#21/14 Colorado School of Mines (1-2, 1-0 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (1-2, 0-1 RMAC) // Saturday, Sept. 24 // Noon
Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[TV: KWGN/KXTU] [Stream: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes] 

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After getting RMAC play off to a 1-0 start with a historic offensive performance at Adams State, #21/14 Colorado School of Mines turns its attention to the rivalry game against CSU Pueblo in Week 4.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will be televised live on both KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2 in the Denver metro and on KXTU in Colorado Springs, and stream for free on the RMAC Network. Every home regular-season game will air on KWGN, and all 10 of the Orediggers' remaining games will stream on the RMAC Network.

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

- Gates and the tailgating lot open at 10 a.m.
- Parking in Lot K (next to Stermole Soccer Stadium) costs $10 and is back to normal capacity this week 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 from 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. 
- 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. Kids under 12 are free, but must visit the ticket window to get tickets. 
- Mines students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their BlasterCard.
- The New Terrain Beer Garden will be open in the west end zone for all fans 21 and over. 
- Free Blue Out T-shirts are available for the first 500 Mines students who pick up their voucher in the Student Center plaza between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday looks to be an absolutely perfect day for football in Golden with highs around 75 under sunny skies and light winds. 

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.

A NEW ERA
This season marks a new era for Mines Football under head coach Brandon Moore, named the successor to Gregg Brandon last winter after the former Oredigger boss announced his retirement. Moore is only the seventh head coach of the program since World War II, and since 2000, the Orediggers have known only three coaches - Bob Stitt (2000-14), Gregg Brandon (2015-21), and now Moore. Before being elevated to the head spot, Moore had been on staff at Mines since 2016, including as defensive coordinator since 2018. Moore kept the entire coaching staff from 2021 intact under him, including offensive coordinator Pete Sterbick and special teams coordinator Clement Grinstead, with defensive line coach Tripp Thomas promoted to defensive coordinator. Moore picked up his first career win in Week 3 at Adams State in the Orediggers' 84-10 victory.

IN THE POLLS
Mines remains ranked in both major polls this week, staying at #21 in the AFCA poll and moving up three spots to #14 in the D2football.com ranking. After starting out in the top five of both polls in preseason, the Orediggers' have retained the pollsters' respect with both of their losses coming to #3/2 Grand Valley State and #4/4 Angelo State by a combined six points. Mines was a near-unanimous pick to win its fourth consecutive conference crown in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll announced Aug. 15 as the Orediggers took nine of 10 first-place votes to lead CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado, and Colorado Mesa in the top four. 

DEFENDING THE CROWN
With the win at Adams State, Mines is off to a good start in seeking its fourth consecutive RMAC title. The Orediggers won the crown either outright or shared in 2018, 2019, and 2021 (no champion was awarded in 2020 due to the pandemic), and Mines has won four of the last five dating back to 2016.

NOTING THE MINES-CSUP SERIES
Mines and CSU Pueblo are meeting for the 32nd time ... The series dates back to 1964 ... Mines has won the last three regular-season meetings including 28-12 in Pueblo last year ... CSUP won the last game in Golden, 37-17, in the 2018 NCAA First Round, but has never won in the regular season at Marv Kay Stadium  since it opened in 2015 ... CSUP leads the all-time series 19-12 but it's tied 7-7 since they reformed their program in 2008 ... This will be just the second time since 2009 that Mines has played Pueblo where the Thunderwolves are unranked ... Either one or both teams have been ranked in every meeting since 2010.

LAST TIME WE MET
A relentless Mines defensive effort helped the Orediggers grind out a 28-12 late-season win at CSU Pueblo last season. Nolan Reeve had nine tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles and Jaden Williams made a career-high 14 total tackles to stop the Pack. Michael Zeman scored three total touchdowns in a 106-yard rushing day and Tristan Smith had a 96-yard catch-and-run score to pace the offense as John Matocha went 16-for-21 for 189 yards and two scores. CSUP led 3-0 after the field quarter before Zeman's 16-yard catch from Matocha put Mines ahead; another Thunderwolves field goal made it 7-6 at the half. Smith's stunning touchdown to open the third quarter set the tone out of the break and two fourth-quarter Zeman scoring runs helped Mines pull away.

SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
CSU Pueblo is 1-2 this season and off to an 0-1 start to RMAC play after losing 17-10 at home to Western Colorado last week. Mines and CSUP have a common opponent as the Thunderwolves lost 35-10 to Grand Valley State in Week 2; their lone win came over then-#24 Midwestern State, 59-27, to open the season. Quarterback Steven Croell has been one of the RMAC's top passers so far, averaging 268 yards per game with seven touchdowns on 63.1 percent passing this season. The run has produced just 105 yards per game, however, led by Austin Bacher and Croell. Top aerial targets include Andrew Cook (3 TD, 199 yards) and Max Fine (135 yards). Defensively the Thunderwolves allow 26.3 points and 358 yards per game with an excellent passing defense that allows 174 yards and produces an interception per game. Max Gonzales is their leading tackler with 20 stops and a fumble recovery.

WEEK 3 REWIND
Mines dominated every phase of the game to rout Adams State, 84-10, for their first win of the season in the RMAC opener. Mines scored multiple touchdowns in every quarter, hitting the end zone on all but one possession in the game, to tie the program modern-era scoring record. Michael Zeman ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, John Matocha threw for four scores with two going to Josh Johnston, and the backups feasted as well including Landon Walker's 130-yard, two-touchdown second half and quarterback Jake Sype's debut with a touchdown run. Mines also produced a defensive score for the second straight game with James Hess' recovery of a high punt snap in the end zone. The Mines defense held ASU to 231 total yards and no points after the start of the second quarter as the Orediggers scored 70 unanswered.

WEEK 3 STANDOUTS
Quick hits on standout performances in Week 3:

- Mines had a pair of 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2019 as Michael Zeman bulldozed his way to 147 yards and three touchdowns, and Landon Walker had a huge second half for 130 yards and two scores on only three carries; his touchdowns, the first of his career, were 61 and 65 yards.
- John Matocha was 16-of-20 for 211 yards and four touchdowns in a half plus one series of work.
- Josh Johnston continued his hot start to the season with two touchdowns on five catches for 96 yards.
- Max McLeod caught his second touchdown of the season, going over 80 yards for the second time in three games with a five-catch, 85-yard day.
- Kenny Wright caught his first career touchdown in the first half.
- Jake Sype made his quarterback debut and played most of the second half, rushing for his first touchdown.
- Mason Pierce had an interception for the second consecutive week, sparking a first-half scoring drive.
- James Hess fell on a high punt snap in the end zone for Mines' first fumble for a score since 2018, his first career touchdown.
- Steve Street led Mines with a career-high six tackles and a sack.
- Jackson Zimmerman made the first interception of his career.
- Matthew Eich tied the RMAC record for PATs going a perfect 12-for-12.

SCORE MORE
Mines' 84 points last week tied their modern record for scoring, matching 2018's win over South Dakota Mines. It was the most points scored in a road game since 1890, when the Orediggers beat Colorado 103-0 in Boulder. The most points ever scored by Mines:

Mines All-Time Single-Game Points Scored    
Mines 103, Colorado 0 (1890)        
Mines 84, Adams State 10 (2022)        
Mines 84, South Dakota Mines 42 (2018)    
Mines 83, Black Hills State 28 (2016)        
Mines 77, Wyoming 0 (1907)        
Mines 76, Fort Lewis 0 (2021)        
Mines 75, New Mexico Highlands 40 (2003)    

WELL-AWARDED
Mines' Week 3 performance earned two Orediggers weekly awards as John Matocha was named the National Football Foundation Colorado Chapter's Player of the Week and Matthew Eich the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Matocha completed 80 percent of his passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns in an efficient day; Eich tied the RMAC and Mines record for PATs in a game with a dozen, going a perfect 12-for-12. It is Matocha's fifth career NFFCC honor and Eich's first career RMAC award.

EICH'S DOZEN
With many touchdowns comes many PATs, and Matthew Eich - along with long snapper Josh Wojciechowicz and holder Jacob Click - was up to the task at Adams State going a perfect 12-for-12 in windy conditions to match the RMAC and program record held by former Oredigger Scott Marshall, who did it in Mines' 84-point outburst against South Dakota Mines in 2018. It also makes Eich the second Mines kicker - along with Marshall - to hit double-digit PATs twice in a career.

MATOCHA MAGIC
As for John Matocha's performance at Adams State, in just two quarters plus one series of play, he turned in one of the most efficient games of his career, going 16-for-20 for 211 yards with four touchdowns. It ranked as the third-highest quarterback rating of his career at 234.6. Matocha ranks ninth nationally in quarterback rating at 169.8. A big part of that has been his care with the ball, completing 67.1 percent of his passes and going interception-free in 82 attempts in 2022. Matocha has thrown just one interception in his last 209 passing attempts (a span of eight games) dating back to last season, his lone pick in that span coming against Valdosta State in last year's NCAA semifinals.

FROM THE EVERGREEN STATE
Mines' recruiting efforts in the Pacific Northwest have paid huge dividends over the past few years, and never has that been more on display than it was in the Adams State game where all four of the Orediggers' receiving touchdowns went to targets hailing from the state of Washington. Josh Johnston (Snohomish) caught two, Max McLeod (Seattle) had another, and tight end Kenny Wright (Camas) added his first career TD reception late in the first half. 

RISING UP THE RANKS
Speaking of Josh Johnston, the veteran has been leading the Mines' receiving corps this season and hit a significant career milestone last week. In his 30th career start, Johnston caught career touchdowns #29 and #30, moving him past Ty Young for fourth all-time and making him just the fourth receiving in program history to reach 30. Johnston is averaging a team-leading 5.7 catches, 95 yards, and a touchdown per game so far this season.

Mines All-Time Touchdown Receptions 
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018), 59        
2. Adam Saur (2005-2009), 32        
3. Jonny Chan (2000-2004), 31        
4. Josh Johnston (2018-22), 30        
5. Ty Young (2012-2016), 29            

LET'S GET IT STARTED
Two Orediggers hit career milestones in the Adams State game as both Josh Johnston and Mason Pierce made their 30th career starts in the blue and silver. This week, two more will join the 30-start club as John Matocha will make his 30th consecutive start at quarterback and Mack Minnehan his 30th straight at outside linebacker. Matt Armendariz is not far behind with 28 straight starts at guard or center.

BALL HAWKING
Cornerback Mason Pierce has been an all-timer for the Orediggers over his career, notching 41 passes defended over his four years but somehow never coming down with an interception heading into his senior season. That changed in Week 2 when Pierce not only snagged his first career interception, but took it back for six; making up for lost time, Pierce came down with another interception against Adams State to go with two pass break-ups. Pierce's two picks leads a defense this season that has generated five interceptions in three games, with Jaden Williams, Joel Diaz, and Jackson Zimmerman also getting in on the action. Mines is +5 overall in turnover ratio.

WHEN IT COUNTS
Mines' third-down defense has been among the national elite in the last few seasons, and they continued to show that intensity in the first two weeks of the season. Through three games, Mines' opponents are converting on third down just 27.7% of the time (13-of-47); last year opponents converted on 29% of third and 31% of fourth downs. 

GO FOR IT
The Orediggers have had a perfect start to the season on 4th downs, converting three of three attempts in 2022. At Grand Valley State, John Matocha converted a 4th and 1 at midfield with a six-yard run; against Angelo State, Michael Zeman ran for three yards on 4th and 1 from Mines' own 34, and Matocha rushed for 10 on a 4th and 1 from the ASU 40 on the same drive. 

NEXT UP
Mines visits Chadron State on Oct. 1.