ALAMOSA, Colo. - #21/17 Colorado School of Mines got back in the win column, routing Adams State 84-10 in their RMAC opener for head coach Brandon Moore's first career victory.

The Orediggers (1-2, 1-0 RMAC) outclassed the Grizzlies (0-3, 0-1 RMAC) in every phase of the game, averaging 9.1 yards per play on 637 total offensive yards, while limiting ASU to just 231 yards of total offense and no points in the second half.

Michael Zeman produced his 16th career 100+ yard rushing game, rushing 20 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns, while John Matocha had one of the most efficient outings of his career in just two and a half quarters, going 16-of-20 for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Josh Johnston caught two of those scores in a 91-yard day, and Max McLeod had another as he had a game-high five catches for 85 yards.

The Mines back-ups got almost the entire second half to show their stuff and Landon Walker went off for 130 yards on touchdown runs of 61 and 65 yards, and Jake Sype ran for another score in his first reps at quarterback. 

Mines scored on 10 of 12 possessions including 10 in a row after a first-quarter punt. 

Matocha's 26-yard dart to Max McLeod got Mines on the board first, and a goal-line stand by the defense held ASU to a field goal later in the quarter. Zeman scored his first touchdown on a 10-yard run up the middle with 2:44 left in the first, and Mines ended the quarter ahead 14-3.

Mines poured it on in the second quarter with touchdowns on all four possessions. A methodical first drive ended with Johnston scoring on a five-yard jet sweep, and Mason Pierce's interception on the next ASU play led directly to an 11-yard Zeman score two plays later. Mines had to stop the Grizzlies in the end zone on their next series with Logan Rayburn's pass break-up on 4th and goal getting the ball back, and the Orediggers then marched 98 yards down the field to score on a 44-yard pass over the top to Johnston. Another failed 4th-down conversion by the Grizzlies gave Mines the ball back with short time in the half, but masterful clock management resulted in Matocha's two-yard touch pass to Kenny Wright for the 42-10 halftime lead.

Mines had the ball first in the third quarter and it was more of the same with Zeman eating chunk after chunk of yardage to ultimately score on a hard-nosed seven-yard run, and with the starters' days done, the Orediggers' backups continued to produce. Chris Yoo capped off a long drive with a scoring run up the middle, and Mines immediately scored again with an Adams State punt snap sailed over the punter's head and into the end zone for James Hess to fall on.

A Grizzly punt stuffed by a howling wind gave Mines a short field to start the fourth and it resulted in quarterback Jake Sype running it in from three yards for his first career touchdown and the 70-10 lead. Landon Walker got in on the fun with his first career touchdown run, a 61-yard burst early in the fourth quarter.

NOTABLES
- The Orediggers' 84 points is tied for second-most in program history, matching the 2018 South Dakota Mines 84-42 win in the modern era. The Orediggers tied their own RMAC record with 12 touchdowns in a game, and Matthew Eich's perfect 12-for-12 day tied Scott Marshall's RMAC record from that SDM game. 
- Mines tied the all-time series with Adams State at 36-36-2 dating back to 1947.
- Mines scored the most points by either team in the series, surpassing last year's 63-0 shutout in Golden. 
- The Orediggers scored a defensive touchdown for the second straight game as Pierce had a pick-six last week against Angelo State, and Hess got his first career points on the fumble recovery. Hess' fumble recovery for a touchdown was the first by an Oredigger since 2018, when Logan Bock had a 90-yard scoop-and-score against CSU Pueblo.
- Mines rushed for 362 yards paced by Zeman and Walker with Chris Yoo adding 44 and Matocha 30 on the ground. The Orediggers had two 100+ yard rushers for the first time since 2019 when both Matocha and Zeman crossed the threshold against Azusa Pacific.
- The defense was led by Steve Street's six tackles and a sack, and Zach Hester had five. Pierce added two break-ups to his interception, his second straight game with a pick.

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to face CSU Pueblo Sept. 24 at noon, live on KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2 and the RMAC Network.