#5 Colorado School of Mines (6-0, 4-0 RMAC) vs. South Dakota Mines (4-2, 2-2 RMAC), Saturday, 12 p.m.
Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[TV: KWGN 2 / Streaming: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes]

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Getting through the halfway point of the season undefeated at 6-0, #5 Colorado School of Mines returns home to host South Dakota Mines, out to their best start since 2016 at 4-2.

LIVE COVERAGE
This week's game will also be televised live on KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2 in addition to streaming on the RMAC Network. Miles Dunklin and Josh Dover have the call. The RMAC Network has relaunched for 2021-22, and fans used to watching on their smart TV or other device must download the new app by searching "RMAC" in your device's app store. The new watch portal is available at minesathletics.com/tv or rmacnetwork.com.

FAN INFORMATION
Mines Athletics is excited to welcome fans back to home events this fall. For this week's game, please note the following important pieces of information:

- Gates and the tailgating lot open at 10 a.m.
- Masks are strongly encouraged for all guests.
- Tickets are available at the gate (cash or credit) or online at minesathletics.com/tickets. Fans are encouraged to utilize print-at-home or digital ticket options to skip waiting in line at the game.
- Parking for home games has a new option with the opening of the new parking garage at 14th and Maple Streets, two blocks south of Marv Kay Stadium; parking in the garage is free. Tailgating continues to be permitted in Lot K only for $10 per vehicle. No tailgating is permitted in the garage. Visit the Mines Parking page for more information.
- The New Terrain Beer Garden will be open in the west end zone for all guests 21 and older. The beer garden will be cashless. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's forecast is for perfect autumn football weather with sunshine and a kickoff temperature of 59 going up to 64, and light winds out of the east. 

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Marv Kay Stadium has been a daunting place for opponents to play since opening in 2015, with Mines going 29-4 overall at home. In the regular season, it's been awhile since the Orediggers haven't celebrated victory at home: 1,855 days, to be exact, or 23 straight games dating back to the 2016 season. The Orediggers played the Hardrockers in the very first game at Marv Kay Stadium, a 63-28 win on Sept. 5, 2015. 

NOTING THE MINES-SDM SERIES
The series between Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota School - the last two athletics-playing schools of mines in the United States - dates back to 1917, a 58-6 Orediggers win ... The two met sporadically after that but stopped the series for nearly 50 years after the 1949 game, not resuming until 1996 ... The two have met every year since 2010, and since 2016 when South Dakota Mines became a full D-II and RMAC member ... Colorado School of Mines leads the all-time series 20-1 and is 11-0 at home ... The Hardrockers have visited Marv Kay Stadium three times, first for the inaugural game in 2015 (a 63-28 Oredigger win), a 56-28 Oredigger win in 2016, and then the record-smashing 84-42 game in 2018 that saw 1,150 combined yards of offense. 

MINES STAYS AT #5 IN POLLS
Mines stayed put at #5 in both the AFCA and D2football.com polls this week, the fourth straight week the Orediggers have matched their best showings ever. Western Colorado joined Mines as the only other ranked RMAC team, appearing at #24 this week. 

JUST US
Mines is now the only undefeated team left in Super Region 4, which consists of the RMAC, Lone Star, GNAC, and NSIC conferences. Mines is also the state of Colorado's only unbeaten college football team, with Air Force (5-1), Mesa (4-1), and Western (5-1) making up the one-loss group.

WEEK 6 REWIND
Mines put up big offensive numbers as it stayed undefeated with a 41-20 road win at Black Hills State. The Orediggers generated 514 yards of offense led by John Matocha's career-high 362 yards and four touchdowns in the air. Michael Zeman ran for 116 yards and a score while Josh Johnston caught three touchdowns and Tristan Smith had 10 receptions for 117 yards and a score. The Oredigger defense held the RMAC's #1 offense to 278 total yards led by takeaways from Mack Minnehan and Logan Rayburn, and Nolan Reeve had nine tackles and a sack.

South Dakota Mines beat Fort Lewis 42-7 to set their best start since 2016 at 4-2. Jayden Johannsen threw for 289 yards and two scores and ran for two more, while Kaleb Roth had a 128-yard, 1-TD game. Jeremiah Bridges caught six passes for 117 yards and a score with Isaiah Eastman six for 86 and a touchdown. Eastman also earned RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his three punt returns for 60 yards and one kick take for 38 yards.

THE LAST TIME WE MET
The two teams last met on Nov. 2, 2019, in Rapid City, a 49-28 Oredigger win as Mines turned in 633 total yards of offense. Michael Zeman ran for a program-record 321 yards and four touchdowns in that game, averaging 9.2 yards per carry on 35 attempts. The Hardrockers were held to 270 total yards but took advantage of three Oredigger turnovers and 114 penalty yards to score four times. John Matocha threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score; Josh Johnston caught both of his TDs in a 106-yard day.

SCOUTING THE HARDROCKERS
The Hardrockers are 4-2 overall and 2-2 in RMAC play, averaging 33.3 points per game and allowing 27.8. Like the Orediggers, the Hardrockers have a balanced offense at 194.2 yards per game rushing and 222.3 passing, and rank #3 in the RMAC in scoring and total offense. Dual-threat quarterback Jayden Johannsen has thrown for 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns at a 62.7% clip, and also leads the team in rushing at 376 yards and seven scores. Ahmad Lewis has five touchdowns on the ground and Kaleb Roth two. Jeremiah Bridges, Isaiah Eastman, and Collin Zur are the top aerial targets all featuring 22+ catches and 300+ yards this season. Kyante Christian leads the defense with 39 total tackles, 8.0 TFL, and 5.5 sacks, all team highs. 

THE RICHEST GAME IN D-II?
This week's game has been touted as the "richest in Division II football" thanks to the high earning potential of graduates on both sides of the line of scrimmage. According to data released earlier this month by Payscale.com, Colorado School of Mines graduates rank #4 in the United States and #1 in NCAA Division II in early career pay ($79,300) and mid-career pay ($148,700). South Dakota Mines ranks #35 overall and #3 in D-II at $71,800 and $119,600. Combined, that's upwards of $30 million per year in mid-career salary between the future graduates of the teams.

GOING STREAKING
Entering this week, Mines has won 15 consecutive RMAC games dating back to the final week of the 2018 season. The Western Colorado victory snapped the program's previous longest conference win streak of 13, set from the tail end of the 2003 season through the early 2005 season. The streak is the third-longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II, as well, trailing only Ferris State (25 straight GLIAC wins) and Slippery Rock (19 straight PSAC victories). 

OREDIGGERS MOVE TO 6-0
Mines is 6-0 for a third consecutive season, the first time in program history that has happened. It's only the seventh 6-0 start in program history, with four of those coming since 2015 under Gregg Brandon. Mines has started 6-0 in 1898, 1939, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019.

MATOCHA, MINNEHAN EARN HONORS
Mines continued to garner player of the week awards as John Matocha (RMAC Offensive and NFFCC) and Mack Minnehan (RMAC Defensive) earned Week 6 honors. Matocha threw for a career-high 362 yards and tied his career best with four touchdown passes at Black Hills State, going an impressive 29-of-35 (82.8%) and turnover-free in the game. Minnehan made seven total tackles including 1.0 for a loss, and he picked off a first-quarter interception at midfield that set up a Mines touchdown three plays later as the defense held the RMAC's #1 offense to only 278 yards. Mines players have collected seven total player of the week awards this season, including three of last five RMAC Defensive honors.

OREDIGGER D AMONG ELITE
The Oredigger defense continues to rank among the NCAA's elite past the midpoint of the season. Mines' 11.8 points per game allowed is #6 in D-II, while the Orediggers rank #10 in rushing defense (79.3 ypg) and #8 in total defense (239.8 ypg). Mines has limited opponents to 14 or fewer points four times in six weeks this season. Individually, inside linebacker Gabriel Kortz is leading the team with 36 total tackles (4.5 TFL) while OLB Nolan Reeve has 35 tackles and a team-high 4.5 sacks, and Mack Minnehan has 33 stops and a team-best 7.5 TFL from the other outside linebacker spot.

BALL HOGS
Mines' offense loves having the ball. The defense loves getting off the field. Combine those two things, and it adds up to the Orediggers being exceptional ball hogs. In six games this season, Mines has held the ball for an average of 35:23, ranking #3 in NCAA Division II. But perhaps even more impressive is how much Mines limits opponents with their ball possession: this season, the Orediggers run an average of 16.8 more offensive plays per game than opponents. 

ZEMAN LEADS THE WAY
Michael Zeman has been outstanding once again this season, leading the RMAC at 113.8 yards per game and adding seven touchdowns. The co-captain has eclipsed 100 yards in five of six games (his only sub-100-yard day was at Fort Lewis, when the starters didn't play the second half), and the durable back has averaged 28 carries per game over the last three weeks. But as important as his work on the ground has been, Zeman's ability in the passing game has been crucial over the past three outings. Zeman caught four passes for 23 yards at WT, then three for 41 yards against Western, and another three for 42 yards at BHSU. This season, Zeman is tacking on an average of 24.7 yards per game in the air to his total offense.

THAT'S ACCURATE
John Matocha has had an eventful last two weeks. Against Western Colorado on Oct. 2, Matocha accounted for all three Oredigger touchdowns as he threw for two on 179 yards passing and also ran in the walk-off overtime touchdown; at Black Hills State, he put up career numbers with 362 yards and four touchdowns. But what has really stood out is Matocha's accuracy: going 21-of-25 and 29-of-36 in those two games, he has completed 50 of his last 60 attempts (83.3%), and for the season ranks third in NCAA Division II in completion percentage at 72.3%.

LIVING IN THE END ZONE
Josh Johnston's nine touchdown catches leads the RMAC (and is third in the nation) through six games, and the senior co-captain is building quite the scoring streak. Johnston has caught at least one touchdown in every game this season, including three last week at BHSU; he has a score in 11 straight regular-season games dating back to mid-2019. The last Oredigger to record such a streak was all-time TDs leader Brody Oliver, who had a 10-game stretch in 2016 and an eight-gamer in 2018. 

NO FLY ZONE
Mines' defense has been outstanding all around this season, but the secondary's play has stepped up as they are limiting opponents to 160.5 yards and a single touchdown per game in the air. That ranks as the RMAC's #1 passing defense as the Orediggers' starting secondary of corners Mason Pierce and Cam Forrest, and safeties Kobe Brewster and Jaden Williams, have combined for 14 pass break-ups and two interceptions this season. 

TAKE IT BACK
If either of this weekend's punt returners get some room to move, expect big things. The Orediggers' Mason Pierce is third in the nation in punt return average at 18.1 yards per take on eight takes, while the Hardrockers' Isaiah Eastman ranks 20th nationally at 11.4 yards per return and is the reigning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his return-game performance.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
Mines is +8 on turnovers this season, gaining six fumbles and six interceptions against three interceptions thrown and one fumble given away. That ranks as the seventh-best turnover margin in NCAA Division II. All six of Mines' picks have come by different players - Mack Minnehan, Jaden Williams, Kobe Brewster, Beau Collins, Logan Rayburn, and Collin Romero - with Collins' going back for six at Fort Lewis. Brewster, Williams, Minnehan, Logan Rayburn, Zach Hester, and Preston Yates have all recovered fumbles.

NEXT TIME
Mines visits Colorado Mesa for the Nyikos Cup on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.