GOLDEN, Colo. - After 2021's playoff run came three points short in the national semifinals, there was one goal for Colorado School of Mines football: play four more quarters.

They will finally have that chance.

The Orediggers dominated from start to finish, beating Shepherd 44-13 in the NCAA Division II semifinals and advancing to the championship game for the first time in program history in front of an electric standing-room-only crowd at Marv Kay Stadium.

Mines (13-2) will play Ferris State on Dec. 17 in McKinney, Texas at noon Central Time for the national title. The game will air live on ESPNU, and more fan and ticket info will be announced Sunday. 

In a battle of the top two candidates for this season's Harlon Hill Award, John Matocha cemented his claim on the trophy with a dominating 28-of-34, 371-yard, 5-touchdown performance with Max McLeod catching a postseason program-record 214 yards and three touchdowns. Matocha outdueled 2021 Hill Award winner Tyson Bagent, who was held without a touchdown on 165 yards of passing - his lowest total in the past two seasons - while taking eight sacks.

"Our guys are playing at a different level right now," said head coach Brandon Moore. "We're definitely peaking at the right time, we're hitting on all cylinders, schematically and discipline-wise and play-wise."

The Oredigger defense held the Rams (13-2) without a touchdown until the game was in hand in the fourth quarter, producing interceptions by Mason Pierce and Jaden Williams, and fumbles by Jaden Healy and Nolan Reeve, to keep one of D-II's best offenses on its heels all afternoon. Shepherd was held to just 299 yards and Reeve ended up with a Mines postseason-record 3.0 sacks.

Both offenses struggled to finish in the first quarter with only Jacob Click's 25-yard field goal putting points on the board in the period. Shepherd opened the second with a long drive stopped in the red zone, and they settled for Jacob Haynie's 30-yard kick; that would be the last time the game was tied. On the next possession, Matocha went over the top to a streaking McLeod behind his coverage, hitting him for a 53-yard touchdown, and Mines was off and running. 

Healy's strip sack recovered by Mack Minnehan halted SU on their next drive, and after coming away empty-handed offensively, the defense put points on the board. Backed up in their own territory, Bagent was hammered in the backfield by Reeve, popping the ball loose for Logan Rayburn to scoop and score from 11 yards out, taking a 17-3 lead into halftime.

"We believe in what we cherish as a defense - being punishing, being relentless, and never stopping on any down or play," Reeve said about the defense's success. "All levels - DBs, linebackers, d-line - had to be locked in and focused, and we were."

Mines kept its momentum into the second half, forcing a Shepherd punt and quickly scoring on Matocha's 27-yard strike to McLeod, and things snowballed from there. Three plays later, Bagent was intercepted on a jump ball by Mason Pierce, and his 23-yard return set the Orediggers up nicely at the SU33. Matocha was pressured hard on the first play of the ensuing drive, and it resulted in one of the most incredible plays ever seen at Marv Kay Stadium. Flushed out of the pocket, Matocha slipped out of a tackle, somehow stayed on his feet, rolled right, and was hit as he heaved it to a wide-open Josh Johnston downfield, who walked into the end zone for six.

"Every time they ask me what I'm thinking on plays like that, I say 'any time the ball touches my hand, I'm thinking touchdown," Matocha said. " I know that I have four dudes and one beside me and one behind me that will make that happen. Just rolled around, saw Josh Johnston throw his hand up, and threw it as hard as I could."

That play made it 31-3 midway through the third quarter, and Mines continued to produce defensively as Williams' interception led to McLeod's third touchdown, a 14-yarder, later in the quarter. Shepherd opened the fourth quarter with Haynie's 44-yard field goal but Mines answered with a 14-yard Mason Karp scoring catch; Shepherd's dynamic running back Ronnie Brown slipped out for a 75-yard touchdown on the next play, but Mines effectively stopped the Rams and chewed up clock the rest of the quarter to book their trip to McKinney.

NOTABLES
- Mines will be playing for a national championship for the first time in program history.
- The Orediggers' 13 wins sets the program record. 
- McLeod's day set a Mines postseason record for receiving yardage at 213 as he had 12 catches. It was the first 200-yard day by a Mines receiver since Brody Oliver vs. Fort Lewis in 2016.
- An incredible streak continued as McLeod's three touchdowns marked the fourth consecutive game that a Mines receiver has caught three in a game. McLeod did in the first round vs. CSU Pueblo, Johnston the second round vs. Minnesota State, and Tristan Smith last week at Angelo State in the quarterfinals.
- The Orediggers sacked Bagent eight times against an offensive line that had allowed only 16 sacks this season. Mines leads all of college football with 69 sacks in 2022. 
- Matocha was utterly unstoppable, coming just shy of his career-high for yards at 371 as he completed 82.3% of his passes with a career-high 222.5 quarterback rating. He now has 55 total touchdowns this season including 50 passing.
- Mines extended its red zone streak to 35 consecutive opportunities producing points, the best in the nation this season. 
- Mines is now 10-0 this season when losing the coin toss. 

NEXT UP
The national championship game and Ferris State awaits Mines in McKinney, Texas, on Dec 17 at noon CT.