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(RV) West Colorado (4-0, 3-0)
at # 5 Colorado School of Mines (4-0, 2-0)
Saturday 12 noon | Marvin Kay Stadium | Gunnison, Colorado.
CLOCK | LIVE STATISTICS | TICKETS
ON TV: KWGN 2 in Colorado
GUNNISON, Colo — It’s a match between the undefeated RMAC teams in Golden, slated for Saturday when the Western Colorado soccer team heads north to face the No. 5 Colorado School of Mines at Marvin Kay Stadium.
The Mountaineers start the season 5-0 for the first time since 1979, when the team started 7-0 en route to an RMAC championship.
THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS IN THE WEEK | SEASON STATISTICS 2021
Western Colorado deployed a stifling defensive effort to finish the season 4-0 after beating Fort Lewis 42-0 last week at Gunnison. The Mountaineers allowed only 59 yards of attack – the fifth lowest amount in school history. On offense, Braedan Hogan scored three touchdowns while adding 73 yards of rushing, Josh Cummings had the other two touchdowns while running for a team high of 78 yards, and Tyus Cornia added 65 yards on the ground as Western Colorado added 222 Yards stormed and threw 154 yards and two scores (Hogan had a touchdown reception, as did Malik White).
On the defensive of the season, the Mountaineers only allow 8.5 points per game – peaking in the RMAC (just before the Colorado School of Mines) and sixth in the nation. You’re also 14th in the nation and second in the RMAC in overall defense – which allows for 257 yards per game. Robert Garlock leads the team individually with 25 tackles, accompanied by interception and blocked kick. Lane Farris is right behind him with 24 tackles, including a team and RMAC best 8.5 tackles for a loss (with two sacks thrown in with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery). A third linebacker, Wyatt Buhr, is third on the team with 23 tackles.
Offensively, Cummbins leads the team in rushing with 396 yards – third in the RMAC – and is tied for the RMAC lead with six rushing touchdowns, eighth in the country. Hogan stormed 133 yards and two scores for the Mountaineers.
Connor Desch completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 766 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Cole Riters leads the team with 13 catches for 217 yards while Damian Macias has 11 receptions for 87 yards.
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES THIS WEEK | STATISTICS 2021
The Orediggers won a 21-13 victory at West Texas A&M on Saturday. Michael Zeman stormed for 121 yards for 29 carries while quarterback John Matocha went 15-for-22 for 128 yards, a touchdown and interception followed with 70 yards of rushing and another score. Defensively, Gabriel Kortz and Nolan Reeve each had a team high of eight tackles, while Kobe Brewster had four tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a recovery fumble.
Mines’ other wins came at home against Western Oregon (42: 3) and New Mexico Highlands (31:21) as well as a win at Fort Lewis (76: 0).
That season, the Orediggers rank first in the NCAA in third-down defense, second in rushing defense, fifth in overall defense, and seventh in scoring defense. Kortz leaves the team with 25 tackles, while Nolan Reeve has 24 tackles and a team-high 3.5 sacks.
Offensively, Matocha completed 66 percent of his passes for 705 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions while charging for 186 yards and one more score. His top receivers were Josh Johnston (18 rec., 165 yards, 5 TDs), Tristan Smith (18 rec., 215 yards, 2 TDs) and Joe Golter (13 rec., 182 yards, 2 TDs). On the ground, Zeman leads the team and is second in the RMAC with 423 yards and six touchdowns (4.6 yards per carry).
WESTERN COLORADO NOTES 2021
SERIES HISTORY VS. COLORADO SCHOOL OF THE MINES
The Mountaineers and Orediggers had the longest uninterrupted rivalry in Colorado college football history until that streak was canceled last season due to the pandemic – after playing every year from 1925 to 2019.
Overall, Western Colorado has a 53-40-2 lead over Mines – despite having lost the last three games. The last Mountaineer win was scored 45-31 at home on September 24, 2016. The last win at Golden came in 2015, a 45-42 win.
RED ZONE WARRIORS
It’s no secret that Western Colorado’s defenses were superb early in the season, and a big part of it is that they don’t break when the teams reach the red zone (within Western’s 20-yard line). The Mountaineers have allowed teams to get into the red zone seven times, allowing only one field goal and no touchdowns. Last week against Fort Lewis, the Mountaineers refused to let the Skyhawks into the red zone.
The offense also did its job reaching the red zone 15 of 16 times and a touchdown 12 of 16 times.
” CUMMINGS TO RMAC ATTACKING PLAYER OF THE WEEK (13 SEPT.)
Western Colorado’s local Josh Cummings big day resulted in a win over Western New Mexico, which named him RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The sophomore rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries – an average of 8.9 yards per carry. That includes a 47-yard touchdown from Cummings in the first quarter to kickstart the score for the Mountaineers in the 49-14 win over the Mustangs at Silver City.
‘NEERS OFF TO FIRST FOR FIRST 4-0 START SINCE 1980
Western Colorado made its first 4-0 start since 1980, 4-0 after defeating Fort Lewis on Saturday. The Mountaineers will try to go 5-0 for the first time since 1979, when that team went 7-0 earlier in the season and won the RMAC title.
SEASON OPENING
Western Colorado is 33-63 all-time in season openings after its 2021 opening win. Before this season, the Mountaineers’ last season opener win in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, hit the streets. Of their 32 opening wins in the past, the Mountaineers finished this season with a winning record 19 times (59.4 percent) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5 percent).
BAINS REACHES GAME NO. 100 FOR WESTERN VS STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Western coach Jas Bains goes into his eleventh season as head coach of the Mountaineers and last season’s individual competition against SFA marked his 100th game as head coach. He is only the third coach in Western history to hit the 100-game mark, alongside Bill Noxon (133 from 1971-84) and Carl Iverson (127 from 1988-2000).
MOUNTAINEER ALUM EKELER STILL SHINES IN THE NFL
Western Colorado alum Austin Ekeler started his fifth NFL season with the Los Angeles Chargers and continues to make a name for himself.
Ekeler, an undrafted free agent signer from Western 2017 who signed a four-year extension of $ 24.5 million prior to the 2020 season, has hit 111 yards and one touchdown this season while playing this season has caught nine passes for an additional 61 yards.
The 26-year-old, who came to the western from Eaton High School in Colorado, owns the Mountaineers Singles Game (344), Singles Season (1,676 – also holds # 2 and # 4 spots), and Career (5,857.) . ) Rushing yard records as well as the single game (5), single season (19) and career (55) rushing touchdown records. He also holds the single-season (126) and career (378) scoring records at Westerns.
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