Photo courtesy WCU Athletics

GUNNISON, Colo. - #16/10 Colorado School of Mines scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome a 17-point deficit and defeat Western Colorado, 30-20, in a battle for RMAC supremacy.

The Orediggers (7-2, 7-0 RMAC) trailed 20-3 in the third quarter before reeling off the game's final 27 points. They secured at least a share of their fourth consecutive RMAC title with the win, and can ensure the outright championship with a win next week at New Mexico Highlands. The Mountaineers (5-4, 5-2 RMAC) were the only remaining team that had a chance to tie or overtake the Orediggers for first place.

Michael Zeman ran for three touchdowns, all in the second half, as part of an 88-yard day, and John Matocha overcame three interceptions to lead his team back with 346 yards passing and a touchdown. Josh Johnston had 146 yards off five catches as Max McLeod went for 69 and a score.

Turnovers were critical in the game as Mines generated three of their four in the fourth quarter on a fumble forced by Zach Hester and interceptions by Cam Forrest and Jaden Williams. 

A promising opening drive for the Orediggers sputtered in the red zone, but Matthew Eich ensured Mines got on the scoreboard first with a 27-yard field goal. A quick three-and-out by the defense led to another push into Western territory, but Eich's 43-yard attempt was blocked at the line to keep it 3-0. 

The second quarter started with a red-zone stop by the Mines defense, and the Mountaineers settled for a 21-yard Alec Fonseca field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

After trading possessions, Western was moving the ball again late in the second before Mines was gifted a high snap from center recovered in Mountaineer territory by Jaden Healy. Mines faced a 4th-and-2 just outside the red zone and was stopped with 1:05 left in the half, and the hosts used that to march 71 yards and scored on Malik White's four-yard catch to end the half up 10-3.

Getting the ball to start the third quarter, the Mountaineers hit a quick-strike 73-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Montez, then turned another interception into 47-yard Fonseca field goal to lead 20-3. Mines' comeback began with the big play it needed thanks to a 40-yard catch by Mason Karp to get into the red zone, and four plays later it was Zeman rolling into the end zone to covert a 4th-and-goal from the 2, cutting the score to 20-10 late in the quarter.

Both teams then traded 4th-down stops at midfield, giving Mines the ball back with 8:21 left and trailing by two scores - but it would take them less than two minutes to take the lead. It took only 20 seconds to find the end zone the first time after a 26-yard Johnston catch with a targeting flag set up McLeod's 26-yard touchdown catch in a two-play, 67-yard series to make it 20-17. Then on Western's first play of their possession, Zach Hester's hit popped the ball loose on the hand off to be recovered by Cameron Reller, setting up another Zeman touchdown run for the Orediggers' first lead of the game, 24-20, with 7:02 remaining.

Mines kept going, forcing a three-and-out and again showing big-play prowess with Johnston's 51-yard jet sweep to set up Zeman's third short-yardage touchdown of the game with 4:30 to go, and interceptions by Cam Forrest and Jaden Williams on Western's final two possessions sealed the comeback. 

NOTABLES
- Mines claims at least a share of its 15th all-time RMAC title. The Orediggers have won the last four either outright or shared in 2018, 2019, 2021, and now 2022 (there was no title awarded in 2020). One win out of their last two conference games would assure the Orediggers of the outright title with every other RMAC team now having two or more losses. 
- Zeman took his career rushing touchdown total to 49, now just three behind former teammate Cam Mayberry's program record of 52. Zeman is also now two behind Brody Oliver's program total touchdowns mark of 59. 
- The Oredigger defense held Western to 95 total rushing yards, their fifth straight sub-100-yard rushing performance. The nation's sack leaders also got to Connor Desch three times.
- Hester had a team-leading six tackles with 2.5 for loss and half a sack in addition to his game-changing forced fumble. 
- It was the second straight year that Williams had an interception against Western after his overtime pick in last year's victory in Golden. 
- Karp ended up with 84 yards on six catches, with none more important than his 40-yarder into the red zone to spark Mines' offense in the third quarter.
- It was the 97th meeting in Colorado's oldest continuous football rivalry that stretches back to 1925. Mines won in Gunnison for the second straight try, and the fifth time in a row in the series overall. 
 
NEXT UP
Mines heads to New Mexico Highlands next Saturday before finishing the regular season at home with Fort Lewis on Nov. 12.