#10/12 Colorado School of Mines (6-1, 4-1 RMAC) vs. #8/10 Western Colorado (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) // Saturday, Oct. 26 // 12 p.m.
Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium, Golden, Colo.
[RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes]

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For the 99th time, rivals Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado match up - and for the second straight year, they do so as top-10 ranked teams.

LIVE COVERAGE
This week's game will stream for free on the RMAC Network. It will be seen on KCDO Local3 on tape delay at 4 p.m. Saturday. Miles Dunklin and Aniello Piro have the call. 

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

- The Ore Cart Shuttles will run on game day for fans - visit the Parking page for more information.
- Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print at home tickets ahead of time at minesathletics.com/tickets.
- Mines students, faculty, and staff will be admitted free with their BlasterCard. 
- Gates and the tailgating lot open two hours before kickoff.
- Tailgating is permitted in Lot K only (next to Stermole Soccer Stadium). 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 Kraemer Beer Garden in the McKee West End Zone will be open for all fans 21+. 

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday will be perfect for football in Golden with a game-time temperature of 66 under mostly sunny skies.

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 moved up two spots to #10 in the AFCA coaches' poll and #12 in the D2football.com media poll this week; Western Colorado is two spots ahead in both at #8 and #10. Mines has appeared in 70 straight AFCA and 71 consecutive D2football.com polls.   

ONE FOR THE THUMB
Mines has had a dominating run through the RMAC in recent years, capturing five consecutive titles since 2018 (no championship was awarded in 2020) and going 45-2 in that span against the RMAC. Last year's campaign saw Mines go a perfect 9-0 for a second consecutive season (running their RMAC win streak to 21 games). Mines is only the third RMAC program to win five straight rings, along with Western Colorado (1973-79) and Utah (1928-33).

RMAC PICTURE
With four games left, the RMAC title picture is starting to come into focus. CSU Pueblo (6-0) and Western Colorado (5-0) are the two unbeatens, with both Mines and Colorado Mesa at 4-1 in a clear separation of the top four. CSUP has a bye this week while Mines and Western Colorado play, and Mesa heads to Fort Lewis. Mines, CSU Pueblo, and Western Colorado all still have yet to play each other.

NOTING THE SERIES
Colorado's longest unbroken football series, Mines and Western Colorado are meeting for the 99th time ... It is Mines' most-played rivalry ... Western leads the series 52-44-2 but Mines has won six straight and eight of the last 10 ... The two first met in 1925 (a 15-6 Western Colorado win) and, other than a five-year break for World War II and the 2020 pandemic season, have met at least once every year since ... Western (19 titles) and Mines (16 titles) are #1 and #2 all-time in terms of RMAC Championships and shared the 2021 crown ... It is the second consecutive year that both meet as top-10 teams in the AFCA Coaches' Poll, the only two games in the series for which that is true.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
At 5,707 feet above sea level, Marv Kay Stadium is a challenging place for opposing teams to play since it reopened in 2015, with Mines owning a .913 home winning percentage (53-5) since then. The 2023 season saw the Orediggers go a perfect 9-0 at home (with nine home games being a program record), and they have won 19 straight in Golden going back to the 2022 season. Part of the tough environment is thanks to the fans - Mines averaged more than a sellout last year, with an average of 103% of the stadium's capacity of 4,090 cheering on the Orediggers each week, and a stadium-record 6,958 fans saw Mines beat Black Hills State in Week 4. Saturday's crowd against Western Colorado is expected to challenge that mark.

TOP 10 AT HOME
This week's game will mark the eighth time a top-10 opponent has visited Marv Kay Stadium since 2015, and only the third time - all coming in the two seasons - that the game is a matchup of two top-10 teams. Mines is #10 and Western Colorado #8 in this week's AFCA Coaches' poll. Mines is 5-2 against the AFCA top-10 at Marv Kay Stadium.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Western Colorado is an unbeaten 7-0 and shares first place in the RMAC at 5-0, coming in ranked #8 by the AFCA and #10 by D2football.com. The Mountaineers combine a potent offense averaging 38.4 points per game with a stingy defense that gives up only 15.3. Quarterback Drew Nash has thrown for 1,269 yards and 12 touchdowns against three interceptions, with Josiah Ayon being his top target at 334 yards and 6 touchdowns. The trio of Braeden Hogan, Royce Pao, and Nash have combined for 909 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Defensively, the Mountaineers are +4 led by lineman Ricky Freymond, who has 32 tackles, 12 for a loss, and six sacks, while Cy Shope has 35 stops, a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble.

LAST YEAR VS. WESTERN COLORADO
In a battle of unbeatens, #1 Mines left zero doubt, blasting #9 Western Colorado 42-7 in the snow at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers outscored 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 threw three touchdowns, two to Max McLeod, 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.

WEEK 7 REWIND
Mines was in its offensive groove as it routed Adams State 56-14 on the road last week. The Orediggers generated a season-high 638 yards of offense - including 288 yards rushing - as they scored on the opening drive and exploded for a 35-14 halftime lead. Evan Foster was 25-of-31 for 326 yards and four touchdowns, plus 57 yards on the ground, and he also caught a touchdown courtesy of a trick play from Landon Walker, who ran for a score of his own on 44 yards. Both Flynn Schiele (133 yards, 2 TD) and Max McLeod (111 yards, 1 TD) went over 100 yards for the second straight game, while Jack Walters caught an additional TD and Braelon Tate and Joseph Capra added ground scores.

WEEK 7 QUICK HITS

- Evan Foster went 25-of-31 for 326 yards, rushed for 57, threw four touchdowns, and caught his first career touchdown.
- Both Flynn Schiele and Max McLeod went over 100 receiving yards for a second straight week as Schiele had 133 yards and two touchdowns on five catches, and McLeod seven for 111 yards and a TD.
- Mines ran for 288 yards led by career highs from Konnor Mickelsen (80 yds) and Max Barnes (65 yards), with Landon Walker going for 44 and a touchdown. Walker also threw his first career TD.
- Both Braelon Tate and Joseph Capra ran for touchdowns.
- The Mines defense put together a season-high 11 tackles for loss.
- Sean Gilbert led Mines defenders with a career-high seven tackles.
- Jackson Zimmermann made three pass break-ups.
- Brady Zingelmann had a sack for the second straight week and Jaden Healy added another among his 2.0 TFL.

WITH HONORS
Evan Foster's performance against Adams State earned him his first career weekly award as he was named the National Football Foundation Colorado Chapter's state player of the week award. Foster compiled 400 total offensive yards and five total touchdowns, throwing for four and catching a TD on a trick play from Landon Walker. Foster passed for 326 yards and ran for another 57.

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 caught his 50th career touchdown pass among two in Week 6 against South Dakota Mines. McLeod - college football's active leader in receiving yards with 4,377 - 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 606 yards from the D-II all-time record of 4,983 held by Ferris State's Clarence Coleman (1998-2001), and moved into the D-II all-time top-10 last week with a chance to rapidly move up this week. McLeod is also seven 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.)    4,377        
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.)    52        
3. Josh Johnston (2018-22)    40        

NCAA Active Receiving Yards Leaders        
1. Max McLeod, Mines (D-II)    4,377        
2. Collin Brunstein, Illinois Col. (D-III)    4,193        
3. Zakhari Franklin, Illinois (FBS)    3,758        

NCAA Active Receiving TDs Leaders        
1. Collin Brunstein, Illinois Col. (D-III)    60        
2. Max McLeod, Mines (D-II)    52        
3. Trey Madsen, North Central (D-III)    48        

DYNAMIC DUO
Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele have been a problem for opposing defenses this fall, and the duo stand out in the national statistics as a result. They both rank in the top 10 in NCAA Division II in receiving yards per game (Schiele 4th at 117.4, McLeod 7th at 109.6), and they are the only teammates averaging 100+ yards per game this season. Their 15 combined touchdown catches are more than 120 entire teams (out of 159) in D-II this season. 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 ranks third nationally with an average of 46.3 yards per punt. Mines also rates second in net punting at 43 yards per kick. Other top-10 team categories include third-down conversion offense (6th at 52.2%), completion percentage (4th, 68.5%), total offense (7th, 465.0), and passing offense (10th, 294.4). Individually, as mentioned earlier the duo of Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele rank highly in just about every receiving category as they are in the top 10 in receiving yards, receptions per game, and McLeod is sixth in receiving TDs; on the ground, Landon Walker ranks fourth with his 10 rushing touchdowns. Evan Foster appears in the top 10 in passing yards, passing efficiency, completion percentage, and total offense.

THIIIIIRD DOWN
Mines' offense has done a good job of staying on schedule this season, converting an RMAC-best 47-90 (52.2%) third-down opportunities. That ranks sixth-best in NCAA Division II this week.

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. Jaden Healy leads the way in both tackles (38) and tackles for loss (9.5) with Adrian Moreno's 33 tackles and Hayden Gregg's 28 ranking second and third. Will Ramsey, Joel Diaz, Will Drogosch, and Devyn Lauer-Duarte have interceptions, as well, while Healy leads the team with 2.5 sacks ahead of Dominic Caggiano with 2.0. Jackson Zimmermann has a team-high five pass break-ups.

START ME UP
Veteran left tackle Nic Van de Graaf is the Orediggers' active leader in starts as he is projected to make his 48th career start against Western Colorado. Long snapper Josh Wojciechowicz joined Van de Graaf and linebacker Adrian Moreno (42) in the 40-start club last week; Wojciechowicz has a team-best 38 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 fourth of the set, the "Oval M" logo, to honor teams that wore the same logo in 1970-71 and then again from 2000 to 2014. Mines will return to its familiar chrome Blaster the Burro logo in Week 11 against Fort Lewis.

NEXT UP
Mines heads out for two straight road games starting with a Nov. 2 visit to New Mexico Highlands.