THE MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2019 SEASON STATS
Western Colorado is coming off its third consecutive game that went down to the wire - and has came out on top in two of them. The Mountaineers lost a 27-12 halftime lead Saturday against Chadron State and trailed 32-27 with less than three minutes remaining before Connor Desch hit Malcom Wesley for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 2:35 remaining and the WCU defense held strong to close out the Eagles for a 33-32 win.

In a game where each team had a defensive or special teams touchdown (the Eagles had a fumble return for a TD while the Mountaineers blocked a punt and returned it for a score), WCU was outgained 401-315 in total offense. Desch finished 10-for-18 for 147 yards and a touchdown while four different players had 39-plus yards rushing to account for WCU's 168 yards on the ground. Defensively, Lane Farris (nine tackles, one sack), Tim Mullin (eight tackles, pass breakup, blocked punt) and Desmond Marfizo (eight tackles, pass breakup) paced the Mountaineers.

On the season, Desch is 75-for-140 for 863 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. James Bryant (16 receptions, 175 yards, TD), Elijah Gillespie (16 receptions, 163 yards), Kai Emmsley (14 receptions, 147 yards) and Zach Manchester (10 receptions, 186 yards, 3 TDs) each have double digits in receptions. On the ground, Ty Leyba (247 yards), Deyvon Butler (152 yards, TD) and Josh Cummings (143 yards, 5 TDs) have the bulk of the carries while Desch has 210 rushing yards gained before factoring in his negative yards on sacks (minus-128 yards on 24 sacks).

Defensively, Farris leads the team with 34 tackles and is 17th in the RMAC at 6.8 tackles per game. Robert Garlock is second on teh team with 31 tackles while Dominic Fletcher has 26 and Desmond Marfizo has 25. Will Lydle leads the Mountaineers with three sacks to go along with 21 tackles.

On special teams, Chandler Davis - who was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 with extra points against Chadron State - leads the RMAC with eight field goals while Garrett Boyd is second in the RMAC in average yards per punt (41.9) and leads the RMAC in 50-plus yard punts (6) and punts inside the 20 (13). 

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2019 SEASON STATS
The Orediggers continued rolling to start the season as they defeated Colorado Mesa on the road 56-20 on Saturday. CSM jumped out to a 28-0 lead within the first 17 minutes of the contest and led 42-14 at the half before cruising to the 36-point win. It was a dominant effort as the Orediggers outgained the Mavericks 595-188 in total offense.

Freshman quarterback John Matocha went 24-for-33 for 291 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another 30 yards and a score. Cameron Mayberry earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors by rushing for 192 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Mason Karp had 10 catches for 67 yards to lead the receiving corps.

On the season the Orediggers lead the RMAC in scoring (45.0 ppg), scoring defense (12.8 ppg), total offense (473.2), total defense (228.8), rushing yards per game (244.8), rushing yards allowed per game (33.8) and sacks allowed (seven). Nationally on defense, CSM ranks second in rush defense, third in total defense and seventh in scoring defense.

Matocha leads the RMAC in passing efficiency and completion percentage (73.0 - 81-for-111) while throwing for 977 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions and rushing for 187 yards and three more scores in four games. Mayberry leads the RMAC in rushing with 636 yards and eight touchdowns and has surpassed the 4,000-yard mark in his career. Sean O'Dell leads the team in receptions with 27 catches while Josh Johnston has a team-best 381 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, AVerie Mansfield has a team-best 29 tackles and 6.5 tackles for a loss. Luke Jeter and Nolan Reeve each have a team-best three sacks while Kobe Brewster (to go along with 23 tackles) and Geoff Keating lead the Orediggers with two interceptions.

TAILGATE INFORMATION

MOUNTAINEER TAILGATE AT MINES
There will be a pregame tailgate prior to the Mountaineers' game with Colorado School of Mines starting at 10 a.m. at the space below.  Tailgating parking spots cost $10 or fans can park elsewhere and walk to the tailgating area. Other key notes are there are no pop-up tents are allowed on the paved portion of hte lot and tents over 700 square feet need an operation permit from the City of Golden Fire Department.

2019 WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

SERIES VS. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES ... 95TH MEETING
There isn't a longer continuous college football rivalry in Colorado than the Mountaineers and the Orediggers as the teams have played each other every year since 1946. This will be the 95th meeting between these teams with WCU leading the series 52-40-2. The teams have split the last four games with WCU winning in 2015 (45-42 in Golden) and 2016 (45-31 at home) and the Orediggers winning in 2017 (45-7 in Golden) and 2018 (44-16 in Gunnison).

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
The Mountaineers are looking to break a six-game skid against ranked opponents as WCU has gone 0-3 the previous two seasons against ranked foes. WCU's last win against a ranked opponent? A 45-31 win over No. 23 Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 24, 2016. The last win against a ranked opponent on the road? A 45-42 win at No. 21 Colorado School of Mines in Golden Nov. 7, 2015, where WCU alum and current Los Angeles Charger rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns.

DAVIS NAMED RMAC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... AGAIN (Oct.  7)
For the second time this season, WCU kicker Chandler Davis was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday after going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points in the Mountaineers' one-point win over Chadron State.

The first time Davis earned the honor was when he booted arguably one of the biggest kicks in recent memory for the Western Colorado football program as he drilled a 29-yard field goal as time expired to beat Colorado Mesa 30-28 in Grand Junction. Davis connected on that field goal after waiting out four timeouts to help the Mountaineers beat Colorado Mesa for the first time since 2013 and for the first time in Grand Junction since 2001 along with propelling WCU to its first 2-0 start in RMAC play since 2003.

A PAIR OF WINS THAT WERE A LONG TIME COMING
Five games into the season the Mountaineers have already knocked off a pair of teams in places they haven't won in a long time. WCU defeated Colorado Mesa this season in Grand Junction for the first time since 2001 and the Mountaineers defeated Chadron State at home in the Mountaineer Bowl for the first time since 1997.

AGAINST THE CORNHUSKER STATE
The Mountaineers after their 33-32 win over Chadron State this season are 21-33-1 against teams from Nebraska, including 12-15-1 at home against teams from the Cornhusker state.

COLORADO CLASSIC
The history between Western Colorado and Adams State - i.e. the Colorado Classic - dates back to 1934 (a 14-0 Mountaineers win in Gunnison) and the Mountaineers and Grizzlies have played every year since 1950 - making it the second-longest continual rivalry in Colorado. The teams play for the Colorado Classic Trophy, which travels with the winning institution.

The Mountaineers now hold a 40-33 advantage after falling just short against Adams State this season 38-31 in a game that went down to the final two minutes.

The longest continual rivalry in Colorado is between Western Colorado and Colorado School of Mines as the two teams have played each year since 1946 and have played each other 93 times overall - the first meeting coming in 1925.

BEST START IN CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2003
With wins over South Dakota Mines and Colorado Mesa to begin RMAC play, WCU won their first two conference contests for the first time since 2003. 

GARLOCK NAMED RMAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Sept. 16)
Western Colorado linebacker Robert Garlock was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 after the sophomore from Reno, Nevada, had a team-high seven tackles in the contest - including five solo tackles - in helping the Mountaineer defense not allow an offensive score (the Hardrockers' only score came on returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown) during a 27-7 win over South Dakota Mines. The Western Colorado defense allowed just 177 yards in helping the Mountaineers win their first RMAC opener since 2006.

AGAINST TEAMS FROM SOUTH DAKOTA
The Mountaineers are now 5-7 against teams from South Dakota - including going 3-3 at home against teams from the Mount Rushmore state.

SEASON OPENERS
Western Colorado is now 32-62 all-time in season openers after falling to Idaho State this season. The last season-opening win for the Mountaineers came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. Of their 32 season opening wins, the Mountaineers have finished those seasons with a winning record 19 times (59.4 percent) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5 percent).

AGAINST TEAMS FROM IDAHO
Against all teams from Idaho, the Mountaineers now have a 9-23-1 record after falling in their season opener at Idaho State this season. Western has played the College of Idaho and Southern Idaho twice, splitting both games against both teams, to go along with the 29 games against Idaho State. In the state of Idaho, the Mountaineers have a 3-17 record.