FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2004
CONTACT: GREG MURPHY, SID (303) 273-3095

COLORADO MINES FOOTBALL TOPS CHADRON STATE, 40-39
Mines Scores With 35 Seconds Left and Converts Two-Point Conversion for Win

GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines senior quarterback Chad Friehauf (Brush, Colo./Brush) scored on a two-yard keeper with 35 seconds left and then hit sophomore wide receiver Derek Dykstra (Seibert, Colo./Hi Plains) for the two-point conversion to lift the Orediggers to a 40-39 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football victory over Chadron State on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field. It is the seventh straight win for Mines (five this year and two to conclude the 2003 season).

The win moves Mines to 5-0 overall (2-0 RMAC), while Chadron slips to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. It is the first time since 1939 that the Orediggers have opened the season with five straight wins and is the first time since 1993 that CSM has defeated the Eagles.

Chadron State claimed a 39-25 lead with 6:45 to play after freshman sensation Danny Woodhead scampered 66 yards for a touchdown. However, the Oredigger responded when Friehauf hit sophomore running back Bryan Florendo (Crete, Neb./Crete) with an across the field pass and Florendo went 54 yards for a touchdown.

After CSM stopped the Eagles on fourth and eight from the Mines 25-yard line, Friehauf went to work to direct the game-winning drive. He wound up going 4-for-4 for 68 yards and added five rushing yards on the final drive.

The Eagles raced out to a 12-0 lead at the 14:55 mark of the second quarter as Shawn Eisenreich hit Bryce Flammang for touchdowns of nine and four yards. The extra point was no good on the first score and CSC missed a two-point conversion on the second TD.

CSM senior running back Craig Van Horn then got Mines on the board with a 66-yard touchdown catch and run off a screen pass. The Eagles added a 10-yard scoring run from Eisenreich on the next possession to take an 18-7 lead at halftime.

Mines cut the lead to 18-15 at the 11:08 mark of the third quarter with a 33-yard TD toss from Friehauf to senior wide receiver Jonny Chan (Aurora, Colo./Rangeview). The teams then traded scores, an Eisenreich touchdown pass, a 36-yard run from Van Horn on fourth-and-one and a 1-yard run from Woodhead as Chadron extended its lead to 10 points (32-22).

CSM freshman kicker Aaron Abel (Cheyenne, Wyo./East) booted a 28-yard field goal with 6:45 to play to cut the lead to 32-25, but Woodhead went 66 yards to the house on the first play from scrimmage to give the Eagles a 39-25 advantage.

The Mines defense and Friehauf took over from there as they guided the Orediggers to the win.

Friehauf finished 24-of-31 for 411 yards and three scores and also extended his streak of not throwing an interception to 141 straight. Chan finished with seven catches for 105 yards and a score, while Florendo also caught six balls for 101 yards and a score. Van Horn added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown and 77 receiving yards and a score.

The CSM defense was led by sophomore linebacker Danny Sprague (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge) who produced a school-record tying 17 tackles.

Woodhead led the Eagles with 260 rushing yards and two scores on 39 carries, while Eisenreich completed 22-of-32 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.

The two teams combined for 1,099 yards of offense, with Chadron amassing 554 and Mines producing 545.

CSM will return to action next Saturday when it hosts Fort Hays State at 1:00 pm at Brooks Field.

-- OREDIGGERS --