Forget about flash and aerial firepower: The Colorado School of Mines’ championship hopes come down to stuffing the run.
The favored Orediggers take on Harding on Saturday at McKinney ISD Stadium in Texas, where both undefeated teams are vying for a first national title. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. MT on ESPNU.
Harding’s flexbone triple option gashed opponents for a Division II-best 404.4 rushing yards per game this year, good for 74 TDs and 6.83 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Mines D is allowing just 64.4 rushing yards per game, and 2.39 yards per carry.
Whoever wins that battle will undoubtedly come back home with a national championship.
“On first and second down we have a seven-man presence (in the box), so hopefully that helps us,” Mines coach Pete Sterbick said. “We have to be great at playing off the cut block, because they cut a lot up front. The ball changes hands a lot, so we have to disciplined with our eyes. … And we’ve got to tackle well. Everybody that touches the ball for them can break tackles. We have to do a great job of wrapping up and populating the football.”
Behind reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner John Matocha, the QB who’s a finalist for the award again this year while breaking college football’s all-time TD record, the Orediggers (14-0) rolled through their three playoff games so far. Meanwhile, Harding squeaked by with one-point victories in the opening two rounds before blasting Lenoir-Rhyne in last week’s semifinals.
Harding coach Paul Simmons acknowledged “we’re not excited that their strength fits our strength.”
“They’ve certainly done a dynamite job defending the run, and they’re solid everywhere (on the defensive front),” Simmons said. “They remind me a lot of Grand Valley State, who we played in the second round game and we scored seven points in that ballgame. I’m pretty positive seven won’t be enough on Saturday.”
Mines dispatched of that same Grand Valley State team 31-28 in the season opener Aug. 31, but the Orediggers have been tested en route to McKinney.
The Orediggers were outscored 21-3 in the final quarter against Grand Valley State before hanging on for the win. In their homecoming game against Chadron State on Sept. 30, Mines won 35-7 but was shut out 7-0 in the second half, something Sterbick called “a teachable moment.”
There was also a 17-14 halftime deficit to Black Hills State on Oct. 21 (an eventual 42-17 win) and a 14-14 halftime tie against Central Washington in the quarterfinals on Dec. 2 before the Orediggers eventually broke away for a 38-14 victory. Sterbick hopes all those ripples have Mines ready for potential championship-game adversity, especially after the team was blasted 41-14 by Ferris State on the same stage a year ago.
“(Black Hills State) did a great job of coming out and punching us in the mouth, and we needed to get that at some point,” Sterbick said. “Hopefully all those moments have prepared us for a team like Harding, because we know it’s not going to be a walk in the park.”
Still, even considering Harding’s perfect campaign, this is Mines’ title to lose.
In addition to Matocha, who has numerous weapons in a deep wideout corps highlighted by All-American Max McLeod, the Orediggers boast two capable running backs in Landon Walker and Noah Roper. They have the winner of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year in right tackle Levi Johnson. They have an All-American at linebacker in Nolan Reeve, who is college football’s active sacks leader at 42.5, including 10 this year. They have a Division II-best plus-23 turnover margin.
And, they have a wave of momentum behind them after stair-stepping their way in the playoffs from the second round in 2019, the semifinals in 2021 and the championship game last year.
Should Mines win Saturday, it could be the beginning of a Division II dynasty.
“I feel like we’re a Division II power — that dynasty label, you’ve got to win at least one to earn that, but we’d love to get to that point,” Sterbick said. “We’ve definitely built something consistent, and it started way before I got here, with (former head coaches) Bob Stitt, then Gregg Brandon did a great job of taking it to another level, then Brandon Moore did it again last year.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors, and everyone’s going to talk about that next year … but we are so talented in those younger classes, so next year is going to be fun, too. I think it’s going to be a surprise to people what we’re able to do. But right now, we’ve got to finish this season out strong and keep adding to our program’s resume. The national championship is the next step for that.”
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