GOLDEN, Colo. – The #24 Colorado Mesa football team ran into a buzz-saw in the form of the #14 Colorado School of Mines Orediggers on Saturday at Marv Kay Stadium. The Orediggers raced past the Mavericks 72-31 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup.
 
By halftime, Colorado School of Mines had chalked up 441 yards of total offense and raced out to a 49-10 lead.
 
The lone score from the Mavericks came on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Eystin Salum to Peter Anderson. Anderson finished the game with three catches for 116 yards.
 
In the second half, the Mavericks tallied 21 fourth quarter points with a pair of backup quarterbacks in the game.
 
Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Howard tossed a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes. Howard found Corbin Covey for a 4-yard score and KJ Sapp from 19-yards out. They were his first two touchdown passes of his collegiate career.
 
Junior Rope Ruel also threw a touchdown pass with 1:41 left in the game. Ruel hit Bradley Toussaint from 43-yards out.
 
Colorado Mesa finished with 466 yards of total offense.
 
The Orediggers ended the game with 797 yards of total offense including 339 yards on the ground. Quarterback Isaac Harker was 22-for-28 for 377 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
 
Harker's lone mistake came in the first quarter when redshirt freshman Patrick Vigil intercepted his pass.
 
Redshirt freshman Greyson Matalus led the Mavericks in tackles with 12.
 
The 72 points allowed is the second most all-time allowed by Colorado Mesa (1975, Adams State, 78).
 
The Mavericks will be on the road for the second straight week as they travel south to Durango to take on the Fort Lewis Skyhawks to open October. Fort Lewis fell to 1-3 on the year after losing the Musket game to Adams State in overtime 48-42.