Colorado School of Mines (6-4, 4-4 RMAC) at Fort Lewis (2-8, 1-7 RMAC) // Saturday, Nov. 15 // 12 p.m.
Dennison Memorial Field - Durango, Colo.
[RMAC Network PPV] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes]

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Colorado School of Mines looks to end the 2025 season on a high note as it visits Fort Lewis in Week 11. The Orediggers hope to extend a 17-game winning streak against the Skyhawks.

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 beautiful day in Durango with a high of 65 and partly cloudy skies.

LEADING THE WAY
After rotating captains throughout the season, last week the Mines players selected permanent season captains with Joseph Capra, Cade Myer, Matt Soderdahl, and Jackson Zimmermann. 

LAST WEEK
#6/7 CSU Pueblo rallied back from a big deficit to defeat Colorado School of Mines in overtime, 41-34, at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers (6-4, 4-4 RMAC) led 31-13 in the third quarter before the Thunderwolves (9-1, 8-0 RMAC) scored the final two touchdowns of the fourth quarter and then had another in overtime combined with a game-ending interception to stay atop the RMAC standings. Mines produced 242 rushing yards led once again by Max Barnes, who ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, and Braelon Tate, who added 60 more yards and a score.  Roman Fuller threw for 268 yards on 48 passing attempts with four touchdowns, but Mines' Joel Diaz intercepted him twice, part of four total turnovers on the day for the defense. Reggie Retzlaff caught three touchdowns including the go-ahead overtime score.

SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
Fort Lewis enters the final week of the season at 2-8 overall and 1-7 in the RMAC coming off a 44-24 win against Adams State and a 31-14 loss to New Mexico Highlands over the last two weeks. Offensively they score 20.7 points per game with a balanced attack; Jake Morris has taken the bulk of quarterback snaps and has thrown for 1,297 yards and six touchdowns on a 58.1 percent completion percentage. Jamal Johnson is their top running weapon with 224 yards and two touchdowns, with Zachary Gaumont and Solomon Latimer catching three scores each. Defensively the Skyhawks allow 30.9 points per game and are led by the nation's leading tackler in linebacker Jake Penney, who has an exceptional 136 total tackles with 9.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks along with two forced fumbles. Aaron Francis has forced four fumbles and has two sacks, as well. 

LAST YEAR VS. FORT LEWIS
Mines ended the 2024 season on a high note, routing Fort Lewis 67-9 behind a total team effort. The Orediggers produced 622 yards of offense plus a defensive touchdown, emptying the bench as four different players scored rushing touchdowns and Flynn Schiele and Nick Stone caught scores. Jake Sype made his first career start and split time with Joseph Capra at quarterback; Sype was an efficient 8-of-9 for 89 yards, while Capra threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Mines held Fort Lewis to only 135 yards of offense, generating seven sacks and three turnovers including Sean Gilbert's pick-six and Hayden Gregg's interception. The Oredigger defense held FLC to 0-of-14 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth.

NOTING THE SERIES
Mines and Fort Lewis are meeting for the 63rd time since 1963 ... The two have met every season since the Skyhawks began football in 1963, save for the 2020 season when Mines didn't play ... The all-time series is close, with Mines owning a 35-27 lead ... The Orediggers have won 17 straight dating back to 2007 ... Mines has scored 40+ points in each game of the series dating back to 2012 ... The Orediggers are 18-14 in Durango.

AROUND THE RMAC
Last week's CSU Pueblo comeback win, combined with Chadron State's overtime walkoff field goal to upset Western Colorado, leaves the RMAC with a de facto championship game this week as CSU Pueblo hosts Chadron State (both teams at 8-0). Western Colorado (6-2) hosts a tough Colorado Mesa (5-3) team needing a win to have a chance at a playoff spot. Coming into this week, the NCAA regional rankings included CSUP at #4, Chadron State at #6, and Western Colorado at #9, with the top eight making the postseason.

BARNES GOES OFF
In only five games this season, running back Max Barnes has made a huge impact on the Mines offense, taking over the starting role and producing 649 yards and five touchdowns, plus another 46 receiving yards on seven catches. He has a four-game touchdown streak going, including two last week against CSU Pueblo, and has crossed 150 yards three times in his last four games - 201 vs. Adams State, 172 vs. New Mexico Highlands, and 157 vs. CSU Pueblo. His hard-charging running style has resulted in 7.9 yards per carry, and perhaps most impressively, Barnes has lost only a single yard on 82 carries this season.

CAPRA WRAPS UP PRODUCTIVE SEASON
Joseph Capra wraps up his first full year as Mines' starting quarterback with some solid numbers to his name, throwing 22 touchdowns to only four interceptions as he completed 65.2 percent of his passes in 2025. Capra has thrown for 2,021 yards while also running for 395 yards and four more touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per rush even with sacks taken into account.

SEEING DOUBLE
Safety Joel Diaz had a whale of a game against CSU Pueblo, making multiple impactful plays on defense. Diaz had two interceptions - both in the second quarter - and nearly a third later in the game, generated a solo sack, and had six tackles overall. He is the first Oredigger with two interceptions in a game since teammate Jackson Zimmermann did it at Colorado Mesa in 2023. This season, Diaz leads Mines in total turnovers generated with six (3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble).

TAKE IT AWAY
The Orediggers are +7 on turnover margin this season, thanks in part to 15 different defenders who have generated at least one turnover. As mentioned, Joel Diaz leads the team with six total turnovers, and Jackson Zimmermann, Hall Edmonds, Brady Zingelmann and Nicholas Dudzikowski (who got his second fumble recovery of 2025 last week) join Diaz as Orediggers with multiple turnover generations in 2025. Mines' defense and special teams generated four turnovers in the CSU Pueblo game.

WE CAN DANCE IF WE WANT TO
This season, the Mines defense has created 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 has had a debut season to remember, entering this week averaging an RMAC-best 44.8 yards per punt. That puts him at third in the NCAA Division II punting statistics. LeSieur has been one of Mines' biggest difference-makers this season, putting 12 of his 37 punts inside the 20 (to only five touchbacks) and 10 have sailed 50+ yards. 

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 third in NCAA Division II with 1.5 field goals per game, making 15 of 21 tries including four of 40+ yards.

FINAL TIME FOR #74
Last week marked the final time that the number 74 was worn in Golden as senior offensive tackle Zack Morris played at home for the last time. In 2023, Mines retired the number in honor of the great Marv Kay after his passing; Morris was already wearing 74 and was grandfathered to continue wearing it in honor of Kay until his career concluded. It is the second retired number in Mines Football along with the 48 of Harry Campbell.

FIRST TIME?
The Orediggers' win at West Texas A&M marked the second "first" win for Head Coach Bob Stitt, and it came nearly 25 years to the day after his first head coaching victory with the Orediggers. Stitt's first tenure began in 2000 and Mines won 55-19 at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Sept. 9 that season to give him his first victory. Stitt now has a program-record 114 wins in his 16th season overall.

FRESHMAN RULE EXPANDS
This was not a rule-change year for college football, but NCAA Division II made a key change to eligibility rules that will impact freshmen in 2025. For the last several seasons, true freshmen could play in up to three games and retain their redshirts, as had been the case in FBS and FCS; starting this fall, that limit is now four games, as the NCAA is expanding the rule to all sports in Division II.  One Oredigger - linebacker David Baba - has used his four games already, and another - defensive back Bryce Bailey - could do so at Fort Lewis.