GOLDEN, Colo. - #1 Colorado School of Mines engineered a second-half turnaround to solve Central Washington, 38-14, and punch its third consecutive trip to the NCAA semifinals.

The Orediggers, now 13-0 for the first time in program history, will be the #1 overall national seed in the semifinals and host Kutztown next Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m. MT. The game will be seen live exclusively on ESPN+. In the other semifinal, Super Region 3 champion Harding will host Super Region 2 winner Lenoir-Rhyne. 

On a day where a tough Wildcat defense held Mines largely in check in the air, the Orediggers turned to their ground game as Noah Roper and Landon Walker each scored two touchdowns and John Matocha ran in another in a 255-yard team rushing day. Meanwhile, the Mines defense responded after a 14-14 halftime score to shut down CWU with a second-half shutout, generating three turnovers and stopping the Wildcats' preferred ground attack to the tune of just seven net yards.

Matocha ended up 16-of-25 for 225 yards and an interception, while CWU's Kennedy McGill was 16-of-33 for 207 yards, two scores, and a pick. 

The first half had an old-school, smash-mouth feel to it as Central Washington came out and was successful playing its brand of ball-control football. Brett McCalla intercepted Matocha to halt the opening drive, but the Orediggers responded with a long second possession capped by Roper's 13-yard scoring run to take the early lead. CWU missed a 50-yard field goal with a strong wind at their backs, but Mines gave the ball right back after a 51-yard catch by Max McLeod hit the turf and was judged to have been a catch and fumble, recovered by the Wildcats' Tanner Volk. A 76-yard rolling punt by Dan Stewart put Mines back in its own end zone, and Blake Doud had his punt blocked and recovered by CWU at the Mines 10 to open the second quarter.

The Wildcats would get on the board off that block, with McGill hitting Darius Morrison on a 14-yard pass two plays later, but Mines responded with a 12-play, 86-yard series finished by Walker's two-yard run to lead 14-7. The Wildcats answered in kind as they drove the field, converted a 4th-and-2 at midfield, and then found the end zone on a 13-yard McGill pass to Morrison in the closing seconds of the quarter to make it 14-14 at the half.

Mines made the adjustment it needed in the break, stopping CWU on a three-and-out to start the third quarter before marching 65 yards to finish on a 4th-and-1 Walker wildcat look to retake the lead 21-14. If that didn't put the momentum squarely in the Orediggers' favor, Zach Hester's strip of Tyler Flanagan moments later would as Logan Rayburn fell on the ball and Mines would convert a 27-yard Hunter Pearson field goal off it to extend it to a two-score game. Jackson Zimmermann's 4th-down breakup got the ball back in the final minute of the quarter, and Mines began to chunk rushing yardage with Matocha running around the right side from a yard out to make it 31-14 early in the fourth.

From there it was just a matter of the Mines defense doing what it does best - taking the ball away. Nolan Reeve strip sacked McGill, recovered by Eb Alfred-Igbokwe, and Evan Alexander later intercepted McGill and returned it into the red zone to set up Roper's second touchdown in the final minute of the game to end it at 38-14.

NOTABLES
- Mines won the Super Region 4 crown for the third straight year, and will play in their third semifinal. Mines advanced to the 2022 national final.
- There will be a first-time national champion in 2023 as all four remaining teams have yet to win one.
- Mines' 13-0 record surpasses the 2004 and 2019 teams for the best unbeaten mark in program history.
- The offensive stats were lopsided in favor of Mines with 480 total yards to CWU's 214. The rushing disparity was even larger, at 255 to 7.
- Mines' defense has held opponents to single-digit or less rushing yards in three consecutive games.
- The Orediggers set a program postseason record for total defense for a second straight week, as CWU's 214 yards were lower than the 250 given up to Augustana in the Second Round. 
- Despite the two first-half giveaways, Mines finished +1 on the day in turnover margin.
- Reeve has been involved in a turnover in three consecutive games, with a strip sack and recovery at Fort Lewis, a fumble recovery for a touchdown against Augustana, and a strip sack against Central Washington. He also has sacks in those three games.
- Roper had 95 total yards on 21 carries while Walker averaged an impressive 6.1 yards per tote to compile 61. Matocha was unafraid to run as well with 15 carries for 83 net yards.
- Roper and Walker now have 32 total combined touchdowns this season. 
- Mines' receivers distributed the load as McLeod, Zach Hoffman, and Nick Stone each had four catches for 50+ yards and Flynn Schiele caught three balls.

NEXT UP
Mines hosts Kutztown Dec. 9 in the national semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+.