GOLDEN, Colo. - In a battle of unbeatens, #1 Colorado School of Mines left zero doubt, blasting #9 Western Colorado 42-7 in the snow at Marv Kay Stadium.

The Orediggers (9-0, 7-0 RMAC) took control of the RMAC standings - and the probable regional #1 playoff seed - as they handed the Mountaineers (8-1, 6-1 RMAC) their first loss, outscoring the visitors 28-0 in the second half and fully controlling every aspect of the game with a massive 38:38 time of possession.

John Matocha continued to make history as he became NCAA Division II's all-time leader in total touchdowns, passing for three in the game to surpass Shepherd's Tyson Bagent with 172. Max McLeod caught two of those scores, while Noah Roper led a dominant Mines ground game with two touchdowns of his own.

Against the RMAC's #1 defense, Mines rolled out 505 total yards, 266 rushing yards, and tripled Western's scoring defense average, with heavy second-half snow not slowing down the Orediggers.

As much as the Mines offense impressed, its defense may have been even better. The Orediggers held the Mountaineers to just a single first-half touchdown and seven rushing yards in the game, generating four turnovers (all in the second half) and sacking Drew Nash five times. Mines had an utterly dominating start to the game, allowing -2 yards over WCU's first three drives.

Mines led 14-7 at halftime, not scoring until the second quarter when McLeod fought off three tacklers to score from 14 yards and give Mines the lead. Roper found the end zone later in the quarter to cap off a 10-play, 70-yard drive with his three-yard lunge. Western's best offensive series of the game came next as a 30-yard pass to DJ Allen Jr. started things before Nash hit Cole Riters for a 31-yard shot to get on the board nine second from halftime.

Mines was unstoppable after halftime, using multiple long drives and turnovers to take the Mountaineers out of the game. After forcing a punt to start the third quarter, the Orediggers ate up 4:34 on an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by Roper's five-yard rush around the edge to lead 21-7; two plays later, Logan Rayburn intercepted Nash at the WCU 22, and four plays later Matocha hit Zach Hoffman for a four-yard touchdown to swing it to a 28-7 game.

With the snow coming down harder, Nash was again intercepted on the next Mountaineer possession, this time at midfield by Mikee Barker, and the Orediggers scored once again as Matocha broke the national record with a 16-yard dime to McLeod at the back of the end zone.

Consecutive sacks by Bahnsen and Healy forced WCU to punt, and that set up an epic six-plus minute sequence that led to the Orediggers' final score. Mines punted after eight plays but Deyvon Butler muffed the catch for JJ Lee to fall on at the WCU30, and the Orediggers used the opportunity to score on Chris Yoo's 11-yard run to lead 42-7. By that time, just 2:15 was left on the clock, and the Orediggers put a stamp on the game with a fumble forced by Steve Street and recovered by Joey Beckner to finish. 

GAME NOTES
- It was the first snow game in the history of Marv Kay Stadium as the first half stayed dry before steady snow intensified in the second half. The temperature at kickoff was 26 and did not rise above freezing during the game.
- Matocha's 172 total touchdowns (or more technically, touchdowns responsible for) include 148 passing, 23 rushing, and 1 receiving touchdown in his career. He will now aim for the college football overall record of 178, co-held by Houston's Case Keenum and Central Iowa's Blaine Hawkins. Meanwhile, Matocha is now tied with East Stroudsburg's Jimmy Terwilliger for second in D-II history in passing touchdowns at 148, now 11 behind Bagent's record in that category.
- Head Coach Pete Sterbick tied a 125-year-old record for the best start to a career by a Mines head coach as he improved to 9-0, matching Thomas Beadle's 9-0 record in 1898.
- The Mines rushing game produced 266 yards led by a triple-headed attack of Matocha, who had a season-high 91 yards, Landon Walker, who had 84 on 12 carries, and Roper, who compiled 62 with the two touchdowns on 11 touches in addition to three catches for 33 yards. 
- McLeod - who has eight touchdown receptions in his last three games - finished with 66 yards off six catches, putting him at 998 for the season. Four different Orediggers - McLeod, Nick Stone, Flynn Schiele, and Noah Roper - had three or more catches.
- McLeod moved past Adam Saur and Josh Johnston into fourth on the all-time Mines receiving yards list with 2,952; his 39 career touchdowns now have him one behind Johnston in third. 
- Five different Orediggers had sacks led by Jaden Healy's 1.5 as he also led the team with seven tackles. Nolan Reeve, Zach Hester, and Kyle Bahnsen also had full sacks and Adrian Moreno a half.
- Mines improved to +11 on turnover margin this season.
- Mines held the RMAC's leading scorer, WCU running back Deyvon Butler, to 15 yards on nine carries with no touchdowns.
- It was the 98th meeting between Mines and Western Colorado in what is the state's oldest unbroken football rivalry. Mines won for the sixth straight time.
- Mines won for the third time this year against a team in the AFCA top 10.
- Mines lost the coin toss for the 18th time in their last 21 tries; they are 18-0 in those games.

NEXT UP
Mines will host New Mexico Highlands next Saturday on Senior Day with a share of the RMAC title on the line.