GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - #4/7 Colorado School of Mines was tripped up on the road as Colorado Mesa came back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to win the Nyikos Cup game, 14-13. 

Max McLeod became Mines' all-time leading receiver in the game, leading all receivers with seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. He surpassed Brody Oliver's program record of 4,010 yards set between 2015 and 2018. McLeod now stands at 4,094 career yards and 49 touchdowns. 

Evan Foster was 14-of-30 for 159 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, and was sacked five times. The Mines defense did what it could holding CMU (3-2, 2-1 RMAC) to 285 yards of total offense generating a pick, but Liu Aumavae threw for both of the Maverick's touchdowns in a 157-yard day and Brandon Belgrave rushed for a game-high 94 yards.

Mines scored right out of the gate with Foster finishing a long 14-play drive with a 10-yard pass to the post for McLeod. Mines' offense had trouble finishing after that; they punted the next possession, then two straight interceptions by the Maverick defense kept it a 7-0 game until late in the second quarter. 

Meanwhile, the Mines defense did its job forcing four straight Maverick punts, and the final one was blocked in the red zone by Aaron Rhea to set the Orediggers up on the CMU 9. Three plays later, Walker dove over the pile and into the end zone for a 13-0 lead after a missed PAT. CMU's Sullivan Moon missed a 48-yard field goal attempt at the first-half buzzer.

Neither team scored in the third quarter as each punted thrice and turned it over on downs once, but the Mavericks got in the end zone for the first time on the first play of the fourth quarter thanks to a six-yard pass from Aumavae to Trevin Edwards; the PAT was blocked by Jaden Healy, however, to make it a 13-6 Mines lead.

Mines punted its next possession, and CMU then ate 5:41 off the clock with an 11-play, 98-yard drive that finished with Quezon Villa's nine-yard touchdown catch. A reverse option pass by Sam Horneck converted the two points to give the Mavericks the lead, 14-13, with 5:27 to go. Mines turned the ball over on the downs at midfield two minutes later, but got the ball back on a three-and-out just after the two-minute warning; the Orediggers completed a 15-yard pass to Flynn Schiele then drew a pass interference flag, but two incompletions and a strip sack recovered by the Mavericks ended the game. 

NEXT UP
Mines (4-1, 2-1 RMAC) will host South Dakota Mines next Saturday at noon.