Colorado School of Mines (5-2, 3-2 RMAC) at #6/5 Western Colorado (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) // Saturday, Oct. 25 // 1 p.m.
Mountaineer Bowl - Gunnison, Colo.
[RMAC Network PPV] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes]

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For the 100th time, Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado square off as the Orediggers visit Gunnison to take on the undefeated Mountaineers. 

LIVE COVERAGE
This week's game will stream exclusively on the RMAC Network (pay-per-view). Beginning this fall the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday looks to be a nice day in Gunnison with a high of 59 under mostly sunny skies and light winds.

LEADING THE WAY
Mines will rotate captains on a weekly basis in 2025, with Dominic Caggiano, Joseph Capra, Patrick Mologne, and Jackson Zimmermann leading the Orediggers in Week 8 against Western Colorado.

STITT HAPPENS... AGAIN
Bob Stitt was announced as the new head coach of Mines Football on Feb. 7, returning to Golden after 10 years away to take over the program that he built into a national contender. Stitt was originally the Orediggers' head coach from 2000 to 2014, winning three RMAC titles, earning the first three NCAA playoff appearances in program history, and compiling a record of 108-62. The winningest head coach in Mines history, Stitt built Mines into a power program in the RMAC and NCAA Division II, winning the program's first conference title in more than 50 years in 2004 and going on to have 19 all-Americans and 168 all-RMAC selections over 15 seasons.

LAST WEEK
Mines rode an offensive explosion as they routed Adams State 72-14 at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers generated 763 yards of total offense led by six first-half touchdown passes from Joseph Capra, with Mines leading the Grizzlies 49-14 at the break. Max Barnes ran for an impressive 201 yards and a touchdown while Pierce Richards caught three scores on 88 yards receiving. Capra, in only one half of play, was 14-of-18 for 226 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 67 yards. The Orediggers' ground game was impressive with 476 rushing yards, averaging 9.9 yards per attempt as both Barnes and Josh Snyder (109) went over 100 yards. Freshman Connor Cade, in his collegiate debut, added 58 yards and a touchdown. Mines scored on all of its possessions save its final one, which it kneeled out.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Undefeated at 7-0 and ranked #6 by the AFCA and #5 by D2football.com, Western Colorado is tied atop the RMAC at 5-0 coming off a 34-13 win at South Dakota Mines last week. Their defense has been the RMAC's best, allowing only 12.9 points and 283 yards per game led by Ian Loomis (54 TT, 7.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks) and Cameron Cooper (39 TT, 10.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks). The offense has been impressive as well averaging 42.3 points per game led by quarterback Drew Nash, who has thrown 19 touchdowns against only one interception for 1,578 yards, and he has run for 238 yards and seven touchdowns as well. Caden Measner is third in the RMAC in receiving yards at 538 with seven touchdowns, while Quinn Bailey's five touchdowns lead their running backs.

LAST YEAR VS. WESTERN COLORADO
#10/12 Colorado School of Mines' fourth-quarter comeback attempt wasn't enough as #8/10 Western Colorado held on to win, 38-28, last season in Golden. The Orediggers trailed 31-7 in the fourth quarter before reeling off three touchdowns, but ran out of time in front of a stadium-record crowd of 7,813. Evan Foster was 21-of-30 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Both Flynn Schiele and Max McLeod crossed 100 receiving yards for a third consecutive game as Schiele had 136 with two touchdowns and McLeod 107 with a score; Mark McCurdy also caught a touchdown on 71 yards. Mountaineers quarterback Drew Nash threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another on 88 yards, while Braeden Hogan rushed for 148 yards and two scores. Ricky Freymond led a stout WCU defense with three sacks as they compiled seven overall.

NOTING THE SERIES
Colorado's longest unbroken football series, Mines and Western Colorado are meeting for the 100th time ... This year's game is 100 years to the month from their first meeting, which happened in Golden on Oct. 3, 1925 ... It is Mines' most-played rivalry ... Western Colorado leads the series 53-44-2 but Mines has won seven of the last 10 ... After the first game in 1925 (a 15-6 Western Colorado win), other than a five-year break for World War II and the 2020 pandemic season, the two teams have met at least once every year since ... Western (20 titles) and Mines (16 titles) are #1 and #2 all-time in terms of RMAC Championships and shared the 2021 crown.

CAPRA HONORED BY RMAC
For the second time this season, quarterback Joseph Capra was named the RMAC's Offensive Player of the Week after his career game against Adams State. Capra threw a career-high six touchdowns - all in the first half - and generated 293 total yards of offense, passing for 226 and rushing for 67. His quarterback rating of 293.4 was a career high as he was an efficient 14-of-18 in the air.

RICHARDS LEADS RMAC
Through seven games, Pierce Richards has proven to be the Orediggers' workhorse at receiver, collecting 46 catches (the most per game - 6.6 - in the RMAC) for 462 yards and six touchdowns. Richards has been on a tear the past month, catching seven balls for 117 yards (a career high) at Black Hills State, a career-high 10 catches for 77 yards against Colorado Mesa, eight catches for 50 yards vs. South Dakota Mines, and then a career-high three touchdowns last week vs. Adams State.

GOING DEEP
While Pierce Richards has been the short-yardage go-to in Mines' offense, Aksel Richard has developed into a deep threat, posting back-to-back-to-back season highs in yardage before breaking out for a career-high 104 yards at South Dakota Mines. Richard caught touchdowns against both Black Hills State and Colorado Mesa, then added a 45-yard score last week against Adams State - his only catch of the game - to take his total to three in the last four games.

RB TRIO STEPS UP
With Landon Walker out, Braelon Tate and Max Barnes have stepped into the starting running back role over the past two weeks and been extremely productive for the Orediggers. Against South Dakota Mines, Tate carried 20 times for 87 yards on the ground and added three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown in the air. Last week against Adams State, it was Barnes' turn as he went off for a career-high 201 yards with a touchdown on 18 carries in only his second game of the season coming off injury. And redshirt freshman Josh Snyder had a season debut to remember as well - in his first game of 2025 last week, he compiled 109 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, plus caught a 22-yard pass, to set career highs. The Adams State game marked the second time this season that Mines had two 100+ yard rushers.

DEFENSE STANDS TOUGH
The last two weeks have seen the Mines defense post back-to-back season lows in points allowed at 14 against South Dakota Mines and Adams State. The Orediggers are +3 on turnover ratio in that time, including two takeaways last week on fumbles recovered by Brock Ewing and Hall Edmonds.

WE CAN DANCE IF WE WANT TO
In seven games this season, the Mines defense has generated three scoring plays which includes two safeties, marking the first time since the 2018 season that Mines has had multiple. The first came in Week 1 at West Texas A&M when Justin Vaughn's strip in the end zone went out of bounds for what proved to be a decisive two points in the game; last week, Earl Ingle IV stripped the ball that dribbled back to the end zone where it was fallen on by a Black Hills State player for two. The Orediggers also had Sean Gilbert's 89-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Chadron State, their longest defensive scoring play since 2018.

FLIPPING THE FIELD
Punter Lucas LeSieur was plenty busy against Adams State, holding for 11 kick attempts, but one thing he didn't do was punt as the Orediggers scored on all of their possessions. LeSieur has been one of Mines' biggest difference-makers this season, leading the RMAC in punting at 45.5 yards per kick. Ten of his 22 punts have been downed inside the 20 (to only four touchbacks) and seven have sailed 50+ yards. He would rank second nationally in punting but is now shy of the NCAA's minimum 3.6 punts per game to be ranked.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
Redshirt freshman Preston Kyle hit a 56-yard field goal against Washburn, which not only was the Orediggers' first 50+ yard boot since 2017, it was Mines' longest field goal period since 1998, when Scott Juengst hit a 57-yarder against Fort Lewis. Mines kickers have hit 11 50+ yard field goals in the NCAA Division II era dating back to 1992; the program record remains Mike Flater's 62-yarder against Western Colorado in 1973. This season, Kyle ranks seventh in NCAA Division II with 1.43 field goals per game, making 10 of 14 tries including four of 40+ yards.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will return home for two straight games, hosting New Mexico Highlands Nov. 1 and CSU Pueblo on Nov. 8.