2006 COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE #9

Colorado School of Mines at Nebraska-Kearney
Saturday, October 28, 2006 - 1:00 pm (CST)
Kearney, Neb. - Foster Field

Click HERE for a complete .PDF version of the notes

ABOUT THE SERIES
Colorado School of Mines and Nebraska-Kearney have met 17 times on the gridiron with the Lopers holding a 14-3 advantage in the all-time series which dates to 1931. UNK has won 12 of the last 13 games, including a 35-24 win in Golden last season. CSM’s lone win during that span was a 34-10 win in Kearney during the 2004 season.

THE HEAD COACHES
Bob Stitt is in his seventh season as the head coach at CSM and claims a 43-32 (.573) overall record. Stitt’s .573 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 43 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 1-5 all-time against Nebraska-Kearney.

Nebraska-Kearney is led by seventh-year Head Coach Darrell Morris who claims a 47-24 record at UNK. Morris is 5-1 all-time against Colorado School of Mines.

ALL-TIME RECORD
CSM claims a 367-512-30 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 40-65-1 all-time against schools that begin with the letter “N”. The Orediggers have played 10 schools all-time that begin with the letter “N”, including New Mexico Highlands back on Oct. 7. The Cowboys defeated CSM, 19-16, in Golden.

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 RMAC season against the Grizzlies.

UP NEXT FOR CSM
CSM returns to action on Nov. 4 when it hosts Mesa State at 12:00 pm at Brooks Field in the final home game of the 2006 season. The game will be broadcast live online and can be accessed at the following website ... http://www.NCAAsports.com/DII

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.

ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
The Lopers enter the week at 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the RMAC following a 31-12 loss at Chadron State on Saturday. UNK led 10-7 at halftime, but Chadron scored 24 unanswered points to take control of the game. Kevin Arbuckle went 16-of-31 for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Jake Richards totaled 86 receiving yards and a touchdown and also ran for 34 yards. Yly Rock posted a game-best 14 tackles for the Lopers, who gave up 274 rushing yards to Danny Woodhead, the top rusher in the nation.

WHEN THE LOPERS HAVE THE BALL
As a team, UNK is averaging 21.6 points and 299.4 yards of offense per game. Kevin Arbuckle has completed 115-of-193 passes for 1,336 yards, 11 touchdowns and six picks. Jake Richards is the leading rusher with 385 yards and two scores on 105 carries, while Cory Sleeth has caught 35 passes for 458 yards and a team-best six touchdowns.

AND WHEN THEY DON’T
The Loper defense is giving up just 15.0 points and 288.6 yards of offense per game. Prior to surrendering 31 points against Chadron State on Saturday, UNK had given up just 10 points in the previous three games, including a shutout of Mesa State and three points to Western State. Yly Rock leads the team with 45 tackles, while Kirk Peterson has been in on 41 stops, including 7.5 for losses. Sir Keevin Hardiman has tallied 32 tackles and leads the team with four sacks and 7.5 tackles for losses. Nick Oberle leads the team with two interceptions and also has 35 tackles.

LAST TIME vs. UNK (10/8/2005)
The Colorado School of Mines football team lost its first conference game in almost two years as Nebraska-Kearney handed the Orediggers a 35-24 setback at Brooks Field. CSM took a 14-6 lead with four minutes to play in the first quarter as Danny Medina (Pueblo, hooked up on a 68-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gallas and a 30-yard TD to wideout Michael Curl. However, the Lopers added a pair of scores in the second quarter to take a 21-14 lead at the half. CSM sliced the deficit to 21-17 on a 19-yard field goal by Aaron Abel, but UNK regained an 18-point lead (35-17) with 8:11 to play on a 73-yard scoring strike from Marcus Goldenstein to Kyle Rupp and a 12-yard scoring run from Jake Richards. Medina hooked up with wide receiver Andrew Schmid for a 5-yard touchdown pass late in the game to provide the final margin. Medina finished 25-of-45 for 353 yards and three scores. Gallas had three catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, while Curl hauled in five balls for 100 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Jared Heath posted 12 tackles, while linebacker Danny Sprague posted nine. Goldenstein went 27-of-41 for 314 yards and three scores, while Rupp caught 10 passes for 173 yards. Jared Goodwin tied Heath for game-high honors with 12 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. In order to earn a sixth, the Orediggers need to win their final three games. The five straight winning seasons are a record for CSM football and are also the longest active streak in the RMAC.

RULE OF TWO
In 32 of the last 44 games, including all 13 in 2004, CSM had at least one player find the end zone two times. The Orediggers are 27-16 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.

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 59-of-90 passes for 678 yards and four scores this year and has also run for 195 yards and five touchdowns on 42 carries. For his career, Mehl has thrown for 2,572 yards and 17 touchdowns and has also run for 886 yards and 13 more scores.

NICE START, KID
Freshman quarterback Keenan Bruchez played in and started his first collegiate game in the Sept. 30 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. Bruchez followed that up with a 301 yard day through the air in the Oct. 7 loss to New Mexico Highlands. Bruchez is expected to miss the rest of the season with an injury.

GO FLO
Senior running back Bryan Florendo had his breakout game of 2006 in the Sept. 30 win over Panhandle State when 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 leads the team with 1,008 all-purpose yards, which ranks 26th in Division II (126.0 ypg). He needs 360 rush yards over the final three games to reach 1,000 in 2006.

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. Dykstra is tops on the team in receiving yards with 456.

CURL’S ROUTE
Junior wide receiver Michael Curl is the speedster of the group and leads the team in yards per catch at 13.9 yards per reception. He has caught at least one pass in all 18 games he has played in at CSM. Curl is also ranked second in Division II in kickoff returns (32.1 ypg), which was highlighted by a 93-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff in the Sept. 9 win over Fort Hays State. He is second on the team in all-purpose yards (122.0 ypg), which ranks just outside the top-40 in Division II. Curl is a member of the CSM track teams and ran a 2006 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 nine catches for 90 yards this year.

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 in 2004, 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. Miller has recorded 11 tackles and a team-high two fumble recoveries this season.

OH DANNY BOY
Senior linebacker Danny Sprague has come a long way since beginning his freshman 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 269 tackles over 36 games (7.5 tpg). He has 47 tackles, including a team-best 6.5 for losses and 4.5 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 4.5 sacks this year and is third with 44 tackles this year. He has posted eight tackles three times this year and nine one time.

CHARLES IN CHARGE
Senior defensive lineman Charles Yarbrough is being counted on as 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 20 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss 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 42 tackles, including 4.5 for losses and three sacks this year. He had two sacks in the Sept. 16 loss to Adams State. Koenig has had at least four tackles in all eight games this season.

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. In an Oct. 14 win at Western New Mexico, Wardlaw recorded 10 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery and followed that with a 12 tackle performance and his first interception in Saturday’s loss to Fort Lewis. He leads the team and is ranked fourth in the RMAC with 68 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 43 tackles, which ranks fourth on the team, and is second in tackles for loss (5) and sacks (4).

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, has recorded 27 tackles and is tops on the team with nine pass breakups.

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 27-of-39 field goal attempts (.692), including 17-of-26 from 30 yards or more and 8-of-13 from 40 yards or more. In the Oct. 14 win at Western N.M., Abel hit a career-long 50-yard field goal. In the Oct. 7 loss to N.M. Highlands, Abel nailed all three of his field goal attempts en route to RMAC Player of the Week honors. He is 14th in Division II in field goals per game (1.1 fgpg). 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 28 sacks through the first eight games of the 2006 season, tying the single season record of 28 sacks set in 2002.

BEHIND THE LINE
The CSM defense has also posted 50 tackles for losses totaling 234 yards this year. Included in that total were 11 tackles for loss in a Sept. 30 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 43 times (out of 75 games). The 69 points scored against Panhandle State on Sept. 30 were the most since CSM posted 75 in a win at N.M. Highlands in 2003.

POINTS OFF THE BOARD
The CSM defense has done a great job of keeping points off the board this year. The Orediggers have limited two teams to fewer than 10 points this year as it shutout Oklahoma Panhandle State (69-0) and defeated Western New Mexico, 10-6. It is the first time since the 2003 season that CSM has held two opponents under 10 points. That year, the Orediggers defeated Missouri-Rolla, 28-7, and Fort Lewis, 37-7. The Orediggers have not held three opponents under 10 points in the same season since 1981.