RAPID CITY, S.D.  Fifth-ranked Western Colorado got a pair of touchdown tosses from Drew Nash and a pair of rushing touchdowns from Quinn Bailey to fracture the host Hardrockers of South Dakota Mines in a 34-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Saturday afternoon at O'Harra Stadium.

Bailey's 7-yard touchdown late in the first quarter opened the scoring, and he added a second scoring plunge just before halftime to allow the Mountaineers to head into the halftime break with a 21-6 lead.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. S.D. Mines, 34-13
Records: Western 7-0 overall (5-0 RMAC), S.D. Mines 2-6 (2-4)
Location: O'Harra Stadium, Rapid City, S.D.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bailey's short scoring dash with 3:44 left in the first quarter closed out an eight-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in three successive runs by Bailey and included back-to-back 16-yard receptions by Caden Measner.
• The Hardrockers turned the ball over on downs at the end of the first quarter, but recovered a fumble at the Western 18-yard line to set up a short field for their offense. Quarterback Gage Baker hit Joshua Morales for a17-yard scoring strike, but Western was able to maintain a lead when Mikey Smith blocked the extra-point attempt.
• The Mountaineers needed just three plays following the ensuing kickoff, as Nash lofted a deep ball down the middle that DJ Allen Jr. ran under and finished the 56-yard play for a touchdown.
• The score stayed at 14-6 through most of the second quarter until a late drive finished with a Bailey 1-yard touchdown, ending a five-play drive that again included a long pass and catch for Measner, a 35-yard reception that put the ball at the SDM 3-yard line.
• The Mountaineers were able to add to their 21-6 halftime advantage in the third quarter, with Nash finding Ramon Ruiz near the back of the end zone for a scoring strike with 6:58 left in the period.
• The Hardrockers got another short field to work with late in the third, blocking a Western punt and taking five plays to travel 13 yards for a second score that trimmed the Mountaineer lead to 27-13 in the early moments of the fourth quarter.
• South Dakota Mines threatened again two possessions later, driving all the way down the field until Ricky Freymond forced a fumble at the Mountaineer goal line, a loose ball picked up by Easton Peterson and returned to the Western 20.
• Nash led a methodical seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended with his own 1-yard dive into the end zone for the final score of the game.

TURF NOTES

• Nash would finish the game with 342 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, and adding 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
• Measner led all receivers with 119 yards, while Allen Jr. was close behind with 107 yards and a touchdown.
• Bailey's 75 yards rushing nearly bested SDM's total rushing yards (88), and his pair of scores were his fourth and fifth of the season for the freshman running back.
• The Mountaineers rang up 473 total yards of offense while the Western defense limited the Hardrockers to those two short scoring drives and 322 yards of total offense.
• Ian Loomis hit double digits in tackles with four solo stops and 10 assists, while Cameron Cooper registered five solo tackles and six assists while registering 3.5 tackles for loss.
• Freymond and Ryan Downard each registered a sack for Western, 2 of a total of 10.0 tackles for loss on the day.

UP NEXT
Western welcomes Colorado School of Mines to the Mountaineer Bowl on Hall of Fame Weekend on October 25 for a 1 p.m. RMAC game.