LAS VEGAS, N.M. - #12/9 Colorado School of Mines left no doubt about who is the RMAC's top team in 2022, securing the outright conference championship with a 54-16 road win at New Mexico Highlands.

The Orediggers (8-2, 8-0 RMAC) finished their fourth consecutive RMAC title with a game to go as they rolled out 564 yards of offense behind John Matocha's five touchdown passes in the game.

Matocha matched his career high with five scoring passes as he went for 369 yards, producing four 70+ yard receivers on the with Tristan Smith catching two of his touchdowns for 99 yards and Max McLeod snaring a career-best nine catches for 93 yards and a score. Josh Johnston (75 yards on 5 receptions) and Mason Karp (71 yards and a touchdown on 4 catches) also had big days. Meanwhile on the ground, Zeman rushed 17 times to compile 105 yards and a touchdown, and he added a receiving touchdown as well.

Mines added a defensive touchdown on Mack Minnehan's end zone fumble recovery as the Oredigger defense limited the Cowboys (3-6, 3-5 RMAC) to 262 yards including 125 in the air. 

Michael Zeman hit a pair of career milestones in a 105-yard, two-total-touchdown day: he tied Brody Oliver's program total touchdowns record of 59, and became the second Mines running back along with former stablemate Cameron Mayberry to cross 4,000 career yards.

Mines scored on its opening drive with a 44-yard catch-and-run by Matocha to Karp, and after the Cowboys tied it on a 37-yard Nick McTear touchdown catch, the Orediggers ground out an epic 16-play drive capped by Zeman's eight-yard touchdown catch to take a lead they would not relinquish at 14-6. Zeman ran it in from four yards out on the next series, and 64-yard Smith play broke the game open to start the second quarter putting Mines ahead 27-6. Matocha hit McLeod with a 20-yard bullet later in the quarter, setting a 34-6 halftime lead.

The first play of the second half resulted in more Oredigger points as a high snap from center sailed over NMHU quarterback Gage Guardiola's head and into the end zone for a flying Minnehan to fall on for six, and Smith caught his second touchdown of the game later in the quarter on a 27-yard pass from Matocha to end the first-teamers' day. Chris Yoo added Mines' lone fourth quarter score on a hard-fought two-yard run, while the Cowboys found second-half points on a Will McDaniel 38-yard field goal and Shawntay Mills' 56-yard breakout run late in the fourth. 

NOTABLES
- Mines had already clinched a share of the RMAC title a week ago, but sewed up the outright championship with the win to mark their fourth consecutive ring (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022). The Orediggers joins an elite group of RMAC programs to have won four in a row as they secured their 15th overall: CSU Pueblo (2011-14), Colorado Mesa (1985-88), Western Colorado (1973-79 and 1963-66), and Utah (1928-33). 
- Zeman now sits at 4,045 career rushing yards, just 30 away from surpassing Mayberry as the program's all-time leader. Meanwhile, his next touchdown will make him the Mines all-time leader in total end zone visits, and he has two more on the ground before matching Mayberry's career mark of 52. 
- Matocha extended his run of 300+ yard passing games to seven straight, the longest streak by an Oredigger quarterback since Justin Dvorak's 10 in 2016.
- Mines produced four sacks with Eb Alfred-Igbokwe, Steve Street, Evan Alexander, and Jack Peterson all getting hits. Alfred-Igbokwe had a career-high seven tackles overall. 
- The Oredigger defense limited a combination of Gage Guardiola and Michael Jackson to just 125 yards passing on 6-of-12 attempts; the Cowboys stayed on the ground with 43 attempts for 137 yards led by Mills' 83. 
- Mines improved to +11 on turnovers this season. 

NEXT UP
Mines finishes out the regular season at home against Fort Lewis on Nov. 12 at noon.