first time since what could have been a career-ending injury against Western Colorado, Mayberry recieved a standing ovation on his first touch of the game, an 11-yard punch up the middle in the first quarter. Despite missing much of the season, Mayberry ends his career as the greatest running back in Mines history with 4,074 yards and 52 touchdowns, both records. He averaged an astonishing 6.3 yards per carry over his career.
- Matocha ended a superb freshman season with a 73.68% completion rate (just missing the program record of 74.4% set by Chad Friehauf in 2004), 2825 yards, and 29 touchdowns while also rushing for 598 yards and 11 scores.
- With 51 yards, Michael Zeman ended the season with 1,421 yards, the third-highest total in program history behind only two seasons from Mayberry.
- Elijah Earls was outstanding for the Lions, producing 3.5 sacks among six tackles.
- Mason Pierce led Mines with seven tackles. Nolan Reeve had Mines' lone sack of the day on an intentional grounding call to end the first half.