NCAA Division II Football Championship First Round
#10/7 Colorado School of Mines (9-2) vs. #RV/24 CSU Pueblo (8-3) // Saturday, Nov. 19 // Noon
Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[TV: KWGN] [Stream: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes]

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The postseason begins at home for Colorado School of Mines against a familiar foe as they match up with CSU Pueblo in the NCAA Division II Football Championship First Round.

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. 

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

- For postseason play, all fans must have a ticket and there is no passlist. All-Sports and faculty/staff passes are not valid for NCAA games. 
- Mines students will be admitted free with their BlasterCard courtesy of Mines Student Life.
- 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. 
- 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. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's forecast is for a high of 36 and plenty of sunshine with light winds out of the west. 

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.

IN THE POSTSEASON
Mines is making its eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Championship, all coming since 2004, including four in a row, which is the third-longest active streak in the nation. The Orediggers made their deepest postseason run ever last year, winning Super Region 4 and advancing to the national semifinals. In this year's bracket, Mines is SR4's #2 seed facing CSU Pueblo, with #3 seed Minnesota State playing Wayne State and #4 seed Bemidji State hosting Winona State. The Bemidji-Winona winner will head to #1 seed Angelo State in the second round, while the Mines-CSUP winner faces the MSU-WSC winner. If Mines advances, it would host that game.

IN THE POLLS
Mines finished in the top 10 of both major polls to end the regular season, moving up one spot in each to #10 in the AFCA coaches' poll and #7 in the D2football.com media poll this week. CSU Pueblo re-entered the D2football.com ranking at #24, and is receiving votes in the AFCA poll. 

QUAD SQUAD
By clinching its fourth consecutive RMAC title this season, Mines Football joins an elite group of programs to have earned four straight rings: CSU Pueblo (2011-14), Colorado Mesa (1985-88), Western Colorado (1973-79 and 1963-66), and Utah (1928-33). In Mines Athletics history, football becomes the fifth program to four-peat joining men's soccer (six in a row from 2017 to present), women's soccer (2013-16), men's swimming (1981-84), and women's volleyball (2012-15).

RUNNING THE TABLE
Last week, Mines finished off a very rare feat - they completed a perfect conference schedule. Excluding shortened seasons around the two World Wars, Mines has ran the table in the RMAC only five times, and just twice with nine or more members in the league.

NOTING THE SERIES
Mines and CSU Pueblo are meeting for the 33rd time ... The series dates back to 1964 ... Mines has won the last three meetings including 28-12 in Pueblo last year and 45-17 this season ... CSUP won their only postseason meeting, 37-17, in the 2018 NCAA First Round at Marv Kay Stadium ... CSUP leads the all-time series 19-13 but Mines is ahead 8-7 since CSUP restarted the program in 2008 ... Either one or both teams have been ranked in every meeting since 2010.

LAST TIME WE MET
Mines ran out to a big first-half lead to put away CSU Pueblo, 45-17, at Marv Kay Stadium back on Sept. 24. John Matocha went 33-for-42 for 318 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another, while Michael Zeman had three total touchdowns and 112 total yards. Matocha's big day led to some eye-popping numbers for the Mines receiving corps with Sean Roberts catching a career-high eight passes and Josh Johnston and Mason Karp each with seven receptions; six different receivers had 35+ yards led by Johnston (70) and Karp (65). The Mines defense was punishing as they limited the Thunderwolves to 233 yards of total offense and generated two turnovers. Jaden Williams recovered Jack Peterson's fumble force on the opening series of the game and Mason Pierce snared his third interception of the season. Mines led 35-3 at halftime after a 28-point second quarter. 

SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
Since losing to Mines back in Week 4, CSU Pueblo has reeled off seven consecutive wins to end the regular season scoring 44.6 points offensively and allowing just 13.4 in that span. They were spurred by a change in quarterback as Hunter Raquet has been excellent in the latter half of the season, passing for 2,025 yards and 25 touchdowns against just three interceptions while also rushing for three scores. Austin Bacher is their feature back with 487 yards and five touchdowns, and a pair of receivers lead the way in Max Fine (692 yards, 4 TD) and Andrew Cook (624 yards, 12 TD). Defensively CSU Pueblo is +12 as they rank second nationally in interceptions with 18. Trey Botts leads the defense with 64 total tackles, 16.0 for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. 

WEEK 11 REWIND
Mines dominated every phase of the game to complete a perfect RMAC season with their 80-0 win over Fort Lewis. With the starters only playing the first half, John Matocha went 13-of-16 for 281 yards and three touchdowns, with Josh Johnston (83 yards, 1 TD) and Max McLeod (89 yards, 1 TD) leading the receivers. Michael Zeman set three program career records as part of his 133-yard, three-touchdown day, and Brock Ewing's seven tackles led a total team defensive effort in a five-sack shutout. 

WEEK 11 STANDOUTS
Standouts from the Fort Lewis game:

- John Matocha passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 290.7 rating. 
- Michael Zeman rushed for three first-half touchdowns in a 133-yard day to become Mines' all-time leader in multiple categories.
- The Mines offensive line spurred a 360-rushing-yard, zero-sack day in which the Orediggers had just one negative play - a loss of one yard - and generated a season-high 701 yards of offense.
- Josh Johnston and Max McLeod both went over 80 yards with a touchdown, with Zach Hoffman and Mason Karp also catching TDs.
- Jack Lowery and Konnor Mickelsen each found the end zone for the first time in their careers with rushing touchdowns.
- James Garrison had the game's only turnover making his first career interception in the second half.
- Brock Ewing set a career high for the second straight week making a team-best seven tackles. 
- Kyle Bahnsen had a sack and two tackles to key Mines' run defense that allowed just -3 rushing yards.
- The Mines defense worked its second shutout of the season allowing 170 yards of total offense.

GOOSE EGGS
The Orediggers' shutout against Fort Lewis was the second under Brandon Moore as head coach and seventh overall with him on staff. It is the third straight season that Mines has produced two shutouts, and the last time that happened was more than a century ago in the 1914 through 1916 seasons.

VERY OFFENSIVE
Mines' offensive output seems to get bigger every week, and as a result they ended the regular season in a spot they hadn't been all year: with the nation's best offensive numbers. The Orediggers lead NCAA Division II in both scoring offense (47.4 points per game) and total offense (509.1 yards per game), coming off their 80 points and 701 yards of offense last week. The Orediggers rank at or near the top of multiple offensive categories, including the nation's best red zone offense (93.9%), best completion percentage (72.5%), and second-best passing offense (335.9 yards per game). 

A RECORD-BREAKING DAY
It was only a matter of time before Michael Zeman took over the Mines record books - it just so happened that he grabbed all the records on the same day. Zeman snapped three major program records last Saturday, becoming not only the Orediggers' all-time leading rusher and rushing touchdowns leader, but leading scorer as well as he surpassed Cam Mayberry's ground records and Brody Oliver's total touchdowns mark. Zeman now has two state of Colorado records in sight: with 53 rushing touchdowns, he is three away from tying Cameron McDondle's (CSU Pueblo) state record of 56; Zeman's next touchdown of any type would also tie Western Colorado great Austin Ekeler for the most points scored by a non-kicker in Colorado history at 378. 

Mines Career Rushing Yards                
1. Michael Zeman (2018-22), 4,158        
2. Cam Mayberry (2016-19), 4,074         
3. Greg Marshall (1989-92), 2,576         
4. Sam Seeton (2013-16), 2,454        

Mines Career Rushing Touchdowns            
1. Michael Zeman (2018-22), 53        
2. Cam Mayberry (2016-19), 52        
3. Greg Marshall (1989-92), 37        

Mines Career Total Touchdowns Scored
1. Michael Zeman (2018-22), 62 (53 rush, 9 rec.)    
2. Brody Oliver (2015-18), 59 (59 rec.)        
3. Cam Mayberry (2016-19), 54 (52 rush, 2 rec.)    

MATOCHA THROWS 100th TD
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 joined Justin Dvorak as the only other Mines quarterback to throw 100 career touchdown passes, and he's the only one to get there in his junior-eligibility season. Matocha ends the regular season ranked #1 in NCAA Division II in passing efficiency (188.4), #2 in completion percentage (71.5%), #3 in passing touchdowns (33), and #4 in passing yards (3,436). He is the only active quarterback in NCAA Division II with 9,000+ passing and 1,000+ rushing career yards.

Mines Career Passing Touchdowns            
1. Justin Dvorak (2013-16), 134        
2. John Matocha (2019-22), 100        
3. Chad Friehauf (2001-04), 84        

Mines Career Passing Yards            
1. Justin Dvorak (2013-16), 13,466        
2. Chad Friehauf (2001-04), 9,873        
3. John Matocha (2019-22), 9,345        

DANGEROUS DUO
There had only been ten 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Mines history, but two more were added to the list last week as both Josh Johnston and Max McLeod crossed the threshold. Johnston now has 1,029 receiving yards this season and McLeod is at 1,002; they become only the second Mines receiving duo to hit 1,000 yards in the same season and the first since Jonny Chan (1,376 yards) and Justin Gallas (1,352 yards) did it in Chad Friehauf's 2004 Harlon Hill-winning year. Johnston also continues his climb up the Mines career receiving list with 2,595 yards entering this week's game, which jumped him up to sixth all-time ahead of Riley Hoff (2,496) and behind Ty Young (2,969); his 34 career touchdowns are second all-time at Mines. 

LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD
The Oredigger defense has been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks this season to the tune of 4.2 sacks per game, which is #2 the nation through 11 weeks. It's been a true team effort - 18 different Orediggers have at least half a sack this season, led by Jack Peterson (6.5), Nolan Reeve (6.0), and Cameron Reller (4.5), and Mines has only gotten better as the season has gone on, averaging 4.86 sacks per game over their last seven outings and 5.25 over the last four games.

A GAME NOTE ABOUT NOTHING
As noted earlier, Mines' offense has been good this year - really good. That has meant not a lot of work for punter Jacob Click, who has quietly turned in another excellent season averaging 41.6 yards per punt with only seven of them returnable. That would rank in the top 20 nationally for yardage, but the offense's ability to produce means Click hasn't met the minimum number of punts to be ranked at just 2.8 per game. And last week against Fort Lewis, Click did something that no Mines punter has done since 2015 - nothing. For the first time since playing the Skyhawks on Oct. 17, 2015, the Orediggers did not punt as they scored on their first 12 possessions and then held the ball to finish the game.

MINES TAKES TOP HONORS
Mines was well-represented on the RMAC All-Academic Teams announced last week as John Matocha repeated as the RMAC Offensive Academic Player of the Year among five first-team selections. Matocha, Mason Karp, Jack Peterson, Nolan Reeve, and Joel Diaz were all named First-Team Academic All-RMAC, and 28 players were named to the Academic Honor Roll for holding 3.3+ cumulative GPAs.

TO THE HOUSE
The Mines defense sports a +12 turnover margin this season, but that only tells part of the story. The Orediggers have also been good at scoring off those turnovers - to the tune of four defensive touchdowns this season. Mason Pierce has a pair of pick-sixes to his credit, but Mines also has a couple of fumble recoveries in the end zone courtesy of James Hess at Adams State and Mack Minnehan at New Mexico Highlands.

NEXT UP
The Mines-CSU Pueblo will meeting the winner of Minnesota State-Wayne State in the second round on Nov. 26; if Mines advances it would host that game.