#1/1 Colorado School of Mines (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) at Black Hills State (4-3, 3-2 RMAC) // Saturday, Oct. 21 // 1 p.m.
Lyle Hare Stadium - Spearfish, S.D.
[RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes] [BHSU Media Notes]

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Ranked #1 for the first time in program history, Colorado School of Mines heads north to face Black Hills State in Week 8 with an unbeaten record on the line.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will stream live and for free on the RMAC Network. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's forecast is for a gorgeous day in Spearfish with a high of 63 under partly cloudy skies.

AT THE HELM
Head Coach Pete Sterbick has won his first seven games in charge of the Orediggers after the former offensive coordinator took over the head job last April. Sterbick is now the third coach in Mines history to start out 7-0. With Sterbick's promotion, Mines retained all of its assistant coaches, promoting offensive line coach Tim Brandon to offensive coordinator to replace Sterbick. 

Mines Coaches To Start 7-0 (Or Better)        
Pete Sterbick, 2023 - 7-0        
Gregg Brandon, 2015 - 7-0        
Thomas Beadle, 1898 - 9-0        

LEADING THE WAY
The Orediggers elected four captains for the 2023 season, with quarterback John Matocha earning his second "C" patch alongside center Steele Petty, defensive tackle Jack Peterson, and safety Logan Rayburn being first-time captains. 

IN THE POLLS
For the first time in program history, Mines reached #1 in the national polls this week after spending the entire first half of the season at #2. The Orediggers are the top team in both the AFCA and D2football.com polls after previous #1 Ferris State lost to Grand Valley State on Saturday; Mines defeated GVSU in the season opener. The Orediggers are the sixth Mines team to be ranked #1 joining men's soccer, men's basketball, men's golf, men's cross country, and men's track & field; the Oredigger cross country team is also currently ranked #1 in their poll. In the conference poll announced in August, Mines was selected atop the RMAC preseason coaches' poll, with Black Hills State fifth.

QUAD SQUAD
With RMAC play coming down to the stretch run, the Orediggers hope to continue one of the most dominant runs in conference history as they seek their fifth consecutive RMAC crown. The Orediggers have won either an outright or shared title each year since 2018 (no championship was awarded in 2020), going 36-2 in that span against the RMAC. Mines joins an elite list of programs to have won four straight rings: CSU Pueblo (2011-14), Colorado Mesa (1985-88), Western Colorado (1973-79 and 1963-66), and Utah (1928-33).

AROUND THE RMAC
The RMAC has two unbeaten teams, Mines and Western Colorado at 7-0/5-0 RMAC, and they will meet next week in Golden. Black Hills State and CSU Pueblo are tied for third at 3-2 in RMAC play with four teams - Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, and South Dakota Mines - behind at 2-3.

LAST YEAR VS. BLACK HILLS ST.
John Matocha threw for a career-high 377 yards and three touchdowns, and the Mines defense generated nine sacks in a 38-0 shutout of Black Hills State. Mack Minnehan led the Orediggers' defense with a game-high 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks among 4.5 tackles for loss. Mines held BHSU to just 39 net rushing yards on 38 attempts. Mason Karp caught a 75-yard touchdown on game's opening play and Mines was off and running, leading 31-0 at halftime after Matocha threw touchdowns of 73 yards to Max McLeod and 44 yards to Flynn Schiele before halftime. Michael Zeman rushed for two scores as well.

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
The Yellow Jackets are 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the RMAC, having lost two of their last three including a 49-14 home setback to South Dakota Mines on Sept. 30 and a 35-20 loss to #14 Western Colorado last week sandwiched around a 34-24 win over New Mexico Highlands. They average a healthy 30.4 points per game on offense quarterbacked by Tanner Clarkson, who has thrown for 1,821 yards and 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions. Veteran running back Nolan Susel is their ground leader with 415 yards and seven touchdowns, and Hasaan Williams and TJ Chukwurah are a dynamic receiving pair combining for 975 yards and nine touchdowns in the air. The Yellow Jackets also have one of the conference's highest-scoring kickers in Coleman Chapman, who is 10-of-14 on field goals including four over 40 yards. Defensively, BHSU allows 31.3 points per game and has only four sacks on the season. Ryder Blair is their leading tackler with 48, including 2.5 for loss, and brothers Nicc and Doodles Quinones have 38 and 33 tackles, respectively.

NOTING THE SERIES
Mines has never lost to Black Hills State, going 12-0 in a series that dates back to 1962 ... The Orediggers won the first meeting 45-19 on Oct. 27, 1962 in Golden ... BHSU joined the RMAC and NCAA Division II in 2012 and the series resumed ... Mines had scored 40+ points in every game of the series until last year, when they won 38-0 in the series' first shutout ... Mines' last visit to Spearfish was in 2021 with John Matocha throwing for a then-career-high 362 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-20 win.

WEEK 7 REWIND
John Matocha and Max McLeod linked up for three touchdowns to lead #2 Colorado School of Mines past South Dakota Mines, 45-22, to stay unbeaten. The Orediggers led 31-0 in the third quarter as Matocha went for 344 yards and tied his career high with five touchdowns, and McLeod also tied his career best with three scores off 133 yards. Noah Roper ran for the game's opening score and Landon Walker also had one, with Hunter Pearson converting a field goal to open the second half. 

WEEK 7 QUICK HITS
Standouts from Week 7's win vs. South Dakota Mines:

- John Matocha tied his career high with five touchdown throws in a 344-yard day as he notched a 195 QBR.
- Max McLeod tied his career high with three touchdown catches, producing 133 yards on six receptions.
- Noah Roper scored the opening touchdown, his fourth consecutive game with a rushing score.
- Tight end Blake Smotherman caught his first career touchdown and had two catches for 14 yards.
- Jackson Zimmermann had an interception, his third in two games, to go with a career-high six tackles.
- Nolan Reeve made six tackles with a sack, and Kyle Bahnsen added a solo sack while Peyton Rose and Hayden Gregg split one.
- Evan Alexander had two pass break-ups.
- Hunter Pearson hit a 37-yard field goal and remained perfect on PATs going 6-of-6.

WELL-AWARDED
John Matocha won a pair of weekly awards for his performance vs. South Dakota Mines, garnering his third RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honor while also earning the Orediggers' first NFFCC Colorado Player of the Week award. It marks the 12th RMAC award of Matocha's career, and his seventh from the NFFCC.

VERY OFFENSIVE
Under Pete Sterbick as offensive coordinator between 2019 and 2022, Mines' offense routinely ranked among the best in the nation, leading the RMAC in scoring all three of those seasons (and leading the nation last year), and also ranking atop the RMAC in total offensive yards twice and in the NCAA top-10 last year. This year? Mines has the highest numbers of Sterbick and now-offensive coordinator Tim Brandon's careers so far, producing 45.6 points per game (a point better than last year) and 499.3 yards per game (32 yards per game more than 2022) to rank #10 and #3, respectively, in D-II.

MATOCHA SETS MORE RECORDS
It was only a matter of time before John Matocha reached Mines, the RMAC, and NCAA Division II records as he plays the final season of a historic career. A starter since week 2 of his true freshman season in 2019, Matocha is 43-6 since then and already has three career records under his belt with more in sight. At Colorado Mesa, Matocha surpassed fellow Harlon Hill winner Justin Dvorak's Mines and RMAC passing touchdowns record with the 135th of his career, which also moved him to third all-time in NCAA Division II history. He now sits at 140 in that category, eight behind East Stroudsburg's Jimmy Terwilliger for second and 19 behind Shepherd's Tyson Bagent for the national record. Much closer are two other records: the RMAC total offense mark, and the national total touchdowns record. Dvorak holds the RMAC total offensive yards record of 14,608 and Matocha is only 67 yards away from surpassing that mark, which would put him fifth in D-II history. Meanwhile, Matocha broke Dvorak's RMAC total touchdowns record of 161 last week, and now has 164 (140 passing, 23 rushing, and 1 receiving) in his career. That puts him only eight away from breaking Bagent's NCAA D-II record of 171. Matocha also set a program record for starts two weeks ago with the 48th of his career (all consecutive), surpassing his former tackle Grant Stewart; Matocha will surpass Stewart for the Mines games played record this week becoming the first player in program history to play 50 games. 

NCAA D-II Career Passing Touchdowns        
1. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd - 159        
2. Jimmy Terwilliger, E. Stroudsburg - 148        
3. John Matocha, Mines - 140        
4. Justin Dvorak, Mines - 134        

NCAA D-II Career Total Touchdowns        
171 - Tyson Bagent, Shepherd (159 pass/12 rush)        
166 - Jason Vander Lann, Ferris State (85 pass/81 rush)    
164 - John Matocha, Mines (140 pass/23 rush/1 rec.)    

NCAA D-II Career Total Offensive Yards        
1. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd - 17,213        
2. Bo Cordell, Tusculum - 16,432        
3. Jimmy Terwilliger, E. Stroudsburg - 16,064        
4. Steven Gachette, SW Baptist - 15,235        
5. Justin Dvorak, Mines  -  14,608  (RMAC record)      
6. Zach Amedro, West Liberty - 14,598        
7. John Matocha, Mines - 14,542        

Mines Career Passing Yards                
1. Justin Dvorak (2013-16) - 13,466        
2. John Matocha (2019-23) - 12,774        
3. Chad Friehauf (2001-04) - 9,873        

Matocha is also at the top or close to the top of several NCAA all-division categories among active players, and leads all of college football in touchdowns responsible for:

Active Career Touchdowns Responsible For        
1. John Matocha (Mines) - 164        
2. Austin Reed (Western Ky.) - 156        
3. Braxton Plunk (Mount Union) - 149        
4. Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) - 147        

TO THE MAX
Max McLeod had a monster game in Week 7, catching three touchdowns for 133 yards to key the Orediggers' win. That day vaulted McLeod further up the Mines all-time receiving lists, putting him now sixth in career yards (2,785) and third in touchdowns (34); he has six 100+ yard receiving games out of seven this season, and now leads NCAA Division II with 831 recieving yards in 2023. 

Mines Career Receiving Yards            
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018) - 4,010        
2. Justin Gallas (2001-2005) - 3,561        
3. Jonny Chan (2000-2004) - 2,972        
4. Josh Johnston (2019-22) - 2,939        
5. Adam Saur (2005-2009) - 2,888        
6. Max McLeod (2021-pres.) - 2,785        
7. Ty Young (2012-2016) - 2,696      
 
Mines Career Receiving Touchdowns        
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018) - 59        
2. Josh Johnston (2018-22) - 40        
3. Max McLeod (2021-pres.) - 34        
4. Adam Saur (2005-2009) - 32        
5. Jonny Chan (2000-2004) - 31        

STAYING GROUNDED
Landon Walker and Noah Roper have worked as a two-headed monster this season, and have turned into one of the most potent backfield duos in the nation combining for 755 rushing yards, 936 total yards, and 19 total touchdowns this season. The pair is equally dangerous in the passing game, with Walker handling 11 catches with three touchdowns and Roper - the RMAC's leading scorer- nine for two. And they aren't the only two producing on the ground for Mines - John Matocha has 217 net yards, Braelon Tate 114 and a touchdown, Chris Yoo 80 yards on 14 touchdes, and Konnor Mickelsen 63 yards on 12 carries. The Orediggers average 183.4 rushing yards per game, on pace for their best team average since 2019.

THIIIIIIIRD DOWN
Third downs have been kind to the Orediggers this season on both sides of the ball as Mines ranks third in NCAA Division II third down conversion defense and fourth in offense. Mines has converted 55.2 percent of its third-down opportunities offensively, while the defense has allowed opponents to convert only 20.8 percent; the Orediggers have not allowed more than four third-down conversions in any game this year.

THE 200 CLUB
A pair of Mines defenders reached career milestones last week as both linebacker Nolan Reeve and safety Jaden Williams each had six tackles to cross 200 career tackles in the game. Reeve, the team's leading tackler this season with 29, now has 204 in his career including 48 for a loss and 37.5 sacks. Williams, third on the team and leading the secondary with 22 tackles this year, sits at 201 career tackles.

REEVE LEADS THE WAY
Nolan Reeve continues to be college football's active leader in sacks, compiling 37.5 in his career to lead all divisions of the NCAA. Reeve has 5.0 this season. Reeve still has work to get to Mines' career record, held by former Jacksonville Jaguar and all-American Marc Schiechl at 46.0, but Reeve has compiled double-digit sacks in each of the last two seasons, including tying Schiechl's single-season mark of 13.5 last year. Reeve is also the Orediggers' active leader in tackles at 204.

NCAA Football Active Sacks Leaders            
1. Nolan Reeve (Mines) - 37.5        
2. Josh Bever (Ohio Northern) - 33.5        
3. Ryan Bodolus (Ursinus) - 33.5        

SEEING RED
A key part of Mines' success this season has been its red zone performance on both sides of the ball. The Orediggers are second in NCAA Division II in red zone offense, converting 94.7 percent of their chances inside the 20; defensively, Mines is 12th, limiting opponents to points on 61.5 percent of opportunities.

HUGE LOSERS
As has been well-documented, Mines Football is good at a lot of things. Scoring touchdowns, stopping opposing offenses, you know - football stuff. Not included on that list is predicting coin flips. The Orediggers have lost 16 of their last 19 coin tosses to start the game dating back to early last season, including six of seven this season (winning only on Jack Peterson's call at CSU Pueblo). The good news? The Orediggers are 16-0 when losing the coin toss since the start of the 2022 season.

PEARSON ON MITCHELL AWARD LIST
Kicker Hunter Pearson is the RMAC's leading scorer among kickers this season (and second among all player behind only teammate Noah Roper), going a perfect 43-of-43 on PATs and 6-of-7 on field goals this season in combination with long snapped Josh Wojciechowicz and holder Jacob Click. The Virginia grad transfer has gotten attention for his performance, landing on the Fred Mitchell Award watchlist last week. The award is given to the top non-FBS kicker in college football.

PRODIGGER
Former all-American cornerback Mason Pierce made his CFL debut on Labor Day (or Labour Day as our friends to the north call it), earning a call up from the Toronto Argonauts' practice squad and quickly earned a starting spot in the secondary, where he has stayed over the Argos' last four games. Pierce has 26 total tackles and an interception in seven total games. Toronto is 14-2 and has already clinched the East's #1 seed as they try to repeat as Grey Cup champions. 

NEXT UP
Mines is home to host #12 Western Colorado Oct. 28 at noon.