#6 Colorado School of Mines vs. #RV Azusa Pacific, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Marv Kay Stadium at Campbell Field, Golden, Colo.
[Streaming: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [Mines Media Notes] 
 

---

#6 Colorado School of Mines steps away from RMAC play to host regional foe Azusa Pacific in a game that carries postseason implications for both teams.

WATCH US
Every Mines game this season will be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv. Fans can also watch on their smart TV by searching "RMAC" in the app store of their Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire device.

TICKETS
Walk-up tickets are available at Gates 1 (12th Street home side) and Gate 3 (11th Street visitor's side), cash or charge. Tickets are $15 for reserved seating, $10 general admission, $5 for military, seniors, and children 17 and under, and free for Mines students with Blaster Card and faculty/staff with pass.

PARKING
Fans are reminded that Lot K, located next to Stermole Soccer Stadium, is $10 per car on game days and opens at 11 a.m. (note this week's game time is 1 p.m.). Fans may also park anywhere else on campus or in Golden municipal parking. Handicap parking is available in Lot L (12th and Maple Streets) on a first-come, first-served basis, and handicap drop-off is also available there.

WEATHER REPORT
It should be a beautiful day for football with forecast highs around 60 degrees and sunny skies.

BY THE NUMBERS
540.1 - yards of total offense per game by Mines this season, which is #1 in NCAA Division II
54 - career touchdown catches by Brody Oliver, a new RMAC record for receiving TDs
11 - straight wins by Mines dating back to the final four games of the 2017 season, the second-longest streak in program history
5 - consecutive games in which Mines has scored points on either defense or special teams, including three safeties
0 - sacks allowed by Mines in the last three games. Mines has not allowed a sack in 132 straight passing downs and leads the RMAC with five allowed in 2018

MINES VS. AZUSA PACIFIC
This will be the third meeting between Mines and Azusa Pacific in a series that began in 2016 ... Both teams have won at home for a 1-1 record ... Mines won the first meeting in a memorable 27-23 upset of then-#10 APU at Marv Kay Stadium in 2016 ... Azusa Pacific returned the favor last season with a 35-21 win in California ... This is Mines' lone non-conference game of the year as Azusa Pacific is a member of the GNAC ... Mines is 3-1 in non-conference regular-season games and 4-2 overall outside of the RMAC under Gregg Brandon.

IN THE POLLS
Mines moved up three spots to #6 in this week's AFCA top 25 poll, their highest showing under head coach Gregg Brandon and the program's best since hitting #5 in 2004. The Orediggers are one of five Super Region 4 teams in the top 10 along with #1 Minnesota State, #5 Minnesota-Duluth, #9 Tarleton State, and #10 Midwestern State. Azusa Pacific received 13 votes in this week's poll.

REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS
Although the first set of NCAA regional rankings don't come out until next week, chances are if they came out today Mines will be somewhere in the top four as one of four unbeatens left in Super Region 4, and Azusa Pacific somewhere just outside the top seven looking to claw back in. That makes this week's game critical for both teams as the Orediggers get a chance to play a team with a 5-2 record (and the strength-of-schedule boost that goes with it), while APU has the chance to play an unbeaten Mines team to make its case for inclusion in the postseason.

OREDIGGERS ON TOP OF THE RMAC
Mines is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the RMAC at 7-0. Of the one-loss teams, Mines has yet to play Dixie State but has already beaten CSU-Pueblo. This week's RMAC standings.

ON A ROLL
Mines has won 11 straight games dating back to last season, which is tied for the second-longest win streak in program history. Mines' longest streaks are:

Won    Year(s)    
14 - 2003-04    
11 - 2017-18    
11 - 2013-14    
8 - 2010    
8 - 2016    

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
With the week 5 win over Colorado Mesa, Mines ran its home winning streak to 12 games. The Orediggers have not lost at Marv Kay Stadium since falling to Colorado Mesa in week 3 of the 2016 season, and are 17-2 overall since the facility opened in 2015.

OLIVER SETS RMAC TD RECORD, NEARS MINES YARDS MARK
Brody Oliver's record-setting career added another memorable moment last week when he set the RMAC career record for receiving touchdowns with his 51st on Mines' opening score at Fort Lewis. Oliver didn't stop there - he caught four in the game, his third career 4+ TD performance, to take his career total to 54. Next up is the Mines career yardage record; Oliver stands only 120 yards shy of Justin Gallas' Mines record of 3,561 compiled from 2002 to 2005. Oliver is NCAA football's active leader in receiving touchdowns, and it isn't even close: the next-highest total is 38, by Tiffin's Charles Holland. Oliver was named this week's NFFCC Player of the Week for his work.

RMAC CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
1. 54, Brody Oliver, Mines (2015-pres.)    
2. 50, Richie Ross, Nebraska-Kearney (2002-05)    
3. 47, Anthony Edwards, N.M. Highlands (1984-88)    
4. 38, Kyle Kaiser, Nebraska-Kearney  (2007-10)    
5. 35, Tyrone Johnson, Western State (1990-93)    

RMAC CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
1. 4882, Richie Ross, Nebraska-Kearney (2002-2005)    
2. 3996, Anthony Edwards, N.M. Highlands (1984-1988)    
3. 3717, Tyrone Johnson, Western State (1990-1993)    
4. 3687, Johnny Cox, Fort Lewis (1990-1993)    
5. 3561, Justin Gallas, Mines (2002-2005)    
6. 3441, Brody Oliver, Mines (2015-pres.)    
7. 3355, Kyle Kaiser, Nebraska-Kearney (2007-2010)    

MAYBERRY SETS MINES CAREER YARDS RECORD
Oliver wasn't the only Oredigger breaking records last week. Cameron Mayberry broke Mines' long-standing rushing yards record of 2,576 yards set by Greg Marshall from 1989 to 1992. Mayberry - who still has another year of eligibility in 2019 - now has 2,584 career yards to go with 31 touchdowns. The Mines touchdowns mark is still a ways off - Marshall scored 48 in his career - but certainly attainable as Mayberry is averaging 1.1 touchdowns per game in his career, including 1.6 TDs/game as a starter. This season, Mayberry is second in the RMAC in yards (816) and touchdowns (10).

A UNIQUE TRIO
Speaking of career milestones, Riley Hoff got into the act two weeks ago as he crossed the 2,000-career-receiving-yard milestone, and the senior now has 2,154 yards through the air. That gives Mines two unique combos: Hoff and Brody Oliver are the only active 2,000+ yard duo in NCAA Division II and one of only three in all of college football; if you add in Cameron Mayberry, Mines is the only team in NCAA football to have two 2,000+ yard receivers and a 2,500+ yard running back on its roster.

LEADING THE WAY
Mines enters week 8 with NCAA Division II's best total offense, ranking among the national leaders in virtually every offensive category. Mines' 540.1 yards per game is #1 in the country, and they've also produced the #4 passing offense (326.9 ypg) and #31 rushing offense (213.3) while ranking second in scoring at 47 points per game. The defense hasn't been too shabby either - Mines ranks 20th nationally in scoring defense (17.6 ppg), 13th in rushing defense (90.4 ypg), 19th in defensive touchdowns (2), and 13th in third-down conversion defense (26.7%). Individually, Brody Oliver leads every NCAA division in receiving touchdowns (16) while also ranking fourth in D-II in yards (128.3 per game); Isaac Harker is second in passing TDs (26), fifth in yards (2,186), and fourth in efficiency (176.3).

O-LINE KEEPING IT CLEAN
Mines leads the RMAC and is 10th nationally in sacks allowed with five, and the Orediggers have not allowed a sack in each of the last three games. It's been 132 straight passing downs since Mines allowed one (at New Mexico Highlands with the back-ups playing in the fourth quarter), and in fact it's been even longer since starting quarterback Isaac Harker has been hit - he hasn't been sacked since week 3 against CSU-Pueblo, a span of 147 consecutive passing downs.

TAKING CONTROL
Usually known for its quick-strike capability, Mines' offense took a more methodical approach last week at Fort Lewis, and it paid off on both sides of the ball. Mines ran a season-high 84 plays on offense to chew up 35:27 of possession (also a season high by nearly three minutes); as a result of that and the Oredigger defense getting quick outs, Fort Lewis ran only 57 plays for 188 yards, the second time this year Mines has held an opponent to sub-60/200 (57/132 yds vs. Adams State).

PART-TIMERS
One huge advantage Mines has heading into the second half of the season is a lack of wear and tear from the first half. That's because the Orediggers have put six of their seven games out of reach early in the second half, and Mines' starters have only played roughly 22 of 28 quarters this season (the only exception being against CSU-Pueblo). Combined on offense and defense, Mines starters have missed only six man-games due to injury this season.

BIG PLAY BURROS
Everybody knows that Orediggers love blowing things up - Mines has an explosives club, after all. That pyrotechnic proclivity has transferred to the football field this year as Mines has produced big plays left and right. In five games, Mines has produced 19 20+ yard touchdowns, including eight of 50+ yards. Mines' longest scoring plays of the year thus far are:

90 - Logan Bock fumble recovery (vs. CSU-Pueblo)    
77 - Sean O'Dell pass from Isaac Harker (vs. Colorado Mesa)    
70 - Cameron Mayberry run (vs. CSU-Pueblo)    
67 - Brody Oliver pass from Isaac Harker (vs. Adams State)    
60 - Brody Oliver pass from Isaac Harker (at Black Hills State)    
58 - Cameron Mayberry run (vs. CSU-Pueblo)    

NO RUNNING
Mines' run-stopping success has been key for the defense this year, as the Orediggers lead the RMAC allowing only 90.4 yards per game on the ground.  Averie Mansfield and Logan Bock lead the team and the front seven in tackles, as Mansfield has racked up 38 stops (6.5 for a loss) and Bock 37 tackles (8.0 for a loss) with four sacks. Mines has held opponents to 75 or fewer yards on the ground four times this year, including 25 vs. Adams State and 53 vs. Western State.

EVERYBODY SCORES
Mines is third in NCAA Division II in scoring offense at 47 points per game, but the term "offense" might be a little misleading in Mines' case. That's because the Orediggers have gotten non-offensive points in each of their last four games (18 total points) with three safeties, a defensive touchdown, and a special teams touchdown. The streak started with Logan Bock's fumble return for a touchdown against CSU-Pueblo, and continued with safeties at New Mexico Highlands (by Bock and Averie Mansfield) and against Colorado Mesa (by James Kohlschmidt). At Western, a fumble on a kickoff caused by Nate Renfrew was collected in the end zone by Luke Jeter for a touchdown, and Bock did it again at Fort Lewis with a sack in the end zone for two. Mines' three safeties this season are a program record.

THIRD DOWN DOMINANCE
Mines has been outstanding on third down this year on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the Orediggers have held opponents to 26.7 percent on third-down chances (which ranks 13th in NCAA Division II and best in the RMAC) and 33.3 percent on fourth down (28th nationally) to force 12 turnovers on downs and 48 punts. On offense, Mines has been even better, converting 51 percent of its third-down chances (5th in NCAA D-II); in turn, Mines' 175 first downs ranks eighth in the nation.

LAST YEAR VS. AZUSA PACIFIC
Azusa Pacific held off Mines in a 35-21 non-conference decision in 2017. The Cougars never trailed as they got out to a 14-0 lead and then pulled away in the second half. The Orediggers were held to 128 yards on the ground despite three rushing touchdowns by Cameron Mayberry. Mines quarterback Ben Bottlinger was 20-for-27 for 214 yards, with Mayberry rushing for 87 yards. Brody Oliver caught seven targets for 94 yards, with Riley Hoff snaring nine for 83 yards. APU's Kurt Scoby had 191 yards rushing with two scores as quarterback Andrew Elffers was 20-for-30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will play at home for a second consecutive week on Oct. 27 as they host South Dakota Mines for a noon start.