#3 Colorado School of Mines (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) at #RV Colorado Mesa (5-1, 4-1 RMAC), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Stocker Stadium, Grand Junction, Colo.
[Streaming: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes]

---

#3 Colorado School of Mines, now 7-0, heads across the Rockies for a tough test in Week 8, visiting Colorado Mesa (5-1) with the Nyikos Cup on the line in Grand Junction.

LIVE COVERAGE
This week's game will stream live on the RMAC Network, which has relaunched for 2021-22; 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.

IF YOU GO
It will be Colorado Mesa's Homecoming, and advanced tickets are highly recommended. Seats can be purchased via CMU's ticketing page. 

WEATHER REPORT
Weather shouldn't be a factor on Saturday with the temperature around 60 at kickoff under cloudy skies and light winds.

THE NYIKOS CUP
The winner of the Mines-Mesa game gets to keep the Nyikos Cup to go with the bragging rights for the next year. The alumni associations of the two universities established the cup in 2010 in honor of Dr. Michael Nyikos, who was Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Mesa, as well as Vice President of Student Affairs and External Relations at Mines. In February 2002 Dr. Nyikos was appointed to the Mines Board of Trustees, and reappointed in March 2006. He served as Chairman of the Board, and was also a member of the Board of the Mines Foundation until his death in February 2009. The Orediggers are the current holders of the cup and have won it seven times to CMU's three.

NOTING THE MINES-MESA SERIES
Mines and Colorado Mesa are meeting for the 45th time in a series dating back to 1975 ... The two had met every year since 1977 until the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season ... Mines has won the last two games, but the series has been very competitive in recent years with CMU winning three straight in 2015, 2016, and 2017 ... The Orediggers won the first meeting 21-7 in 1975 ... Either Mines or Colorado Mesa - or both - have been RMAC champion in every season since 2014 ... Mines is 6-17 in Grand Junction, including their last meeting in 2019, a 56-20 win that was the Orediggers' first win on the Western Slope since 2013. 

MINES REACHES #3 IN POLLS
After four weeks at #5 in both the AFCA and D2football.com national polls, Mines moved up two spots to its highest-ever ranking this week at #3 in both. The Orediggers trail #1 Ferris State and #2 Valdosta State. Western Colorado stayed at #24 in the AFCA poll, with Colorado Mesa receiving votes. 

JUST US
Mines is 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 (6-1), Mesa (5-1), and Western (6-1) making up the one-loss group.

IN THE RMAC
The Orediggers took over sole possession of first place in the RMAC last week with their win over South Dakota Mines combined with CSU Pueblo's loss to New Mexico Highlands. At 5-0, Mines is the only unbeaten left in conference play with Western at 5-1 and Colorado Mesa and CSUP at 4-1. 

WEEK 7 REWIND
Michael Zeman's big game led Mines to a 44-24 win over South Dakota Mines in Week 7. Zeman ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns and added another score in the air, while John Matocha threw for three touchdowns and 273 yards in total. It was Zeman's 60-yard touchdown breakout in the fourth quarter that sealed it after the Hardrockers, led by QB Jayden Johannsen (218 yards and two touchdowns, 62 yards rushing), battled back in the second half. Mason Karp paced all receivers with 88 yards and a touchdown off five catches; Tristan Smith had three catches for 75 yards.

Colorado Mesa produced 566 yards of total offense to beat Fort Lewis, 55-3, on the road. Quarterback Karst Hunter had 218 yards passing with two touchdowns, and also ran for two scores, and Darick Holmes and Morian Walker combined for 200 yards on the ground, with Holmes finding the end zone twice. Fort Lewis had the game's opening field goal and the Mavericks scored 55 unanswered points after that. 

THE LAST TIME WE MET
Mines and Mesa last played on Oct. 5, 2019, when the Orediggers compiled a comprehensive 56-20 win in Grand Junction. Cameron Mayberry had a 192-yard, 2-touchdown day as he outgained the Mavericks by himself, with CMU being held to 188 total yards by the Mines defense. John Matocha threw for 291 yards and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) with Mason Karp catching a career-high 10 passes for 67 yards and Tristan Smith adding 86 yards and a score. Geoff Keating had a pick six in that game.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa enters this weekend at 5-1 overall and 4-1 in RMAC play, with their lone loss coming on the road in overtime to CSU Pueblo, 19-13. The Mavericks' wins have mostly been lopsided, however, they do not own a win over a team currently above .500. Regardless, the Mavs own the RMAC's #1 scoring and total offense at 39.5 points and 478.3 yards per game, with the league's top rushing offense of 235.2 yards per game. Quarterback Karst Hunter has thrown for 1,417 yards and 11 touchdowns to only two interceptions, completing 61.8 percent of his passes; he's also active on the ground with 46 yards per game and a team-high six rushing touchdowns. It's been running back by committee for CMU with seven players having 15 or more carries this season. They also spread the ball around in the receiver game with Lionell McConnell (299 yards, 3 TD) and Dagan Rienks (189 yards, 4 TD) the favored red zone targets. Defensively the Mavericks allow 15.5 points and 274.8 yards per game led by Damar'ren Mitchell (47 TT, 2.5 TFL) and Remington Green (43 TT, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 S). 

ZEMAN, PIERCE EARN RMAC HONORS
Mines continued to garner player of the week awards as Michael Zeman (RMAC Offensive and NFFCC) and Mason Pierce (RMAC Special Teams) earned Week 7 honors. Zeman had four total touchdowns and 116 yards rushing in the game, including a game-sealing 60-yard score. Pierce had 69 total punt return yards on two takes of 35 and 34 yards, setting Mines up for two scoring drives. Pierce is the Orediggers' first returner to win the special teams award since 2008. Mines players have collected nine total player of the week awards this season, including at least one RMAC award in each of the last four weeks.

GOING STREAKING
Entering this week, Mines has won 16 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 second-longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II, as well, behind Ferris State's 26 in a row and ahead of Bowie State's 15. 

OREDIGGERS NOW 7-0
Mines is 7-0 for a third consecutive season, the first time in program history that has happened. It's only the seventh 7-0 record in program history, with four of those coming since 2015 under Gregg Brandon. 

QUICK STRIKES ON DISPLAY
The South Dakota Mines game marked a first for the Orediggers this season: it was the first time they had been out-possessed by an opponent. The reason? Mines' quick-strike offense awoke as they had five scoring drives of 2:30 or less, and two one-play, sub-10-second series thanks to Max McLeod's 39-yard catch from John Matocha off a fumble in the second quarter, and Mason Karp's 57-yard catch and run in the third. Of seven scoring possession, Mines' longest in that game was 3:35; their shortest was seven seconds on the McLeod catch.

THAT'S ACCURATE
John Matocha enters this week as the nation's most accurate passer, completing 71.4% of his throws this season to lead NCAA Division II. Matocha has thrown 20 touchdowns against four interceptions with 1,519 total yards, and he's added 255 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 

PLENTY OF OPTIONS
Matocha has a bevy of targets to pick from, with six players having two or more touchdown catches this season. Josh Johnston leads the RMAC with his nine scoring grabs, but it's Tristan Smith that leads the team in total catches (37) and yards (448) among his three touchdowns. Youngster Max McLeod has also stepped up in his first season with four touchdowns on only 11 receptions. Joe Golter, Mason Karp, and running back Michael Zeman also have two receiving touchdowns each. 

LIVING IN THE END ZONE
OLB Nolan Reeve has been, simply put, a problem for opposing offenses this season. In his first season in 2019, despite being primarily a third-down specialist, Reeve still led the team with 8.5 sacks and compiled 10.5 tackles for loss out 36 total stops. He hasn't relented in 2021, already with 6.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss through seven games (both team highs) among 43 total tackles with five hurries. Reeve is second in the RMAC in sacks and sixth in TFL. 

NO FLY ZONE
Mines' defense has been outstanding all around this season, but the secondary's play has noticeably stepped up as they are limiting opponents to 168.7 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 16 pass break-ups and two interceptions this season. 

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

TAKE IT BACK
When Mason Pierce gets a chance to take back a punt, watch out. The reigning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week leads NCAA Division II with an average of 21.4 yards per return on 10 takes this season, including three of 30 or more yards. When he isn't doing that, Pierce is also the team's holder, and the starting cornerback has 30 total tackles with a team-high seven pass break-ups this season. 

NEXT TIME
Mines hosts Chadron State on Oct. 30 at noon. The game will be televised live on KWGN.