#12/14 Colorado School of Mines (5-1, 3-1 RMAC) at Adams State (0-6, 0-4 RMAC) // Saturday, Oct. 19 // 1 p.m.
Rex Stadium - Alamosa, Colo.
[RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes]

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Rebounding with a win against South Dakota Mines last week, #12/14 Colorado School of Mines heads out on the road to face Adams State as the season's second half begins.

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

WEATHER REPORT
Colorado has decided to skip fall and go straight to winter as Saturday's weather forecast in Alamosa is a gametime temperature of 46 and off-and-on rain throughout the day.

AT THE HELM
Pete Sterbick enters his second season as head coach of Colorado School of Mines, going 14-1 in 2023 and earning AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors. The Orediggers' coaching staff returns largely intact with offensive coordinator Tim Brandon and defensive coordinator Tripp Thomas back for their second and third seasons, respectively, in those positions, while a familiar face in Yon Boone rejoins the staff as special teams coordinator.

MINES NAMES CAPTAINS
Mines has elected four captains for the 2024 season: quarterback Evan Foster, offensive tackle Nic Van de Graaf, and linebackers Jaden Healy and Adrian Moreno. All are first-year captains.

IN THE POLLS
Mines was selected atop the RMAC preseason coaches' poll on July 31, earning 79 points and seven of 10 first-place votes to lead Western Colorado and CSU Pueblo. In the national polls, Mines stayed at #12 in the AFCA coaches' poll and moved up one spot to #14 in the D2football.com media poll this week. Mines has appeared in 69 straight AFCA and 70 consecutive D2football.com polls.
  
NOTING THE SERIES
This will be the 76th meeting between Mines and Adams State in a series dating back to 1947 ... The series is tied 37-36-2, with Mines taking the series lead last year ... Mines had trailed in the series since 1964 but has won 10 straight over the Grizzlies ... ASU leads 18-16-1 in Alamosa ... Mines has won 10 in a row and 15 of the last 16 dating back to 2007 ... The Orediggers have scored 40 or more points in each of their wins in the current winning streak, including last year's 70-7 win in Golden.

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Adams State is still hunting for its first win at 0-6 overall and 0-4 in RMAC play. The Grizzlies are quarterbacked by Chase Nelson who has thrown for 660 yards and four touchdowns in five games, while Ahmare Merrida is the feature back with more than half the team's rushing yards at 244 and a touchdown on 65 carries. The ASU defense is allowing 53.5 points and 537.5 yards per game, with Seth Shaw's 42 tackles leading the team. 

LAST YEAR VS. ADAMS STATE
Contributions came from every direction in Mines' comprehensive 70-7 win over Adams State in Week 3 of the 2023 season. The Orediggers ran out to a 49-0 halftime lead and did not allow a first-half Grizzly first down. Nine different Orediggers scored a touchdown with a first half masterminded by John Matocha, who completed 20-of-26 passing attempts for 341 yards and five touchdowns, with Evan Foster playing a half's worth of football and passing for 53 yards and rushing for 29 and a score. Max McLeod compiled 109 yards and a score on five catches. Landon Walker, Aksel Richard, Nick Stone, McLeod, Sean Roberts, and Billy Pospisil III all hit the end zone and ultimately, 12 different players caught a pass for Mines and nine had a rush. Mines scored on its first 10 possessions through the middle of the fourth quarter. The Mines defense held ASU to only 91 total yards.

WEEK 6 REWIND
Mines controlled the game from the start, blowing out to a huge third-quarter lead on the way to a 45-20 win over South Dakota Mines last week at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers led 42-6 through three quarters led by the potent aerial attack of Evan Foster, who passed for 319 yards and four touchdowns, and the duo of Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele, who each had two touchdowns as McLeod had 172 yards and Schiele 126 through the air. The Mines defense shut down the Hardrockers on the ground and produced an opening-drive pick-six by Will Ramsey as they held SDM to 287 total yards of offense.

WEEK 6 QUICK HITS

- Evan Foster went 19-for-26 for 319 yards and four touchdowns, producing a pair of 100-yard receivers.
- Max McLeod caught a game-high eight passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, and Flynn Schiele also had two touchdown catches among six receptions for 126 yards.
- Landon Walker was efficient with 59 yards off 10 carries and a touchdown.
- Will Ramsey returned an interception 30 yards to the house on the game's second play among four tackles overall.
- Hayden Gregg led Mines defenders for a second straight week with seven tackles.
- Blake Ramsey forced a goal-line fumble recovered by Josh Pollard. 
- Brady Zingelmann had the Orediggers' lone sack.
- Blake Doud averaged 51.2 yards per punt with a long of 68 as he stuck two inside the five.
- Matthew Eich kicked a 34-yard field goal to stay perfect on the season.

WITH HONORS
For their play against South Dakota Mines, both Will Ramsey and Blake Doud were named RMAC players of the week on the defensive and special teams sides, respectively. Ramsey had four tackles to go with his first career pick-six, while Doud boomed four punts for a 51.2-yard average including two over 50 and two inside the five yardline. It is Ramsey's first career honor and Doud's second of the season (and fourth career). 

SUPER RAMSEY BROTHERS
Will Ramsey wasn't the only member of his family making big defensive plays last Saturday. Older brother Blake Ramsey got in on the turnover action with a big goal line hit to pop loose a fumble that was recovered by Josh Pollard, saving a touchdown by South Dakota Mines. The Ramsey brothers combined for both of Mines' turnovers, seven tackles, and a tackle for loss in the win.

TO THE MAX
The career milestones keep coming for Max McLeod, who crossed 4,000 career yards in Week 4, broke Brody Oliver's program record for receiving yards in Week 5, and then last week caught his 50th career touchdown pass among two against South Dakota Mines. McLeod - college football's active leader in receiving yards with 4,266 - is now one of only two players (and the only in D-II) to be in the 4,000-yard/50-touchdown club along with Illinois College's Collin Brunstein. McLeod now stands 717 yards from the D-II all-time record of 4,983 held by Ferris State's Clarence Coleman (1998-2001), and is eight touchdowns away from tying Oliver's Mines and RMAC record of 59. The 26th 4,000-yard receiver in D-II history, he and Oliver are the only two to reach 4K from the same program; he is only the 12th D-II player to reach 50 career touchdown receptions, as well. 

Mines Career Receiving Yards Leaders        
1. Max McLeod (2021-pres.)    4,266        
2. Brody Oliver (2014-2018)    4,010        
3. Justin Gallas (2001-2005)    3,561        

Mines Career Receiving Touchdowns Leaders        
1. Brody Oliver (2014-2018)    59        
2. Max McLeod (2021-pres.)    51        
3. Josh Johnston (2018-22)    40        

NCAA Active Receiving Yards Leaders        
1. Max McLeod, Mines (D-II)    4,266        
2. Collin Brunstein, Illinois Col. (D-III)    4,038        
3. Zakhari Franklin, Illinois (FBS)    3,732        
4. Scott Fraser, Grove City (D-III)    3,630        

NCAA Active Receiving TDs Leaders        
1. Collin Brunstein, Illinois Col. (D-III)    56        
2. Max McLeod, Mines (D-II)    51        
3. Trey Madsen, North Central (D-III)    48        
4. Tyler Kahmann, Emporia St. (D-II)    43        

DYNAMIC DUO
Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele have been a problem for opposing defenses this fall, and past the midpoint of the regular season, the duo stand out in the national statistics. They both rank in the top five in NCAA Division II in receiving yards per game (Schiele 3rd at 114.8, McLeod 5th at 109.3), and they are the only teammates averaging 100+ yards per game this season (the next closest pair average 80 and 101). Schiele still owns D-II's best receiving yardage game of the year by a wide margin with his 297 against Black Hills State.

OREDIGGERS AMONG D-II LEADERS
Mines is all over the NCAA Division II statistical leaders report this week, most notably in punting where Blake Doud has taken over the national lead in yards per punt at 46.6. Mines also rates fourth in net punting at 43 yards per kick. Other top-10 team categories include third-down conversion offense (5th at 53.7%) and fourth-down conversion defense (6th at 20%). Individually, as mentioned earlier the duo of Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele rank highlight in just about every receiving category as they are in the top 10 in receiving yards, receptions per game, and McLeod is eighth in receiving TDs; on the ground, Landon Walker ranks fifth with his nine rushing touchdowns. Evan Foster is eighth nationally in completion percentage at 68.1%.

BE LIKE EICH
The one special teams piece Mines needed to replace in the offseason was at kicker, but it turns out that it was a familiar face winning the job. Matthew Eich, after starting as a true freshman and sophomore in 2021 and 2022, redshirted last year, and is back in 2024 with a perfect start on field goals (5-for-5) to go with 24-of-26 PATs made. His field goals have included a career-long 47-yarder this season.

THIIIIIRD DOWN
Mines' offense has done a good job of staying on schedule this season, converting an RMAC-best 44-of-82 (53.6%) third-down opportunities. That ranks fifth-best in NCAA Division II through five weeks.

BLOCK PARTY
Blocked kicks aren't a common occurance in football, and it's even rarer to get two in a game. But that's exactly what the Oredigger special teams pulled off at Colorado Mesa, coming up with both a blocked punt and a blocked PAT in the game. Late in the second quarter, Aaron Rhea blocked a punt inside the red zone to set up the Orediggers' second touchdown, while in the fourth quarter, it was Jaden Healy getting a paw on a Maverick PAT. It was Mines' first blocked punt since the 2022 postseason (Zach Hester against CSU Pueblo in the NCAA First Round) and first blocked PAT also since the 2022 season (Max Fecci at Chadron State).

DEFENSIVE DEPTH
Mines' defensive trademark over the past few seasons has been its depth in rotation, and that has continued in 2024 with 39 different players registering tackles over the first four games. Jaden Healy leads the way in both tackles (33) and tackles for loss (7.5) with Adrian Moreno's 31 tackles and Hayden Gregg's 27 ranking second and third. Will Ramsey, Joel Diaz, Will Drogosch, and Devyn Lauer-Duarte have interceptions, as well, while Dominic Caggiano leads the team with 2.0 sacks. 

START ME UP
Veteran left tackle Nic Van de Graaf is the Orediggers' active leader in starts as he is projected to make his 47th career start against Adams State. Long snapper Josh Wojciechowicz will join Van de Graaf and linebacker Adrian Moreno (41) in the 40-start club this week; Wojciechowicz has a team-best 37 consecutive starts at his position.

HELMETS HONOR PAST OREDIGGERS
To commemorate Colorado School of Mines' year-long 150th birthday celebrations, the Orediggers will wear four different throwback-inspired helmets this season. For this week's game, Mines will wear the third of the set, the "Miner Man" logo, to honor teams that wore the same logo from 1991 to 1996. Mines will wear one more logo later in the season to honor the early 2000s teams, and will return to their familiar chrome Blaster the Burro logo in Week 11. 

RETIRING #74
Mines Football retired the #74 jersey of the legendary Marv Kay in May 2023 shortly following his passing, and it is one of two numbers retired (along with Harry Campbell's #48) at Mines. Fans will still see 74 on the field, however, at least for the next two years. Offensive tackle Zach Morris, a redshirt junior, was wearing the #74 at the time of its retirement and will continue to wear it until his graduation in honor of Kay; he will be the final Mines player to sport the number.

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to face Western Colorado in a clash of nationally-ranked teams on Oct. 26.