Colorado School of Mines Orediggers head to Division II national championship game
A storybook season for the Orediggers is one game away from a storybook ending.
Behind a sellout crowd at Marv Kay Stadium, the Colorado School of Mines football team cruised past Shephard 44-13 on Saturday to earn the program's first ever trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.
"Our guys are playing at a different level right now," Colorado Mines Head Coach Brandon Moore said postgame, reflecting on the dominating win. "We're definitely peaking at the right time. We're hitting on all cylinders."
The Mines defense set the tone early, sacking Shepherd's highly-touted NFL prospect Tyson Bagent six times in the first half. In the second quarter, the Orediggers hit Bagent and forced a fumble, leading to an 11-yard touchdown return for senior Logan Rayburn.
The Orediggers defense ended the day with 8 sacks, pushing their total to an NCAA-leading 69 on the season. The defense limited a typically unstoppable Bagent to 165 passing yards while forcing three turnovers.
"[We believed] in what we cherish as a defense: being punishing, being relentless, and never stopping on any down for 60 whole minutes," senior linebacker Nolan Reeve said on the performance. "We knew going into the week all levels ... DB's, linebackers, D-Line, had to be focused in, locked in, and we were. As a whole, defensively, I thought we played lights out."
The Orediggers offense settled in during the second half: Harlon Hill Trophy finalist John Matocha finished the day 28 for 34, throwing for 371 yards and 5 touchdowns. The defining play from Matocha came in the third quarter, where the Orediggers QB escaped multiple Shepherd defenders in the pocket, eventually finding Josh Johnston for a 33-yard touchdown. Mines wide receiver Max McLeod led all players with 12 receptions for 214 yards and three scores.
A year ago, Mines lost to #5 Valdosa State 34-41 in the 2021 NCAA Semifinals. With a home crowd advantage, and, for many on the team, the experience of that defeat, the Orediggers were determined not to let history repeat itself.
"We learned that we belong to be in those big games," Moore said. "We belong competing in championships, in those high-impactful moments. That's the #1 thing we got out of being in the semifinals last year. We didn't attack that game early quite as well we should have, and we were determined not to let that happen this time."
With the victory, Mines moves to 13-2, setting a single-season program wins record. They will head to McKinney, Texas for the National Championship game against reigning NCAA DII Champion Ferris State Saturday at 11 a.m. MT.
"It's where we belong," John Matocha said confidently. "This is the expectation. Job's not done -- we still got one more to play. I'm already eager to start watching film and get ready for it."
