ALAMOSA, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines won its sixth consecutive game, controlling start to finish in a 69-12 victory at Adams State.
The Orediggers (6-2-1, 6-1 RMAC) set the tone out of the gate with an explosive offense, racking up 777 total yards and scoring on all but their final possession against the Grizzlies (0-9, 0-7 RMAC).
Joseph Capra threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns - all in the first half - while Barnes ran for 167 yards and two scores and
Tyson Mauck had 136 yards and two touchdowns. The Mines offense was unstoppable with 505 yards of first-half offense, and had 332 yards rushing and 445 yards passing in the game.
Mines needed only two plays to score after the opening kickoff, with Barnes getting loose for a 55-yard gain on the first play before Capra found
Aksel Richard for a 20-yard touchdown. Adams State responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Frank Arcuri's 25-yard pass to James Coby, but they missed the two-point conversion and would not score again in the half.
Meanwhile, the Orediggers moved the ball at will, with Barnes' three-yard plunge extending the lead and Mauck's 83-yard catch-and-run - Mines' longest reception of the season - making it 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. Barnes added a 13-yard scoring run to open the second, and Capra finished off his stint with touchdown passes for
Pierce Richards (29 yards) and Mauck again (53 yards) before
Preston Kyle's 22-yard field goal ended the half with a 45-6 lead.
The offensive second unit continued to excel in the second half with
Alex Birch throwing touchdowns to
Josh Best and
Jake Willis before
Austin Gonzalez hit
Connor McGrath for a spectacular leaping 32-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Kyle finished the scoring with a 25-yard field goal late in the fourth. Adams State scored on a 12-play, 75-yard drive ending with Coby's one-yard rushing touchdown late in the third, but their PAT was blocked.
NOTABLES
- Mines recorded its second-most offensive yards ever in a game with 777, trailing only a 798-yard outburst against Fort Lewis in 2023.
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Mitch Jensen had 81 yards on 11 carries, and freshmen
Channing Fox (50 yards) and
Wesley Glass (30 yards) had career-best performances in the run game.
- Mauck produced his 136 yards on only two catches - both touchdowns - while Willis had a career game with a game-high six catches for 91 yards. McGrath added 48 yards off three catches.
- Both Birch and Gonzalez threw their first collegiate touchdowns in the game. Oredigger quarterbacks combined to go 22-of-28 for an average of 20.2 yards per reception in the game, with Birch going 5-for-5 for 73 yards and Gonzales 5-for-6 for 91.
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Joseph Gonzales had the game's only turnover with an interception late in the second half that led to Mines' field goal. Gonzales co-led Mines with six tackles along with
Jack Mills and
Davis Perkins.
Trevor Nordstrom had the game's only sack.
- In addition to a perfect 2-for-2 day on field goals, Kyle banged all 12 of his kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks. He kicked five of Mines' nine PATs with
Jack Manthey taking the other four.
- Mines was a season-best 7-for-7 in the red zone.
- Mines won its 13th in a row over the Grizzlies and now lead the series 40-36-2 all-time. They evened their record in Alamosa to 18-18-1.
- The Orediggers won on Halloween for the first time since 1992.
NEXT UP
Mines visits unbeaten Western Colorado on Nov. 7.
