2006 COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE #6

Colorado School of Mines vs. New Mexico Highlands
Saturday, October 7, 2006 - 1:00 pm
Golden, Colo. - Brooks Field
HOMECOMING

Click HERE for a complete .PDF version of the notes

ABOUT THE SERIES
Colorado School of Mines and New Mexico Highlands have met on the gridiron 40 times with NMHU leading the all-time series, 24-14-2. The teams first met in 1956 with Highlands winning, 19-13. CSM has won the last six meetings, including a 45-37 win in New Mexico last season. NMHU has not defeated CSM since a 48-6 win during the 1999 season.

THE HEAD COACHES
Bob Stitt is in his seventh season as the head coach at CSM and claims a 42-30 (.583) overall record. Stitt’s .583 winning percentage is the highest by a CSM football coach who has coached in at least 20 games and the highest for a modern day coach at CSM. In addition, his 42 wins are the third most in CSM history and trail only Marv Kay (84 wins from 1969-1995) and Fritz Brennecke (78 wins from 1947-1969). Stitt is 6-0 all-time against New Mexico Highlands.

New Mexico Highlands is led by Carl Ferrill. He is in his second stint at NMHU having posted a 24-9 record from 1996-98. He is 2-3 this season, including 0-3 in the RMAC.

ALL-TIME RECORD
CSM claims a 366-510-30 all-time record since its first collegiate football game in 1888, a 6-4 win over Denver University.

CSM vs. THE “N’s”
CSM is 40-64-1 all-time against schools that begin with the letter “N”. The Orediggers have played 10 schools all-time that begin with the letter “N”.

RMAC OPENERS
The game on Sept. 16 against Adams State was the RMAC opener for CSM, which is now 2-12-1 in 14 all-time RMAC openers since 1992. The two wins came in 2004 and 2005, both against Western State. The game against Adams State was the first time CSM opened the season against the Grizzlies.

UP NEXT FOR CSM
CSM will return to action on Oct. 14 when it travels to Western New Mexico for a 12:00 pm game. It will be the first time CSM has played WNMU since the 2003 season when the Orediggers won, 51-10.

LISTEN LIVE TO CSM FOOTBALL ONLINE
Now you can follow all the action of CSM football games on the internet, courtesy of Mines Internet Radio. Visit radio.mines.edu and click on the LISTEN LIVE link to follow all the live action of CSM football.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES ON THE INTERNET
Now you can get all the latest and most comprehensive news on Oredigger football and Colorado School of Mines athletics 24 hours a day by visiting the Colorado School of Mines Athletics Department official website at ... http://athletics.mines.edu.

JOIN THE OREDIGGER EMAIL LIST
Get all the latest news on all of Colorado School of Mines Athletics by signing up for the Orediggers’ E-Mail List. Receive daily updates, game recaps and press releases on all of CSM’s athletic teams by emailing Sports Information Director Gregory Murphy at gjmurphy@mines.edu. You can sign up to receive updates on one sport, numerous sports or all sports. Please indicate in your email what sports you would like to be included on or if you would like to be included for all sports.

ALL ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
The Cowboys enter the week at 2-3 overall and 0-3 in the RMAC following a 40-20 loss to Chadron State on Saturday. NMHU won its first two games of the season, but is currently on a three game losing streak.

WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL
The Cowboys are led on offense by quarterback Alex Aispuro who has completed 78-of-135 passes for 977 yards, eight scores and nine picks. His favorite target is LaFerrell Payne who has caught 32 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns, while Kendrick Harris has run 69 times for 350 yards and a touchdown. As a team, NMHU is averaging 21.2 points and 324.8 yards of offense per game.

AND WHEN THEY DON’T
The Cowboy defense is led by Diego Urbina who has tallied 35 tackles and eight tackles for loss. Thomas Raiola has recorded 20 stops and a team-best four sacks, while Chris Hardiman has been in on 23 tackles and leads the team with nine pass breakups and four picks. As a team, the Cowboys are giving up 22.2 points and 311.8 yard of offense per game.

IN THE POLLS
Neither Colorado School of Mines nor New Mexico Highlands is ranked in any of the national polls this week.

LAST TIME vs. NMHU (10/22/05)
The Colorado School of Mines football team picked up a 45-37 victory over New Mexico Highlands at Perkins Field. CSM trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, but outscored NMHU, 28-7, in the second period to take a 28-17 halftime lead. Running back Bryan Florendo did most of the damage as he scored three rushing touchdowns in the quarter from 26, 47 and 2 yards. He also threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gallas. The teams traded two touchdowns apiece in the third quarter with CSM quarterback Garrett Mehl throwing a 68-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Michael Curl and running in for a 2-yard touchdown. Aaron Abel booted a 44-yard field goal with 35 seconds left to give CSM the final margin of victory. Florendo ran 20 times for 140 yards, while Curl caught three passes for 91 yards and a score. Mehl finished 11-of-18 for 152 yards and a touchdown and also ran 15 times for 76 yards and a score. Linebacker Danny Sprague led the defense with a game-best 15 tackles, including one for loss. NMHU was led by Ronnie Simpson who completed 17-of-32 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns and also ran 19 times for 80 yards. Ikaika Neizman caught seven balls for 133 yards and two scores, while Brian Trujillo led the Cowboy defense with 10 stops.

STITT IN OPENERS
CSM Head Coach Bob Stitt is 4-3 in season openers at CSM after a 41-21 loss on Sept. 2 at Washburn to open the 2006 season. CSM lost its first game under Stitt, 43-34, to MidAmerica Nazarene but rebounded to win four straight openers before losing to the Ichabods the last two season openers. In the last 20 openers, CSM is 15-5. In overall season openers, CSM is 57-56-5.

PRESEASON RMAC POLL
CSM was picked fourth in the Preseason RMAC Poll with 24 points. Fort Lewis was picked first with 14 points and four first place votes. The Skyhawks were followed by Nebraska-Kearney with four first place votes and 21 points, while Chadron State received the final first place vote and 22 total points. After Mines was Adams State (36 points), Mesa State (38), N.M. Highlands and Western New Mexico (55) and Western State (58)

PRESEASON ALL-RMAC SELECTIONS
CSM had four players named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. Senior running back Bryan Florendo and junior kicker Aaron Abel were named to the offensive squad, while senior defensive lineman Charles Yarbrough and senior linebacker Danny Sprague were named to the defensive team.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Two CSM players were named to Don Hansen’s National Football Gazette Preseason All-American Team. Senior running back Bryan Florendo and junior kicker Aaron Abel were both named to the squad.

SIX PACK
CSM has five straight winning seasons in the book and will be going after a sixth, a feat that has never been accomplished in program history. The five straight winning seasons are a record for CSM football.

RULE OF TWO
In 31 of the last 40 games, including all 13 in 2004, CSM had at least one player find the end zone two times. The Orediggers are 26-14 during that span.

THE HEAT IS ON
The CSM defense will have a new look this season thanks to Marty Heaton who is in his first year as Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Heaton, who joined the CSM staff in January, consistently had one of the top defenses in the RMAC and Division II at Adams State where he worked from 1999-2005. Under Heaton, the ASC defense led the RMAC in both total and pass defense and sacks in 2003. In 2004, the Grizzlies were ranked at the top of nearly every defensive category in the RMAC and were named the NCAA Division II Defense of the Year by the College Sports Report. In addition, the defense finished the 2004 season ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense, 11th in pass efficiency defense, 12th in total defense and 15th in rushing defense. In 2005, Heaton’s defense led the RMAC in pass defense, total defense, pass efficiency defense, sacks and opponent first downs. It also ranked 27th in Division II in total defense and 35th in rushing defense. Heaton guided several All-RMAC and All-Region players, including three-time All-American and two-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Adam McGurk (2003, 2004), Charles Allgood, a 2004 All-American and Cactus Bowl participant, and 2005 RMAC Defensive Lineman of the Year Ernesto Villasenor.

LESS IS MORE
The Oredigger offensive line will have a new leader this year in Assistant Coach Curt Lessman who took over for Scott Carey when Carey departed for a similar position at Tarleton State. Lessman came to CSM from Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU) where he was an assistant coach (tight ends) last season and helped the Bearcats to a Division II National Runner-Up finish. Lessman also spent three years (1999-2001) at NWMSU as a player and was part of the 1999 team that won the Division II National Championship.

TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK
CSM has had at least one wide receiver top the 100-yard plateau in 28 of the last 33 games. The only four times it did not happen was the 2004 regular season finale at Adams State when Jonny Chan led the team with 83 yards, a Sept. 24, 2005 win at Chadron State when Brent Chacon led the squad with 40 yards, an Oct. 22, 2005 win at N.M. Highlands when Michael Curl posted a team-best 91 yards, the Sept. 16 loss to Adams State when Bryan Florendo had a team-high 55 yards and the Sept. 23 loss at Chadorn State when Derek Dykstra had 17 yards.

WITH THE ARM AND LEGS
Senior quarterback Garrett Mehl has shown that he is capable of beating teams with his arm and his legs. Mehl has completed 44-of-64 passes for 485 yards and two scores this year and is also the leading rusher for CSM with 100 yards on 23 carries. He also has four touchdowns on the ground. For his career, Mehl has thrown for 2,379 yards and 15 touchdowns and has also run for 791 yards and 12 more scores.

ROWDY, ROWDY ARCIAGA
Sophomore quarterback Rowdy Arciaga saw his first collegiate start in the Sept. 16 loss to Adams State. He completed 34-of-49 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. For the year, Arciaga has gone 46-of-74 for 291 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

NICE START, KID
Freshman quarterback Keenan Bruchez played in and started his first collegiate game in Saturday’s 69-0 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State. The 6-foot-4 Bruchez was impressive as he completed 11-of-18 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns and also ran five times for 55 yards and two more touchdowns. He led CSM to scores on 5-of-8 first half possessions, including the first two when he scampered into the end zone from 26 and 7 yards out.

GO FLO
Senior running back Bryan Florendo had his breakout game of 2006 in Saturday’s win over Panhandle State. He rushed for a career-high 222 yards on just 16 carries (13.9 ypc) and scored three touchdowns on runs of 8, 40 and 54 yards. One of the top returnees to the 2006 squad, Florendo is coming off a season in which he earned First Team All-RMAC honors after totaling 1,492 yards from scrimmage. He ran 191 times for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns and also caught 53 passes for 579 yards and three more scores. This year, he has 543 all-purpose yards through four games.

DOUBLE “D”
Junior wide receiver Derek Dykstra started the season with a bang The 6-foot-3 receiver caught a career-high 13 passes for 131 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown in the season opening loss at Washburn. The 13 receptions were one shy of the CSM single game record of 14 set by Dayven Johnston in a triple overtime win at Fort Hays State in 2001. He followed that up with a four catch, 124 yard game in the Sept. 9 win vs. Fort Hays. He leads the team in catches (31), yards (340) and touchdowns (2).

CURL’S ROUTE
Junior wide receiver Michael Curl is the speedster of the group and leads the team in yards per catch at 11.7 yards per reception. He has caught at least one pass in all 15 games he has played in at CSM. Curl ranks 5th in Division II in kickoff returns (34.3 ypg), which was highlighted by a 93-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff in the Sept. 9 win over Fort Hays State. Curl is also a member of the CSM track teams and ran a season best 6.95 seconds in the 60-meter dash during the indoor season and a 10.7 in the 100-yard dash during the outdoor season.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior wide receiver Brent Chacon has some good blood in his genes. He is the cousin of MLB pitcher Shawn Chacon, a pitcher for the Pittsbugh Pirates. Shawn Chacon also served stints with the Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees. With the Yankees, he played a key role in their 2005 playoff run. Chacon has seven catches for 68 yards this year.

EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
The Oredigger offensive line is again one of the most experienced groups under Head Coach Bob Stitt. The line features four returning starters from last year’s group, including center Nick Belden, a three-time All-RMAC honoree. In addition, junior left tackle James Reeves, junior right guard Stephen Immel and junior right tackle Brian Fitzpatrick all return after starting last season. Junior left guard James Tyree is penciled in as the starter this year after seeing significant action last year backing up two-time All-American Travis Yenne and also playing on the right side.

IT’S MILLER TIME
Senior free safety Tim Miller returns for his final year at CSM after posting 54 stops last season. He returns as the second leading tackler in 2006. As a sophomore, Miller played the role of “Jonny on the Spot” as he tallied a team-best six interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery en route to First Team All-RMAC accolades.

OH DANNY BOY
Senior linebacker Danny Sprague has come a long way since beginning his sophomore year as a backup linebacker. Sprague earned his first start on Oct. 18, 2003, in a 37-7 win against Fort Lewis and has not looked back. He finished the game with eight tackles and two sacks en route to RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Since that game, Sprague has registered 253 tackles over 33 games (7.7 tpg). He has 31 tackles, including a team-best 5.5 for losses and three sacks this year.

MAR “IN” THE BACKFIELD
Junior defensive lineman Marin Richardson earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Sept. 9 win over Fort Hays when he posted nine tackles, including three for losses and 2.5 sacks. His tackles for losses totaled nine yards. Richardson leads the team with four sacks this year and is tied for second with 31 tackles this year.

CHARLES IN CHARGE
Senior defensive lineman Charles Yarbrough will be counted on to be one of the leaders on and off the field this season. This is evident as he was voted by his teammates as one of two Oredigger captains. Yarbrough, a Preseason All-RMAC selection, has tallied 15 tackles, including two sacks in 2006.

BEAU KNOWS DEFENSE
Senior defensive lineman Beau Koenig is getting a chance to start for the first time in his career at CSM. Koenig, who played in nine career games at CSM prior to this season, has posted 26 tackles, including three for losses this year. He had two sacks in the Sept. 16 loss to Adams State.

LAYING DOWN THE LAW
Redshirt freshman linebacker Hunter Wardlaw has had quite a start to his CSM career. The Broomfield native opened his collegiate career by posting a game-best 13 tackles in the season opening loss at nationally-ranked Washburn. He currently leads the team with 41 tackles.

ONE SMART FRESHMAN
True freshman rover Isaiah Smart has proven that he will be a force on the field over the next four seasons. Smart has amassed 30 tackles, which ranks third on the team, and is second in tackles for loss (5) and tied for the team lead in sacks with four.

WHAT’S IN A NAME
Sophomore cornerback Kevin Folly-Kossi has made an immediate impact for CSM. Folly-Kossi, a transfer from Santa Monica J.C. (Calif.) and a native of the Ivory Coast, leads all CSM defensive backs with 17 tackles and is also tops on the team with seven pass breakups. His 1.4 pass breakups per game ranks 12th in Division II.

READY, WILLING AND ABEL
Junior placekicker Aaron Abel is back for his third season as the Oredigger kicker. He has been solid at CSM as he has connected on 21-of-30 field goal attempts (.700), including 13-of-19 from 30 yards or more and 5-of-7 from 40 yards or more. In Saturday’s win over Panhandle State, Abel connected on a career-long 46-yarder. Last season, Abel connected on a game-winning 27-yard field goal with three seconds left in a 27-26 win at Chadron State. In a Sept. 23 loss at Chadron State, Abel also did the punting for the first time in his career. He booted five punts for 203 yards (40.6 ypp), including two over 50 yards and one inside the 20-yardline.

SACK ATTACK
The CSM defense has recorded 23 sacks through the first four games of the 2006 season and is well on its way to breaking the school record of 28 sacks in 2002.

BEHIND THE LINE
The CSM defense has also posted 40 tackles for losses totaling 201 yards this year. Included in that total were 11 tackles for loss in Saturday’s win over Panhandle State.

POINTS ON THE BOARD
CSM had its streak of 73 games in which it has scored, including all 71 games under Head Coach Bob Stitt, snapped in a Sept. 23 loss at Chadron State (57-0). The last time the Orediggers were shut out prior to that was Oct. 16, 1999, a 47-0 loss to Mesa State. During that same time period, CSM had shutout three opponents with the last time being Sept. 11, 2004, a 58-0 blanking of Western State. During Stitt’s tenure as coach at CSM, the Orediggers have scored at least 30 points 42 times (out of 72 games). The 69 points scored against Panhandle State were the most since CSM posted 75 in a win at N.M. Highlands in 2003.