#18/9 Colorado School of Mines (5-2, 5-0 RMAC) vs. Black Hills State (5-2, 3-2 RMAC) // Saturday, Oct. 22 // Noon
Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[TV: KWGN] [Stream: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes] 

---

The regular-season stretch run begins as #18/9 Colorado School of Mines (5-2, 5-0) returns home to face a tough Black Hills State (5-2, 3-2 RMAC) squad at Marv Kay Stadium.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will be televised live on KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2 in the Denver metro, and stream for free on the RMAC Network. Every home regular-season game will air on KWGN, and all of the Orediggers' remaining regular-season games will stream on the RMAC Network.

FAN INFORMATION
For this week's game, please note the following important pieces of information:

- Gates and the tailgating lot open at 10 a.m.
- Parking in Lot K (next to Stermole Soccer Stadium) costs $10 with solar-canopy-covered parking now available. Tailgating is permitted in Lot K only. Fans are encouraged to park for free in the parking garage at 1400 Maple Street, located two blocks south of Marv Kay Stadium. Visit the Mines Parking page for more information.
- Over the summer, the City of Golden changed its residential neighborhood parking to require a permit seven days a week. Fans can not park in the neighborhood surrounding the stadium. Fans can utilize paid City of Golden parking downtown near Washington Street. 
- Tickets are available at the gate (cash or credit) or online at minesathletics.com/tickets. Reserved seats have sold out for Homecoming Weekend. Fans are encouraged to utilize print-at-home or digital ticket options to skip waiting in line at the game. Kids under 12 are free, but must visit the ticket window to get tickets. 
- Mines students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their BlasterCard.
- The New Terrain Beer Garden will be open in the west end zone for all fans 21 and over. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday is forecast to be another outstanding day for football in Golden with highs in the lower 70s under partly cloudy skies and light west winds. 

LEADING THE WAY
The Mines team has elected four captains for 2022: quarterback John Matocha and running Michael Zeman lead the Orediggers on offense while linebacker Mack Minnehan and cornerback Mason Pierce are the defensive leaders.

A NEW ERA
This season marks a new era for Mines Football under head coach Brandon Moore, named the successor to Gregg Brandon last winter after the former Oredigger boss announced his retirement. Moore is only the seventh head coach of the program since World War II, and since 2000, the Orediggers have known only three coaches - Bob Stitt (2000-14), Gregg Brandon (2015-21), and now Moore. Before being elevated to the head spot, Moore had been on staff at Mines since 2016, including as defensive coordinator since 2018. Moore kept the entire coaching staff from 2021 intact under him, including offensive coordinator Pete Sterbick and special teams coordinator Clement Grinstead, with defensive line coach Tripp Thomas promoted to defensive coordinator. Moore picked up his first career win in Week 3 at Adams State in the Orediggers' 84-10 victory and is now 5-2.

IN THE POLLS
Mines moved up one sport in both major polls this week, advancing to #18 in the AFCA coaches' poll and going to #9 in the D2football.com poll. After starting out in the top five of both polls in preseason, the Orediggers have retained the pollsters' respect with both of their losses coming to now-#1/1 Grand Valley State and #2/2 Angelo State by a combined six points. The Orediggers have been ranked in 29 consecutive polls dating back to Week 3 of the 2018 season. Mines was a near-unanimous pick to win its fourth consecutive conference crown in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll announced in August as the Orediggers took nine of 10 first-place votes to lead CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado, and Colorado Mesa in the top four. 

DEFENDING THE CROWN
With a 5-0 start to conference play, Mines is in control in seeking its fourth consecutive RMAC title. The Orediggers won the crown either outright or shared in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (no champion was awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic), and Mines has won four of the last five dating back to 2016.

AROUND THE RMAC
Week 7 was a critical one in sorting out the top half of the RMAC standings as Colorado School of Mines held serve to move to 5-0 and Western Colorado beat Black Hills State in a battle of one-loss teams. New Mexico Highlands and South Dakota Mines also suffered their second losses. That leaves the Orediggers alone atop the standings (5-0) ahead of Western Colorado (4-1) with four 3-2 teams - Black Hills State, CSU Pueblo, South Dakota Mines, and Highlands - behind them. This week's key games are Mines-Black Hills and Western-Highlands.

NOTING THE SERIES
Mines has never lost to Black Hills State, going 11-0 in a series that dates back to 1962 ... The Orediggers won the first meeting 45-19 on Oct. 27, 1962 in Golden ... BHSU joined the RMAC and NCAA Division II in 2012 and the series resumed ... Mines has scored 40+ points in every game of the series, including a 52-7 win in Golden in 2019 and 41-20 last year in Spearfish ... It will BHSU's first visit to Golden since 2019, a game that marked the Oredigger debut of quarterback John Matocha as he threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns. 

LAST TIME WE MET
Mines put up big offensive numbers with a 41-20 road win at Black Hills State in 2021. 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. Mack Minnehan and Logan Rayburn both generated turnovers for Mines. Chance Eben threw for 95 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception for BHSU. A 20-14 Mines lead at halftime, the Orediggers hit touchdowns to Johnston and Smith in the third quarter to blow the game open before Zeman sealed it on a fourth-quarter scoring run. 

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
After starting 5-0, Black Hills State hopes to stop a two-game skid that has seen them lose to New Mexico Highlands and Western Colorado the last two weeks by a combined three points. The Yellow Jackets own one of the RMAC's top defenses, allowing 21.0 points (2nd), 130.1 rushing yards (5th), and 233.4 passing yards (4th) per game. Their 10 interceptions also rank second in the league. Offensively, BHSU has used two starting quarterbacks with Chance Eben completing 63 percent of his passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns, and Aidan Willard has seven touchdowns on 775 yards at a 68 percent clip. Nolan Susel is one of the top ground scoring threats in the RMAC with nine touchdowns, and Hasaan Williams (439 yards, 4 TD) and TJ Chukwurah (231 yards, 3 TD) lead the receivers.

TOP STOPPERS
This week's game will be a matchup of the RMAC's two best defenses by scoring (Mines at 18.9 ppg, Black Hills State at 21.0). The Orediggers also own the top total defense in the league at 300.3 yards allowed with BHSU fourth at 363.6, and the two teams rank first and third, respectively, in sacks at 24 and 19. 

WEEK 7 REWIND
Mines scored on the first play of the game and never looked back, shutting down South Dakota Mines in a 48-20 road win. The Orediggers produced a 34-point first half and used big play after big play on offense to run away with the victory. John Matocha continued his highly-productive play passing for 339 yards and four first-half touchdowns on the way to a career-high five, while adding 57 yards on the ground, with Max McLeod turning in his second consecutive 150+ yard day with 169 and two touchdowns through the air. Michael Zeman had 116 total yards and two scores.  Nolan Reeve's two sacks and seven tackles led a defense that bent but didn't break against the RMAC's #1-rated passing offense, holding the Hardrockers nearly 70 yards below their season aerial average at 286 yards and limiting SDM to 4-of-14 on third downs. 

WEEK 7 STANDOUTS
Standouts from the South Dakota Mines game:

- John Matocha threw a career-high five touchdowns on 20-of-28 passing for 339 yards.
- Max McLeod had another huge game with 169 yards and two touchdowns in the air.
- Michael Zeman recorded 116 total yards on 84 rushing with a touchdown, and 32 receiving with a score.
- Josh Johnston had 82 yards receiving and a touchdown.
- Nolan Reeve had a team-high seven tackles with two sacks; five of his seven tackles were for a loss or no gain.
- Jack Peterson forced a fumble recovered by Mack Minnehan; the two each had four tackles.
- The Mines defense held the RMAC's #1 total offense to 20 points (11.7 below their average) and 345 yards (137.7 yards below average).

MATOCHA RECOGNIZED BY RMAC
For the second time in three weeks, quarterback John Matocha is the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Matocha completed 20 of 28 passes for 339 yards and a career-best five touchdowns in the win over South Dakota Mines. It is the eighth RMAC honor of his career.

TO THE MAX
Receiver Max McLeod had a breakout game against Colorado Mesa, catching a career-high 177 yards off six receptions with a pair of touchdowns. How did he follow that up? By going off for 169 yards and two more touchdowns at South Dakota Mines. McLeod's big day included touchdowns of 78 and 74 yards in the first quarter alone. In his last two games combined, McLeod has 346 yards and four touchdowns, and he now leads the team in receiving yards (683) and touchdowns (7) this season. 

VERY EFFICIENT
The Orediggers' passing attack has been one of the best in the country this year, and it all starts with accuracy. Mines and quarterback John Matocha produce 311.1 yards per game in the air with 21 touchdowns against just one interception, and nationally Mines has the second-best completion percentage (72.2%) and the best quarterback efficiency/rating (186.3). Matocha is coming off another 200+ QBR game last week at South Dakota Mines, notching the fourth-best of his career at 232.1.

Matocha's Top Single-Game QBRs        
250.6 vs. Chadron St., 2019            
241.3 vs. Fort Lewis, 2021            
234.6 vs. Adams State, 2022            
232.1 vs. South Dakota Mines, 2022        
230.9 vs. Black Hills St., 2019            

RISING UP THE RANKS, PART I
Michael Zeman's career has seen him shoot up the Mines career lists, and the sixth-year senior now finds himself among the greats. Entering this week, Zeman ranks second all-time at Mines in rushing yardage (3,778) with former teammate Cameron Mayberry's 4,074-yard program record in sight; he is also second behind Mayberry in rushing touchdowns at 44. Zeman's ability in the aerial game also has him rising up the Mines total touchdowns list, where his 52 total scores (44 rush and 8 receiving) has him five behind all-time leader Brody Oliver. 

RISING UP THE RANKS, PART II
Quarterback John Matocha is only in his third season since starting as a true freshman in 2019, but he's already rapidly moving up the career passer lists at Mines. Last week, Matocha surpassed Chad Friehauf in career passing touchdowns (88) and is now second all-time at Mines. Matocha also is third among active NCAA Division II quarterbacks in career touchdown passes (and the only junior in the top five), and he is also one of only 10 active D-II quarterbacks with 5,000+ passing and 1,000+ career rushing yards, and the only one with 7,000+/1,000+. This season, he ranks in the national top 10 in completion percentage (2nd), efficiency (1st), passing touchdowns (4th), and passing yards (8th), and has already started to receive some Harlon Hill Trophy buzz being included on D2football.com's early eight-man watchlist earlier in October. 

RISING UP THE RANKS, PART III
Veteran Josh Johnston has been leading the Mines' receiving corps this season and is in the midst of moving up in the Mines record books. Johnston caught career touchdown #33 last week to give him sole possession of second place all-time at Mines. With his 84-yard touchdown strike against Chadron State (Mines' longest play of the year), Johnston also became the 11th Mines receiver to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards and now stands at 2,226, which ranks 10th all-time.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
It takes both sides of the ball working to keep your turnover ratio positive, and the Mines offense has certainly complemented the defense's efforts this season. The Orediggers have committed only five turnovers this season, while the defense has nine interceptions and five fumble recoveries to be +9, having generated at least one takeaway in every game this season and two or more in six games. Mason Pierce's four interceptions leads the team while Jaden Williams has three total turnovers (2 interceptions and a fumble recovery). 

WHEN IT COUNTS
On both sides of the ball, Mines has been getting it done this season on third and fourth downs. Offensively, the Orediggers rank 19th nationally in third-down conversion rate at 47.5 percent, and they are seventh nationally on fourth down at 76.9 percent. Defensively, it's more of the same: Mines is a tough 31 percent allowing third down conversions (27th nationally) and the same, 31 percent, on fourth down to also rank 27th.

PLAYING THE HITS
Through seven games, no team in the RMAC has more sacks than the Orediggers - and no team has allowed as few, either. Defensively, the Orediggers' 25 sacks top the league with Nolan Reeve the RMAC individual leader at 4.5, and collectively Mines has produced 2+ sacks in every game this season. Offensively, the Mines line has been outstanding surrendering just 11 sacks in seven games, including only six in RMAC play.

NONE SHALL PASS
The Orediggers' rushing defense has been absolutely outstanding this season, allowing an average of just 90.3 yards per game to lead the RMAC. Mines has allowed 100+ yards of rushing just twice in seven games, and they're even better in RMAC play surrendering only 57.6 yards per game. The last three weeks has seen the Orediggers allow only 38, 25, and 56 yards. 

NEXT UP
Mines is on the road for the next two weeks, at Western Colorado on Oct. 29 and at New Mexico Highlands Nov. 5. The regular season wraps up at home against Fort Lewis on Nov. 12.