#1/1 Colorado School of Mines (13-0) vs. #RV/23 Kutztown (12-2) // Saturday, Dec. 9 // 1:30 p.m.
NCAA Division II Championship Semifinal - Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[Video: ESPN+ (pay-per-view)] [Radio: RMAC Network (free)] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [NCAA Bracket] [Mines Media Notes]

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For a third consecutive year, #1 Colorado School of Mines is into the NCAA Division II semifinals, and for a second straight season they host a PSAC foe as Kutztown visits Golden for the first time.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, ESPN's subscription service available online and on smart TVs. Shawn Kenney and Charles Arbuckle will be on the call. There will also be a free RMAC Network Radio stream with Miles Dunklin and Josh Dover at minesathletics.com/tv. The game video is exclusively on ESPN+ and not on the NCAA Championships app as previous rounds were, and is not televised on any local stations.

LATE KICKOFF
Mines fans used to noon kickoffs will have to wait a little longer on Saturday as the game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. The other semifinal between Harding and Lenoir-Rhyne, also on ESPN+, starts at 10 a.m. MT.

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

- Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print at home tickets ahead of time at minesathletics.com/tickets. 
- Mines students will be admitted free with their BlasterCard. Mines faculty and staff will receive one free admission with their BlasterCard but must purchase any additional tickets.
- For postseason play, all fans need a ticket; season passes are not valid for the postseason.
- Fans are reminded that no artificial noisemakers (cow bells, horns, etc.) are permitted under NCAA postseason policy. 
- Gates, the ticket windows, and the tailgating lot open two hours before kickoff at 11:30 a.m.
- Tailgating is permitted in Lot K only (next to Stermole Soccer Stadium, $10). Fans are encouraged to park for free in the parking garage at 1400 Maple Street, located two blocks south of Marv Kay Stadium. Visit the Parking page for more information.
- The City of Golden's street parking requires a permit seven days a week. Fans can not park in the neighborhood surrounding the stadium. 
- The New Terrain Beer Garden in the McKee West End Zone will be open for all fans 21+. 

WEATHER REPORT
Golden is forecast to get a shot of snow on Friday, but Saturday should be sunny with a high of 36 degrees and light winds. 

AT THE HELM
Head Coach Pete Sterbick, the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year, is 13-0 in his first season in charge of the Orediggers after the former offensive coordinator took over the head job last April. With Sterbick's promotion, Mines retained all of its assistant coaches, promoting offensive line coach Tim Brandon to offensive coordinator to replace Sterbick and keeping defensive coordinator Tripp Thomas. Kutztown head coach Jim Clements, in his ninth season, was also his region's AFCA Coach of the Year.

FOUR REMAIN
The NCAA Division II Championship bracket is down to four teams, with the Orediggers reseeded as the #1 overall team remaining. The winner of Mines-Kutztown will play the winner of Lenoir-Rhyne at Harding, which kicks off at 10 a.m. MT Saturday, next Saturday, Dec. 16 in the national championship game in McKinney, Texas. A first-time champion will be crowned as none of the four remaining teams own a national title, and only Mines (2022) and Lenoir-Rhyne (2013) have been to the final.

THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
The semifinals will be televised on ESPN+, and Mines is no stranger to appearing on the network. ESPN has visited Marv Kay Stadium three times, in 2016 when Mines defeated CSU Pueblo on a Thursday night, late in the 2018 season in a win over Chadron State, and last year for the semifinal win over Shepherd. Mines also played on ESPN+ at Valdosta State in the 2021 national semifinal and on ESPNU in the 2022 title game. 

IN THE POLLS
Mines remained #1 in the national polls for a fifth consecutive week, the top team in both the AFCA and D2football.com polls, to close the regular season. Kutztown was ranked #23 in the last D2football.com poll and was the first team out of the top 25 receiving votes in the last AFCA poll. Mines owns four wins this season over AFCA top-25 ranked teams this season (by an average score of 40-17) having beaten #3 Grand Valley State, #4 Angelo State, #9 Western Colorado, and #16 Augustana. Kutztown lost its season opener to #23 Assumption, but then beat #13 Shepherd early in the year and has reeled off four consecutive wins against ranked teams beating #4 Slippery Rock, #13 Virginia Union, #24 Charleston, and #15 Slippery Rock (again) over the last month.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, PART I
Mines will be playing its 11th home playoff game at Marv Kay Stadium since the renovated facility reopened in 2015. A challenging place for opponents to visit at 5,707' above sea level (the highest venue to ever hold an NCAA semifinal), Mines is 8-2 in the NCAA championship tournament at Marv Kay Stadium, and have won 15 straight overall at home and eight straight in the postseason. The Orediggers are 49-5 overall at home since 2015.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, PART II
This week's game will represent the ninth home game of the season for the Orediggers, the most in program history dating back to 1888. In two seasons, Mines will have played 17 times at Marv Kay Stadium, and is 15-1 in that span heading into the Kutztown game. 

BAKER'S DOZEN
The 2023 Oredigger squad has set a program record for wins without a loss at 13-0 - and that ties the 2022 team's overall wins mark of 13. A win over Kutztown would represent the most wins in program history.  Mines finished its ninth unbeaten, untied regular season in program history with the win at Fort Lewis, and only the third since the Second World War.

Mines Best Season Starts            
2023 - 13-0                
2004 - 12-0                
2019 - 12-0                

ONE FOR THE THUMB
Mines clinched the outright RMAC championship with their win at Fort Lewis in Week 11, which marks their fifth in a row. That puts the program in elite company: only two other teams, Western Colorado (seven straight from 1973-79) and Utah (six straight from 1928 to 1933) have won five in a row in the 114-year history of the conference. The Orediggers have won 16 RMAC titles all-time.

DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
Mines is playing into December for the third straight year and the 10th season overall. The Orediggers are 8-4 in the final month of the year dating back to 1890, including two wins last year.

THE MATCHUP
For the third time this postseason, Mines will take on a new opponent as Kutztown visits Golden for the first time in their first semifinal appearance. The Super Region 1 champions (coincidentally nicknamed the Golden Bears) out of Pennsylvania are 12-2 and defeated PSAC rival Slippery Rock 28-16 in the regional final, scoring on its first three possessions and getting a 100-yard pick-six from Antaun Lloyd among three turnovers generated. KU scores 25.3 and gives up 15.4 points per game and have a balanced offense rushing for 161.4 yards per game and passing for 170.9. Darryl Davis-McNeil is a 900-yard back with nine touchdowns and quarterback Judd Novak likes to run, with 562 yards and five scores to go with 2,111 yards and 21 touchdowns in the air. Kurtis Ravenel Jr. and Mekhi Gibson have combined for more than 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead their receivers. Defensively, PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Whary has 83 tackles, 8.5 TFL, and 4.5 sacks. 

NOTING THE POSTSEASON/SERIES
The Orediggers are making their ninth NCAA championship appearance ... Mines is the #1 seed in Super Region 4 while Kutztown was the #3 seed in Super Region 1 ... With the semifinals reseeded, Mines earned the national overall #1 seed and Kutztown #4 ...  Mines is appearing in its third consecutive semifinal while Kutztown is here for the first time ... Mines' five consecutive NCAA appearances are tied for the second-longest active streak in the country ... Mines is 8-2 in NCAA play at Marv Kay Stadium ... Mines has never played Kutztown but is facing a PSAC opponent for the second straight year in the semis, having defeated Shepherd 44-13 last season.

JOHNSON WINS UPSHAW AWARD
On Monday, Mines right tackle Levi Johnson was named the winner of the Gene Upshaw Award, given to the outstanding senior lineman in Division II. Johnson, with 37 career starts under his belt, has led an excellent Oredigger line this season that has powered the nation's #1 scoring offense of 50.5 points per game along with the #2 total offense, #6 passing offense, #12 rushing offense, and #11 in fewest tackles for loss allowed. Johnson is the first Mines winner of the award, which is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club of Pennsylvania; the Orediggers had had three previous finalists.

QUARTERFINAL REWIND
Mines engineered a second-half turnaround to solve Central Washington, 38-14, and punch its third consecutive trip to the NCAA semifinals. 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. Nolan Reeve and Zach Hester forced fumbles, and Evan Alexander had an interception, all in the second half.

QUARTERFINAL QUICK HITS
Standouts from Week 14's win vs. Central Washington:

- Noah Roper and Landon Walker combined for 178 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and John Matocha ran for 83 and a score, as Mines recorded 255 rushing yards.
- Max McLeod, Zach Hoffman, and Nick Stone each had four receptions for a combined 196 yards.
- Nolan Reeve had five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a batted pass to lead a Mines defense that allowed only 214 yards.
- Zach Hester forced a fumble, Eb Alfred-Igbokwe and Logan Rayburn had recoveries, and Evan Alexander had an interception returned to the red zone. 

MINES TOPS RMAC, REGIONAL HONORS
The postseason awards have been rolling in for Mines, which captured a program-record 11 D2CCA all-region awards and 28 all-RMAC slots. For the first time in program history, Colorado School of Mines swept the three major player awards in the All-RMAC football teams as 28 total Orediggers were recognized in the season-end honors. John Matocha repeated as the Offensive Player of the Year, Nolan Reeve earned Defensive Player of the Year, and Blake Doud was the Special Teams Player of the Year to lead the teams. In total, 28 Orediggers were honored including 14 first-teamers: Matocha, Noah Roper, Max McLeod, Levi Johnson, and Steele Petty on offense; Reeve with Jackson Zimmermann, Jaden Williams, Adrian Moreno, Jaden Healy, Kyle Bahnsen, and end Zach Hester on defense; and Hunter Pearson joined Doud on the special teams first team. The D2CCA All-Region teams were led by Offensive Player of the Year Matocha along with Johnson, Petty, McLeod, Moreno, Reeve, Bahnsen, Zimmermann, Pearson, and Doud on the first team and Williams on the second.

HERE TO PLAY SCHOOL
Mines student-athletes have also swept the RMAC's three major postseason academic awards as quarterback John Matocha and linebacker Nolan Reeve are the RMAC Offensive and Defensive Academic Players fo the Year, respectively, and safety Will Ramsey is the RMAC Summit Award winner for having the top GPA on the conference championship team. In addition, eight Orediggers were named First-Team Academic All-RMAC: Matocha, Reeve, Ramsey, Zach Hoffman, Zach Heckman, Jack Peterson, Ben Fuchs, and Blake Doud. 

VERY OFFENSIVE
Under Pete Sterbick as OC 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 a national-leading 50.5 points per game and D-II's #2 total offense at 525.4 yards per game.

POSTSEASON STOPPERS
Mines' defense has set back-to-back program postseason records for total defense, allowing 250 total yards against Augustana in the second round and then only 214 against Central Washington in the quarterfinals. The Orediggers' 6 rushing yards allowed vs. Augustana was also a program postseason-best; CWU mustered only 7 net yards on the ground.

MATOCHA MAKES HISTORY
Harlon Hill Award finalist (and 2022 winner) John Matocha's historic career continues to set records, and while he's already produced more touchdowns than any player in college football history (186 and counting), he is on the verge of another all-divisions record. Matocha is now second all-time in passing touchdowns at 158, just one behind Tyson Bagent's college football record of 159. It would go with a bevy of other career marks that Matocha has taken down this season, including the Mines, RMAC, and Colorado records for passing yards (14,444), passing touchdowns (158), and total offensive yards (16,414). He is now third all-time in D-II history in total offensive yards (on the verge of second this week) and last week moved into fourth all-time in passing yards. 

College Football Career Total Touchdowns    
1. John Matocha, Mines        186        
2. Case Keenum (Houston)        178        
     Blaine Hawkins (Central Iowa)    178        

College Football Career Passing Touchdowns        
1. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd    159    D-II        
2. John Matocha, Mines    158    D-II        
3. Alex Tanney, Monmouth    157    D-III        
4. Case Keenum, Houston    155    FBS        

NCAA D-II Career Total Touchdowns        
186 - John Matocha, Mines (158 pass/27 rush/1 rec.)    
171 - Tyson Bagent, Shepherd (159 pass/12 rush)        
166 - Jason Vander Lann, Ferris State (85 pass/81 rush)    

NCAA D-II Career Total Offensive Yards        
1. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd         17,213        
2. Bo Cordell, Tusculum        16,432        
3. John Matocha, Mines         16,414        
4. Jimmy Terwilliger, E. Stroudsburg    16,064        
5. Steven Gachette, SW Baptist    15,235        

NCAA D-II Career Passing Yards            
1. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd         17,034        
2. Bo Cordell, Tusculum        16,265        
3. Zach Amedro, West Liberty        14,733        
4. John Matocha, Mines         14,444        
5. Jimmy Terwilliger, E. Stroudsburg    14,350        

TO THE MAX
Max McLeod has continued his monster season into the playoffs with 291 receiving yards through the last two games. McLeod leads NCAA Division II in receiving yards per game (114.8) and raw yardage (1,493) and is fourth in receiving touchdowns (16). He now has the second-most yards ever in a Mines season, surpassing his own 2022 campaign of 1,492 yards, and is 135 yards shy of breaking Brody Oliver's program record of 1,627 yards in 2016.

Mines Career Receiving Yards            
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018)    4,010        
2. Justin Gallas (2001-2005)    3,561        
3. Max McLeod (2021-pres.)    3,447        

Mines Career Receiving Touchdowns        
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018)    59        
2. Max McLeod (2021-pres.)    44        
3. Josh Johnston (2018-22)    40        

WELL GROUNDED, PART I
The Orediggers have had an extremely productive rushing offense in 2023, with their 218 yards per game on the ground ranking 12th nationally. Behind a veteran offensive line, it's been a true group effort as Noah Roper and Landon Walker - both all-RMAC selections - have combined for 1,566 yards and 27 touchdowns (plus 5 more receiving scores), with John Matocha adding another 419 and 4, and Braelon Tate 302 and 4. Mines has been over 200 yards rushing in a game eight times and 250 yards five times this year including their 508-yard performance at Fort Lewis in Week 11, which was the second-best single-game mark in program history and most since 1992. 

WELL GROUNDED, PART II
On the other side of the ball, the Orediggers' run defense has been one of the nation's elite units in 2023, ranking third in D-II allowing only 61 yards per game. Mines has given up only seven rushing touchdowns this season, none in its last five games, and only one (at Black Hills State on Oct. 21) in its last seven. The Orediggers have not allowed 100 or more yards in nine straight games, and have five games - vs. Adams State (5 yards), Western Colorado (7), Fort Lewis (-33), Augustana (6), and Central Washington (7) - of less than 10 yards allowed. Mines has allowed a combined -20 yards rushing over its last three games. Mines has 108 tackles for loss overall led by their outside linerbackers Nolan Reeve (12.5) and Jaden Healy (9.5) and middle Hayden Gregg (8.0). 

REEVE LEADS THE WAY
RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Nolan Reeve continues to be college football's active leader in sacks with 41.5 in his career. Reeve has a team-leading 9.0 this season to go with 52 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, and two recoveries (one for a TD). The Mines record is held by former Jacksonville Jaguar and all-American Marc Schiechl at 46.0; coincidentally, Reeve is Mines' first RMAC DPOTY since Schiechl did it in 2010. 

NCAA Football Active Sacks Leaders            
1. Nolan Reeve (Mines)        41.5        
2. Ryan Bodolus (Ursinus)        36.5        
3. Josh Bever (Ohio Northern)    36.5        

YOINK!
Mines is an exceptional +21 on turnover margin this season, which ranks fourth in NCAA Division II, and they lead the nation in turnovers gained with 31 overall. It's come from all directions, with 22 different Orediggers having a hand in at least one turnover this season; cornerback Jackson Zimmermann's six interceptions leads Mines in total turnovers, with Evan Alexander (1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR), Jaden Williams (1 INT, 1 FR), Nolan Reeve (2 FR, 3 FF) Jaden Healy (1 INT, 2 FF), Joey Beckner (1 FF, 2 FR), Eb Alfred-Igbokwe (2 FR), Logan Rayburn (1 INT, 1 FR), and Zach Hester (1 FF, 1 FR) also having stats in multiple columns.

WORKING OVERTIME
Mines' game against Central Washington represented the 12th career playoff game for Mines' seniors (and the 13th for the sixth-year seniors), meaning that the Orediggers have essentially played more than five full seasons of football in the last four as an NCAA Division II regular season contains 11 games. John Matocha is Mines' active and all-time leader in starts at 55 (all consecutive), with Jaden Williams (47) and Cam Forrest (41) also over 40 and Nic Van de Graaf and Nolan Reeve each at 38.

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 offense and seventh in defense. Mines has converted 56.1 percent of its third-down opportunities offensively, while the defense has allowed opponents to convert only 26.4 percent; both marks lead the RMAC. 

BIG LEG BLAKE
Punter Blake Doud became Mines' first RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year since 2013 as he has excelled in his first year starting. Doud leads the RMAC by two full yards in punting average at 46.1 yards per punt on 37 boots; that total includes 13 beyond 50 yards and 18 inside the 20-yard line, and he has the RMAC's longest punt of the year at 77 yards (which was at Angelo State, not at elevation). Opponents have managed only eight punt returns against the Orediggers this season, averaging 4.75 yards. Doud's average would lead the nation but Mines has not punted enough for him to be ranked in the national stats; the Orediggers lead NCAA Division II in net punting at 41.2 yards per punt. The redshirt sophomore from Parker, Colo. is a three-time RMAC Specialist of the Week and two-time D2football.com National Specialist of the Week this season. 

NEXT UP
The winner advances to the national final on Dec. 16 against the winner of Harding and Lenoir-Rhyne; the game will take place in at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas with a noon CT kickoff on ESPNU.