Colorado School of Mines (0-1-1, 0-0 RMAC) at #5/7 CSU Pueblo (2-0, 0-0 RMAC) // Saturday, Sept. 12 // 2 p.m.
Thunderbowl - Pueblo, Colo.
[RMAC Network PPV] [Live Stats] [Tickets] [Mines Media Notes]

---

Colorado School of Mines begins RMAC play with a tough task, heading to #5/7 CSU Pueblo looking for their first win of the 2026 campaign.

LIVE COVERAGE
This week's game will stream via pay-per-view on the RMAC Network. 

WEATHER REPORT
It will be seasonable in Pueblo with a kickoff temperature of 84 degrees under mostly sunny skies and increasing afternoon winds from east-southeast. There is a 15% chance of a passing shower during the game. 

LEADING THE WAY
Mines will again select gameweek captains this season, with running back Max Barnes, cornerback Devyn Lauer-Duarte, defensive tackle Jacob Sanders, and receiver Nick Stone picked as captains for the Washburn game.

IN THE POLLS
The Orediggers received votes in the preseason AFCA top-25 poll, and were selected third in the RMAC's preseson coaches' poll. CSU Pueblo is ranked #5 by the AFCA and #7 by D2football.com this week and were the RMAC's preseason favorite.

NOTING THE SERIES
Mines and CSU Pueblo are meeting for the 37th time ... The series dates back to 1964 ... CSU Pueblo has won the last two meetings following five straight Mines wins ... Mines has won six of the last 10 ... CSUP leads the all-time series 21-1 ... Either one or both teams have been nationally ranked in every meeting since 2010 (including the postseason), a span of 18 games.

LAST WEEK
Colorado School of Mines and Washburn battled through sweltering conditions at Yager Stadium on Saturday, but in the end only the heat won as they finished their game 16-16 after four quarters. It was an ending neither team wanted after a see-saw second half saw Mines (0-0-1) dominate for stretches before the Ichabods (1-0-1) came back to tie in the closing minutes. Nick Stone produced a career game with nine catches for 125 yards and a touchdown, and Max Barnes got going with 83 rushing yards to lead all players on the ground. Joseph Capra completed 21-of-33 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 32 yards, and counterpart Logan Madden was 20-for-35 for 268 and two scores. Nathan Lewis Jr. had both of Washburn's touchdowns in a game-leading 141-yard day. After trailing 10-3 at halftime, Mines took a third-quarter lead on Stone's touchdown catch and a 43-yard Preston Kyle field goal, and Kyle made it 16-10 midway through the fourth before Washburn scored on Lewis' 47-yard catch-and-run with 1:48 remaining. Jack Mills blocked the PAT, however, to leave the game at 16-16 as Kyle's 64-yard field goal bid at the buzzer had the distance but was just wide. 

ALL TIED UP
Let's get it out of the way - yes, a tie game in football is really, really unusual. Like, historically unusual. When Mines and Washburn was called a tie at 16-16 following regulation last week, it became the first 60-minute tie game in college football since 1995, giving observers a once-in-a-generation result. Some notes on the tie:

- The game was halted due to the MIAA's wet bulb temperature limit of 92.1 being exceeded; the number, which is different than the air temperature or heat index, measures heat stress on the body from both the air and humidity, and determines when sweat is no longer effective for cooling the body. 
- The game had already been moved to a 9 a.m. local kickoff to try to beat the heat, and was suspended just before noon. Both teams realized that it would not be cool enough to continue play until after sunset, and agreed to finish with the tie, which is permitted by NCAA rules for suspended games.
- The NCAA added overtime for the 1995 bowl season and permanently in 1996, and since then every full-length NCAA game had produced a winner and loser. 
- The only other tie game happened in 2024 between NCAA Division II's Clark Atlanta and NAIA member Florida Memorial, which was halted at 28-28 at halftime due to lightning and ultimately declared final after 30 minutes.
- The last full-length tie game in the NCAA prior to Mines-Washburn was Wisconsin and Illinois playing to a 3-3 draw on Nov. 25, 1995. In the NAIA it was the 1995 national championship game between now-DII members Central Washington and Findlay that finished in a 21-21 tie. 
- The Orediggers' last tie came against New Mexico Highlands, 13-13, in the 1994 season. Washburn's last tie was back in 1977.

SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
Ranked in the top 10 of both national polls, CSU Pueblo is off to a 2-0 start with decisive wins over Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. CSUP's potent offense is averaging 39.5 points and 492 yards of offense per game, while allowing 21 points and 421 yards per game defensively. Quarterback Navi Bruzon has thrown for 601 yards and seven touchdowns, with Dedrek Taylor-Akins accounting for 303 yards and four scores on 13 catches. Russell Patton is the feature back with 167 yards and a touchdown on 28 touches. Defensively, Carter Daniels is their leading tackler with 23 stops and 2.5 sacks through two games.

THE STITT TREE
CSU Pueblo head coach Phil Vigil is in his fourth season in charge of the Thunderwolves, but he started his coaching career in Golden with Bob Stitt. Vigil was a graduate assistant on Stitt's 2009 staff working with defensive backs, his first job after his playing days at Colorado Mesa.

GIMME SOME MO
Middle linebacker Mo Russolillo has been one of the breakout defensive players in the RMAC so far this season, producing an 11-tackle game at Washburn last week to follow up a terrific eight-tackle, one-turnover debut start against Western Oregon. Russolillo leads Mines and ranks fourth in the RMAC with 19 total tackles through two games, and also has the defensive touchdown against Western Oregon.

STONE SETS CAREER HIGHS
Receiver Nick Stone, a captain this week, had a breakout game at Washburn compiling nine catches for 125 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown catch. It was Stone's second career 100+ yard game (104 vs. Fort Lewis in 2024) as he set career highs in both yards and receptions at Washburn. It was the second consecutive game that a Mines receiver set career highs in both categories after Pierce Richards did the same against Western Oregon (18 receptions, 153 yards).

HARMON, CAGGIANO COMBINE FOR TURNOVER
Senior transfer cornerback Jackson Harmon got his first opportunity to don the Orediggers' turnover hardhat last week, recovering Dom Caggiano's forced fumble in the first quarter at Washburn. For Harmon - previously at Montana State for five seasons - it was his second career turnover, making an interception for the Bobcats against Maine in the 2024 season. For Caggiano - also an FCS transfer from South Dakota now in his third Mines season - it was his first career turnover generated.

MILLS' BLOCK PRESERVES TIE
Linebacker Jack Mills came up with the Orediggers' most consequential stop of the game at Washburn, blocking the Ichabods' would-be go-ahead PAT with 1:48 to go to keep the game 16-16. It was the second straight week with a splash play for Mills, who caused the fumble returned for a touchdown by Mo Russolillo in Week 0 against Western Oregon. This season, Mills has five total tackles.

LESIEUR SHOWS OFF LEG
Returning all-American punter Lucas LeSieur once again had a strong game at Washburn, punting four times for a 42.5-yard average and pinpointing three of his four attempts inside the 20, including one that was downed at the 1 by Connor Cade. This season, LeSieur has put four of seven punts inside the 20, averaging 46.9 yards per kick.

RICHARDS SETS CATCHES RECORD
Receiver Pierce Richards had a monster start to 2026, breaking the Mines program record for receptions against Western Oregon in Week 0. Richards, a redshirt junior, hauled in 18 catches on 21 targets for a career-high 153 yards and a touchdown. He had an impressive 131 yards after catch, including all of 39 yards on his second-quarter touchdown catch from Joseph Capra. Richards had the most receptions in the RMAC since 2009 and broke the Mines record of 16 that had been co-held by David Pawelek and Jerrod Doucet since 2012. Through two games, Richards leads Mines with 23 catches (which also leads the RMAC) for 196 yards and a score.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, PT. 1
Nine Orediggers made their first career starts in the Western Oregon game, including Ty Deppe (RT), Aaron Gall (DT), Joseph Gonzales (S), Jackson Harmon (CB), Jack Mills (SLB), Jacob Mumy (LG), Mo Russolillo (MLB), Jackson Van Otten (S), and Russ Woodward (LT). In addition, Christian Peluse, already with three career starts under his belt at linebacker, earned his first at defensive end. At Washburn, Bryce Bailey (CB) added his first career start.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING, PT. 2
With the NCAA's new five-year eligibility rule, freshmen no longer redshirt, which opens up opportunities to play immediately without impacting eligibility. In Week 0, Cash Spence was the first Oredigger freshman to take advantage, starting at kick returner and seeing some offensive snaps at receiver as well; last week at Washburn, it was Rocco Tompkins and Parker Harris getting the same opportunities with special teams snaps.

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to face Fort Lewis on Sept. 19 at noon.