#10/8 Colorado School of Mines (0-0, 0-0 RMAC) vs. #RV Western Oregon (0-0, 0-0 GNAC), Thursday, 6 p.m.
Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[Streaming: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes]

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After 642 days away, football returns to Golden as #10 Colorado School of Mines hosts Western Oregon in the 2021 season opener. It will be the first regular-season meeting between the two teams.

LIVE COVERAGE
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. The Western Oregon game will be streaming only; every other Mines home game this season will be televised on KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2 in addition to streaming on the RMAC Network.

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 open at 4 p.m.
- Masks are not required for outdoor on-campus events, but unvaccinated guests are strongly encouraged to wear a mask.
- 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. For Thursday's game, campus parking (except Lot K) is free after 5 p.m. Tailgating continues to be permitted in Lot K only; Lot K is $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
Thursday's weather forecast is for mostly cloudy conditions and 77 degrees at kickoff with a 50 percent chance of a late-afternoon shower or storm. 

LEADING THE WAY
The Mines team has elected six captains for 2021: offensive lineman Matt Armendariz, wide receiver Josh Johnston, and running Michael Zeman lead the Orediggers on offense while safety Kobe Brewster, linebacker Gabriel Kortz, and nose tackle Jack McAdams lead the defense. 

WHERE WE LEFT OFF
The Orediggers retake the field after a 642-day layoff, their longest since World War II after the 2020 season never got off the ground due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only other time Mines did not play a season was in 1944 and 1945 (after a one-game 1943 season); the Orediggers also had a shortened 1918 season in the midst of the worldwide influenza pandemic. While there was no official season in 2020, Mines didn't just take the year off. The Orediggers practiced in fall 2020, then held what was basically a regular spring season with two key additions: controlled scrimmages against Fort Hays State and Washburn in April. No score or statistics were kept from those scrimmages. This season had a normal preseason camp beginning on Aug. 9. 

UNFAMILIAR FACES
Mines and Western Oregon are meeting for only the second time, with their only previous meeting coming in the 2007 Dixie Rotary Bowl in St. George, Utah, a 26-12 WOU win ... Mines is no stranger to playing teams from the GNAC, having played a GNAC team out-of-conference every season since 2013 with series against now-RMAC rival South Dakota Mines and then Azusa Pacific ... The Orediggers are 6-1 against the GNAC, all since 2013.

AT THE HELM
Gregg Brandon enters his seventh year and sixth season at Mines, going 47-13 since 2015. Brandon is the two-time defending RMAC Coach of the Year, leading Mines to conference titles and NCAA appearances in 2016, 2018, and 2019, including an indefeated 10-0 RMAC campaign in 2019. Longtime WOU coach Arne Ferguson is entering his 17th season with his alma mater after the Wolves won a share of their first-ever GNAC title in 2019, earning him GNAC Coach of the Year honors. Ferguson is 90-72 in his career.

IN THE POLLS
Mines was selected as the favorite in the RMAC preseason poll on August 4, earning seven of the 10 first-place nods to lead CSU Pueblo, Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, and Western Colorado in the top five. Western Oregon was selected second in the GNAC poll behind Central Washington. In the national preseason polls, Mines sits at #10 in the AFCA poll and #8 in the D2football.com ranking; Western Oregon received a vote in the AFCA poll. The Orediggers also got love from several magazine polls, including #9 from Lindy's and #17 from College Football America Yearbook.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Speaking of preseason love, Lindy's showed the Orediggers plenty, with DE Luke Jeter and RB Michael Zeman each landing on that magazine's Preseason Second-Team All-America list; they also lauded QB John Matocha as a potential national player of the year candidate. Jeter led Mines with 13.5 TFL to go with seven sacks in 2019, helping the defensive front rank #6 in NCAA Division II in rushing defense. Zeman ran his way to 2019 all-America honors with an RMAC-best 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 109.3 yards per game and 176.4 yards per start.

STARTING THE WEEKEND EARLY
The game with Western Oregon will be the 45th time Mines has played on a Thursday ... Thanksgiving games were common prior to World War II, and the Orediggers played 32 times on Turkey Day between 1888 and 1947 ... Mines' first Thursday game was in its very first season, 1888, beating Denver Cricket Club 12-0 on Thanksgiving ... Mines has played a Thursday season opener just four previous times: against Washburn in 1954 and 2008, and against CSU Pueblo in 2016 and 2017 ... This will be only the sixth time playing on a Thursday since the 1954 season ... It is only the second time Marv Kay Stadium has hosted a Thursday game; Mines beat CSU Pueblo in the 2016 season opener 57-21, also a night game ... Mines is 15-26-3 on Thursdays.

LET'S GET IT STARTED
Mines has won its last two, and eight of its last nine, season openers dating to 2011 ... In the 2019 opener, Mines beat Adams State 41-10 ... Mines has not played a non-conference game to start a season since 2015, when it faced then-GNAC team South Dakota Mines in the first game at Marv Kay Stadium ... The Orediggers are 4-1 in season openers under Gregg Brandon.

MATOCHA BACK AFTER ELECTRIC 2019
One of NCAA Division II's biggest surprises in 2019 was the play of true freshman quarterback John Matocha, who took over the starting role in Week 2 and won his first 11 starts on the way to RMAC Offensive Rookie fo the Year and NFFCC Offensive Player of the Year honors, as well as a Harlon Hill Trophy nomination. The dual-threat was highly efficient in the passing game, completing 73.68 percent of his throws for 2,825 yards and 29 touchdowns against only five interceptions. On the ground, he ran for 598 yards and 11 touchdowns. By the time his rookie campaign was over, Matocha ranked second in D-II in completion percentage, sixth in efficiency (168.1), 12th in passing TDs, sixth in points responsible for (246), and 14th in total offense (285.3 ypg). 

RUNNING WILD, PART I
An injury to all-time leading rusher Cam Mayberry in the middle of 2019 thrust backup Michael Zeman into the starting RB spot. How did Zeman respond? He turned in consecutive games of 298, 321, 183, and 228 yards, smashing records along the way to a 1,421-yard, 12-TD season in which he started only seven times. Zeman turned in the third-most yardage ever in a season by an Oredigger and set the single-game rushing record at South Dakota Mines (321 yards). The RMAC's (and state of Colorado's) leading rusher in 2019 now looks to stretch that production across a full season as a redshirt senior. He was named a preseason All-American by Lindy's.

RISING TO THE OCCASION
Josh Johnston was one of only two receivers with starting experience entering the 2019 season, and now in 2021, he is the RMAC's leading returning receiver after catching 61 passes for 984 yards and 14 touchdowns. An explosive route runner with the ability to stretch the field, Johnston ranked second in the RMAC in touchdowns, third in yards, and fourth in catches in 2019 as rookie QB John Matocha's favored target. And unlike 2019, Matocha has plenty of familiar targets back, including Mason Karp (55 rec., 530 yds, 2 TD), Joe Golter (22 rec., 224 yds, 1 TD), Zach Hoffman (19 rec., 166 yds, 1 TD), and Tristan Smith (11 rec., 166 yds, 1 TD).

MAKING MOVES
If there's any question mark for a Mines unit this year, it's at offensive line, where position coach Tim Brandon has plenty of proven veterans, but in unfamiliar spots. Center duties fall to Matt Armendariz, who earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC in 2019 with 10 starts between both guard positions, while Georgetown grad transfer Justin Wood and program veteran Blake Ray take up the guard spots. Mines will have experienced tackles in Zach Heckman and Zach Budzik, with Heckman starting eight times (six on the right, two on the left) as a true freshman in 2019 and Budzik starting twice at left guard in five 2019 appearances before his season was cut short due to injury. The 2019 offensive line ended the regular season ranked in the NCAA D-II top-10 in first downs (2nd), total offense (8th), and rushing offense (6th).

D RETURNS VETERAN PRODUCTION
The 2019 Oredigger defense was arguably the best in modern program history, allowing just 16.8 points per game (2nd in the RMAC and best since 1983) and 285.0 yards of total offense per game (1st in the RMAC). Now in 2021, they return that season's leaders in tackles and interceptions (Kobe Brewster, 76 TT and 4 INT), sacks (Nolan Reeve, 8.5), tackles for loss (Luke Jeter, 13.5), and break-ups (Mason Pierce, a program-record 18).

OWNING THE EDGE
Speaking of Luke Jeter and Nolan Reeve, the duo dominated the pass rush in 2019 as DE Jeter compiled 41 tackles, 13.5 for loss, and 7.0 sacks and OLB Reeve had 10.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks among 36 total stops. Their 15.5 combined sacks are the most by a returning duo in the RMAC this season. The other outside linebacker spot belongs to Mack Minnehan, who was third on the team with 59 total tackles and 8.5 TFL with 2.5 sacks in 2019.

BALL HAWKING
The Mines secondary returns starting experience at every position led by Kobe Brewster at free safety and cornerback Mason Pierce, who had 18 PBUs and 52 tackles in 2019. Cam Forrest is at the other corner after three starts and 13 appearances in a 26-tackle, 11-PBU 2019, and strong safety Jaden Williams made 40 stops with two interceptions and a forced fumble in six starts as a redshirt freshman.

AGENT ZERO
When the 2021 season kicks off, one Oredigger will have something that no other player ever has. Prior to the 2020 season, the NCAA changed its uniform rules to make 0 an allowable jersey number, and the the first recipient of Mines' zero is kicker/punter Jacob Click, who previously wore 49. 

RUNNING WILD, PART II
It's tradition that Mines' mascot, Blaster the Burro, runs the field along with his handlers Blue Key after every Oredigger score. This year fans may notice a new Blaster on duty as the previous Blaster, who had served since the 1990s, retired over the summer to his ranch in Idaho Springs. There are two new Blasters, but one, a small standard gray burro from Roxborough, Colo. named Winkie, won the job as the "running" burro at football games. 

STITT GETS HALL CALL
On Aug. 21, former Mines head coach Bob Stitt was announced as part of the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Stitt won a program-record 108 games during his tenure, including RMAC Championships in 2004, 2010, and 2014 and the program's first NCAA appearances in those years. The offensive innovator produced 16 All-Americans, 31 All-Region selections, and 129 all-RMAC performers during his 15 seasons before moving to coaching stops at Montana, Oklahoma State, and Texas State. The Hall of Fame class - which also includes women's soccer's Anna Evans and track & field/cross country's Mark Husted and Mack McLain - will be inducted as part of Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 2.

NEXT TIME
Mines begins RMAC play at home with New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 11.