Complete Notes in PDF

The Colorado Mesa University football team will look to win its first Nykios Cup Saturday (Oct. 31) when it hosts No. 12 Colorado Mines. 

Series
Colorado Mesa leads the all-time series with Colorado Mines 27-12 and 14-5 at home, but the Orediggers have won the last six meetings between the two schools. 

Polls
Both teams enter this week's contest ranked in the top-25. Colorado Mines is ranked 12th and Colorado Mesa is 19th. Mines is ranked eighth in the regional poll and Mesa is one spot behind. Complete poll on page four.  

Nyikos Cup
The Colorado Mesa University Alumni Association and the Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association launched a new tradition in October 2010: The Nyikos Cup. The trophy, honoring Dr. Michael Nyikos, goes to the winner each year of the football contest between Colorado Mesa and Mines.
Dr. Nyikos served as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Mesa, as well as Vice President of Student Affairs and External Relations at Colorado School of Mines. Mines has won the Nykios all four times. 

Defensive Backfield
The Colorado Mesa defensive backfield is one of the best in Div. II. The Mavericks lead the league and rank fifth in the nation in passes intercepted with 16. Mesa has three players ranked in the top-25 in interceptions per game; Salim Cleghorne 10th (0.6), Jackson Burell 24th (0.5) and Dustin Rivas 24th (0.5). 

Passing Game
Sean Rubalcaba is averaging 157.3 passing yards per game this season. The Grand Junction, Colo., native ranks sixth in Div. II in passing yards per completion (15.3) and passing yards per attempt (8.28). He has also gotten the job done with his legs rushing for 354 yards, third best on th team, and three touchdowns. Last week at Fort Lewis he ran for a game-high 114 yards. 

Receiving Game
Virnel Moon has been Sean Rubalcaba's favorite target this season leading the team in both catches (20) and receiving yards (428). The El Cajon, Calif., native leads the RMAC and ranks 12th nationally in yards per reception (21.40). 

Rushing Game
CMU has used a trio of players in the backfield this season. DJ Hubbard leads the team with 737 yards this season averaging 92.1 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry. Jonathon Beverly has rushed for 598 yards this season, averaging 85.4 per game and 6.3 per carry. David Tann, who switched from defense to offense this season, is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. 

Punt Returns
Dustin Rivas ranks second in Div. II in punt returns averaging 19.6 yards. DJ Jones of Southwestern Oklahoma leads Div. II with 22.3 yards per return. 

Blocks
Dustin Rivas blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt last week at Fort Lewis. CMU has blocked a field goal in each of its last two games and has blocked three kicks this season. 

Second Quarter Scoring
Colorado Mesa has scored more points in the second quarter (92) than any other quarter. Colorado Mines has given up more points in the second quarter (82) than any other quarter. 

Senior Day
Colorado Mesa will honor the 12 seniors on this year's team prior to the game. 

Turnover Margin
Colorado Mesa is averaging a turnover margin of +1.88  this season, second best in Div. II. Texas A&M - Commerce leads the nation with a turnover margin of +2.25. The Mavericks failed to create a turnover last week at Fort Lewis. The last time that CMU failed to cause a turnover was Nov. 8, 2014 against CSU-Pueblo.

Field Goals
Ryan Sheehan leads the RMAC and ranks 14th in Div. II with 1.5 field goals per game. He leads the Mavericks and ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 8.8 points per game. 

Score 17
CMU is 7-0 this season when it scores 17 points and 0-1 when it scores 16 or less. 

Looking Ahead
Colorado Mesa will play at CSU-Pueblo Nov. 7th.