GUNNISON, Colo. - Colorado's longest continual rivalry returns to Gunnison this Saturday. Western State Colorado University will host No. 23 Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Mountaineer Bowl for the Mountaineers' annual Homecoming game.

Saturday's game will be the 92nd meeting between Western (2-1, 2-1 RMAC) and Colorado Mines (2-1, 2-1 RMAC). The Mountaineers hold a commanding 52-37-2 lead on the series record. The matchup between Colorado Mines and Western is the longest continual rivalry in the state of Colorado.
 
In Gunnison, the Mountaineers hold a 29-17 record over CSM. However, the Orediggers have won the past four meetings in Mountaineer Bowl. The last Western win over CSM at home came in 2006 when the Mountaineers defeated the Orediggers 21-13.
 
After CSM won eight consecutive games, the Mountaineers defeated the then ranked No. 21 Orediggers 45-42 last season to snap the streak.

Saturday is also Homecoming for Western. A number of events will be taking place over the weekend, including Saturday morning's Inaugural Homecoming 5k and men's basketball homecoming social. Fans, alumni and friends can find a schedule of events on the Western Alumni website (www.westernalum.org).

Fans unable to make Saturday's homecoming game will be able to follow all the action live over the internet (live stats, live video) and social media (@WSCUMountaineer, @MountaineerFB).

Other Notes

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 92nd meeting between Western and the Colorado School of Mines. The Mountaineers hold a commanding 52-37-2 lead on the series record. The matchup between Colorado Mines and Western is the longest continual rivalry in the state of Colorado.
 
In Gunnison, the Mountaineers hold a 29-17 record over CSM. However, the Orediggers have won the past four meetings in Mountaineer Bowl. The last Western win over CSM at home came in 2006 when the Mountaineers defeated the Orediggers 21-13.
 
After CSM won eight consecutive games, the Mountaineers defeated the Orediggers 45-42 last season to snap the streak.
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Last season, Western upset CSM 45-42 after the Orediggers were ranked 21st in Division II. The Mountaineers went 1-2 against ranked opponents in 2015.
 
This year, CSM enters the game ranked 23rd nationally. It will be the first ranked opponent for the Mountaineers this season. As of Sept. 20, Western will face only one other ranked opponent, No. 24/20 Humboldt State University.
 
Colorado Mesa University, now ranked 18th, was unranked when the Mountaineers played the Mavericks in week one of the 2016 season.
 
STARTING WITH A BANG
Through the first three weeks of the season, Western has outscored opponents 45-7 in the first quarter. The only team to score in the first quarter of play this season was Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks and Mountaineers were tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
 
In the last two games, Western has outscored opponents 38-0 in the first quarter.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping Western to a thrilling 24-15 win over Chadron State College last Saturday, Mountaineer running back Austin Ekeler was named both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the National Football Foundation Colorado Chapter Player of the Week.
 
Ekeler ran for the second most yards in his career on Saturday. The senior accounted for 283 yards on the ground, which also ranks as the seventh most single game rushing yards in school history.
 
HOMECOMING
Saturday's game against CSM will be the annual homecoming game for Western. The Mountaineers have won 37.5 percent (3-of-8) of homecoming games since 2008. In last season's homecoming game, the Mountaineers lost to No. 12 Angelo State University 48-20. Since 2008, Western has a 3-4 record against RMAC opponents on homecoming.
 
The last Mountaineer homecoming victory came against Adams State University (39-37) in 2014.

ENDING THE STREAK
Last Saturday, Western defeated Chadron State 24-15 on the road. It was the first time since 1997 the Mountaineers defeated the Eagles and the first time since 1995 Western won in Chadron.
 
The Mountaineers also won an RMAC title in 1995.
 
LAST WEEK
WESTERN - After losing to Chadron State in the previous 18 meetings, Western broke the streak with a 24-15 win. It was the first road game of the season for the Mountaineers.
 
Austin Ekeler led the way with 283 yards rushing on 37 attempts. Ekeler found the end zone twice on the ground. Western's 377 total yards rushing ranks seventh in school history.
 
The Mountaineer defense also played well, holding the Eagles to only two scores. Linebacker Carter Wasser recorded a team high 11 tackles, while also contributing one sack and one quarterback hurry.
 
It was Western's second consecutive win of the season.
 
CSM - No. 18 Colorado Mesa traveled to Golden, Colorado for a Top 25 matchup with No. 23 Colorado Mines this past week. It took two overtimes and a blocked extra point for a winner to be decided. The Orediggers suffered their first loss of the season 41-40.
 
The Orediggers offense racked up 588 yards of total offense. Colorado Mines' quarterback Justin Dvorak completed 47 of his 67 passes, throwing for 485 yards and four passing touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground. Dvorak became the Colorado Mines all-time leader in passing yards, surpassing 10,000 yards during the game. His targets Brody Oliver and Zach Richter both went over the century mark for receiving yards.
 
CSM linebacker Drake Thenell led the game in tackles with 12 and recorded 0.5 tackles for loss.
 
HALL OF FAME GAME
Sept. 10 was Western's Hall of Fame Game. The Friday night before, Western Athletics inducted former women's diver Mary Ann Anderson (Zeylmaker), football player James Hawkins, track and field athlete Jerry Hollingshead, distance runner Dennis Leck, and Ed Ali as the Lifetime Athletic Achievement Award Recipient into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame. The class of 2016 is the 22nd class to enter the MSHOF.
 
After defeating Adams State 56-25 in the 70th Colorado Classic, Western is 3-4 in Hall of Fame games since 2010. The Mountaineers have won the three of the past four, defeating New Mexico Highlands University in 2013 by a score of 33-27, Black Hills State University in 2014 by a score of 34-13, and losing 31-24 to Chadron State College last season.
 
RMAC OPENERS
The Mountaineers have struggled winning the conference opener recently. Over the past 11 seasons, Western has a 1-11 record in their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference openers. The lone victory came against New Mexico Highlands University in 2006 on the road, with the Mountaineers winning 14-9.
 
After falling in week one against CMU 34-14, Western is 0-1 against the Mavericks in RMAC openers.

PRESEASON PICKS
After finishing the season in sixth place last season, Western was picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Mountaineers also landed three players on the 2016 Preseason All-RMAC Team - RB Austin Ekeler, WR Kyle Adkins and K Ryan Winke.
 
Returning All-American, Austin Ekeler, was also named the RMAC Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year, a Division II Preseason All-America First Team selection, a Sporting News and Lindy's Preseason All-American, a HERO Sports Preseason All-America First Team selection, and a D2Football.com Preseason All-American.
 
SEASON OPENERS
Western is 32-59 in season openers. Since 1995, the Mountaineers are 1-21 in season openers. Last season, Western lost a close fought battle to Division I opponent the University of Northern Colorado 34-42 on the road in the season opener. The last opening day win came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. The last season opening win in Gunnison came against Northern Colorado in 1994, when the Mountaineers won 31-26 and went on to win the RMAC title.
 
CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
This year's captains on the offensive side are running back Austin Ekeler and quarterback Brett Arrivey. For the defense, linebacker Jordan Woodyard and defensive lineman Austin Yurko are captains. Kicker Ryan Winke is Western's captain on special teams.
 
NEW PERSONNEL
Five new coaches were added to the Western staff before the 2016 season. On the offensive side, Paul An (offensive line), Darrin Higgins (wide receivers) and Jack Harris (tight ends) are all first-time Mountaineers. On the defensive side, the Mountaineers bring in a new defensive coordinator with Todd Auer and a new defensive backs coach in Ryan Forrestal.