ALL-TIME SERIES
Colorado Mesa and South Dakota Mines have met just two times in the history of the two schools with both coming in the last two years when the Hardrockers joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for the 2016 season. The Mavericks have won both matchups including a 69-7 win last season in Rapid City.
 
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
The Mavericks claimed their third consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship during the 2017 season. They finished the season 9-1 in the RMAC, tied with CSU-Pueblo in the standings. Colorado Mesa opens the season with the same team they clinched the title against in the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers. 

SEASON OPENERS
Colorado Mesa has won their past five season openers that includes the 49-23 win over Western State Colorado in 2017. The five game win streak in openers began in 2013 with a 34-0 win over Menlo College at Stocker Stadium. Their last loss in a season opener occurred in head coach Russ Martin's first season at the helm in 2012, a 38-19 setback to No. 23 Humboldt State.
 
South Dakota Mines enters the game having won their past two season openers against William Jewell from Liberty, Missouri. The Hardrockers won last year's matchup 42-27 in Missouri behind 296 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Jake Sullivan.

OFFENSE
Eystin Salum returns for his senior season as the Maverick signal caller. The 2017 RMAC Offensive Player of the Year passed for 2,465 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 919 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior. Two of Salum's favorite targets return in Peter Anderson and Marcus Hines. The duo combined for 32 catches for 563 yards and four touhdowns.

DEFENSE
Senior Tommy Saager is returning for his final season as the man in the middle of the defense. Saager, an All-RMAC selection, finished his junior season with 78 total tackles and one and a half sacks. Antonio Clark returns in the Maverick secondary after leading the team the past two seasons in passes defended with 17 in 2017 and 13 in 2016.
 
Two new faces in the secondary that will be looked upon to lead the unit are Devante Loggins and Damar'ren Mitchell. Loggins is a Denver native, who transferred from Glendale CC, is slated to start the corner position opposite of Clark while Mitchell transferred in from Division I Louisiana-Lafayette.

SPECIAL TEAMS
For the first time in four seasons, Colorado Mesa has complete uncertainty in both kicking positions as punter Austin Pitchford and All-American kicker Ryan Sheehan have both graduated after locking the two spots down for four seasons. Also graduated is All-American kick returner Virnel Moon who averaged 27.62 yards per return and three touchdowns.
 
Redshirt freshman Blake Moore and true freshman Lucas Ruiz-Diaz are slated to split time at the position.

NEW LINE
Colorado Mesa returns a combined 20 career starts across the offensive line. Three new faces appear in the this week's two-deep against South Dakota Mines in right tackle freshman Joe Bryson, left guard Justin Cobbley, and left tackle Tryce Leuluai. Cobbley is a junior college transfer from Snow College while Bryson is a freshman out of Rock Canyon High School and Leuluai is a freshman who is returning from a church mission.
 
Former Mavericks Austin Fleer began training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals but was cut following the first preseason game on Thursday, August 8. A day later he signed with the hometown Denver Broncos and was in Bronco camp by Sunday, August 11.