LAS VEGAS, N.M. - #17 Colorado School of Mines handled New Mexico Highland's high-powered offense, beating the Cowboys 43-14 on the road to take over sole possession of first place in the RMAC.

The Orediggers (4-0, 4-0 RMAC) fired on all cylinders as the offense racked up 629 yards of total offense and the defense held NMHU's offense (2-2, 2-2 RMAC) to a single touchdown. With Chadron State's upset of #14 Colorado Mesa on Saturday, Mines is the lone remaining unbeaten in the RMAC ahead of their game with CMU next Saturday.

Isaac Harker threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Brody Oliver, and rushed for another score, while Cameron Mayberry ran for 135 yards and a score to lead Mines' offense. Harker produced a pair of 100-yard receivers in Oliver (135) and Riley Hoff (106), with Hoff and Sean O'Dell also catching touchdowns.

The Mines defense held a Cowboy team that was averaging 44.3 points a game to just a single offensive touchdown, and also generated a third-quarter safety by Averie Mansfield and Logan Bock. Logan Braden led the Orediggers with six tackles while Mansfield had five with 2.5 for a loss and Anthony Makransky had five stops with a break-up.

Despite the final score, neither team got on the board until late in the first quarter when Harker finished off a nine-play drive with a nine-yard keeper to put Mines ahead 7-0. After forcing a quick NMHU punt, Mines scored again when Harker found a wide-open O'Dell over the middle for a 38-yard score - the first of O'Dell's career - before he hit Oliver on a six-yard touchdown on the next series to make it 21-0. A third-down sack by Luke Jeter and Brockton Sterling gave Mines great field position on their next drive, and Harker made it pay off with a first-play, 47-yard strike to Oliver to lead 27-0. Some trickery got NMHU off the zero in the final minute of the half as a fake field goal pass by Brenden Guerin to Darrell McIntyre made it 27-7 Mines at halftime.

Any hope the Cowboys had of climbing back into the game was shut down by a 16-0 Mines run in the first six minutes of the second half. A big 43-yard run by Mayberry set up his five-yard finisher 1:58 into the third quarter, and after Scott Marshall's kickoff was downed at the one, Mansfield and Bock pushed Cowboy running back Kamari Mosby sideways out of the end zone for a safety on NMHU's first play of the drive. That gave Mines the ball back, and eight plays later, Hoff rose up over his defender for a 14-yard score to make it 43-7 Mines with 9:42 left in the game.

That ended the day for many of Mines' offensive starters, including Harker, and NMHU managed only one more score - a three-yard D.J. McFadden touchdown late in the third - as the Oredigger defense held tough in the second half. 

NOTABLES
- Behind a nearly flawless day by the offensive line, the Mines offense averaged a very healthy 8.4 yards per play, including 9.5 yards per pass attempt and 7.1 yards per rush. Mines allowed only one late sack.
- Oliver moved into second place on the RMAC career touchdown receptions list with 48, surpassing NMHU's Anthony Edwards, who had 47 between 1984-88. That puts Oliver on the cusp of the league record of 50, held by Nebraska-Kearney's Richie Ross (2002-05). 
- Mayberry has scored a touchdown in each of his last 13 games played. At 2,332 yards, he is now 245 yards away from the Mines career rushing yards record.
- Oliver and Mayberry have combined for at least three touchdowns in all four games this season.
- It was the third time this season that Harker produced five total touchdowns. His 24-of-32 passing rate was a season-best. His day is even more impressive considering he played only two-and-a-half quarters, and he also played less than three quarters against Adams State.
- Ben Bottlinger threw for 12 yards in three series of work while Cody Limmer finished the game rushing for 79 yards. His 74-yard run in the fourth quarter was Mines' longest offensive play from scrimmage this year. 
- Mines' safety was its first since Michael Kelso had one against CSU-Pueblo in the opening game of the 2016 season. It was also the second straight week that Bock, the defending RMAC and NFFCC player of the week, had a hand in defensive points after his fumble return for a touchdown against CSU-Pueblo.
- The Mines defense produced seven tackles for a loss overall, including 2.5 for Mansfield and 1.5 by Jeter.
- The Cowboys were held to 3-of-14 on third down and 1-of-4 on fourth down.
- NMHU quarterback Danny Cameron was held to 162 yards and one touchdown after averaging 247 yards per game with eight touchdowns in his first three games.
- In his first game starting at punter, Scott Marshall had a huge leg averaging 42.6 yards per punt with three inside the 20 and a long of 56.
- Mines won for the sixth straight time against NMHU.
- Mines is the final unbeaten team in the RMAC at 4-0 with Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, CSU-Pueblo, and Dixie State all at one loss, pending tonight's CSU-Pueblo and Dixie State games.

NEXT UP
Mines will come back to Marv Kay Stadium on Sept. 29 for Homecoming, hosting #14 Colorado Mesa at noon.