2004 COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE #5

Colorado School of Mines (4-0, 1-0 RMAC) vs. Chadron State (3-1, 2-0 RMAC)
Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 1:00 pm
Brooks Field - Golden, Colorado

Click HERE for a complete .PDF version of the notes

COLORADO MINES ON THE INTERNET
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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 Mines’ athletic teams by emailing Sports Information Director Greg 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.

SILVER AND BLUE LUNCHEONS
Every Wednesday throughout the season, the Colorado School of Mines athletics department will host a Silver and Blue Luncheon in the Ben Parker Student Center. The lunch, which begins at 11:30 am, features speeches by all of the in-season coaches. For more information, call 303-384-2254.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Junior cornerback Nick Gilbreath was named to the 2004 Don Hansen’s National Football Gazette Preseason All-American Team. A year ago, Gilbreath led the team with nine pass breakups and five interceptions en route to First Team All-RMAC, Second Team All-State and Second Team All-Region honors. Gilbreath, who picked off four passes in the first five games of the 2003 season, also totaled 49 tackles, including one for loss.

PRESEASON ALL-RMAC HONOREES
Nick Gilbreath, senior wide receiver Jonny Chan and junior punt returner Justin Gallas were all named to the 2004 All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Preseason Team as voted on by the nine conference coaches. The trio was also named to the d2football.com Preseason All-Southwest Region Team.

MINES PICKED FIFTH IN RMAC POLL
CSM was picked to finish fifth out of nine teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Mesa State, the defending RMAC Champions, received six first place votes and 12 points to top the poll. Chadron State earned the other three first place votes and 13 total points to finish second in the voting. Nebraska-Kearney (23 points) was third and was followed by Fort Hays State (34), Colorado Mines (35), Adams State and Western State (44 points each), Fort Lewis (57) and New Mexico Highlands (62).

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES HEAD COACH
BOB STITT • DOANE COLLEGE (1986)
5th season as Mines Head Coach
26-21 Overall Record, 14-19 RMAC Record
The 2004 campaign will mark Bob Stitt’s fifth season as the head coach of the Colorado School of Mines football squad. In his first three seasons at the helm, Stitt has led the Orediggers to an overall record of 25-21, including a 14-19 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Stitt’s .553 winning percentage is the second-highest by a Mines football coach who has coached in at least 30 games. In 2003, Stitt led Mines to a 6-5 mark, marking the third consecutive winning season by the program. It was the first time since 1913-15 that the Orediggers had posted three straight winning seasons. Stitt led the 2001 and 2002 teams to identical 7-4 marks. The seven wins in 2001 were the most by the program since 1958 and also the first winning season for Mines since 1991. The 2001-02 seasons also marked the first time since 1975-76 that Mines football produced back-to-back winning seasons. In addition, it marked the first time in the history of the program that CSM teams produced a combined 14 victories in consecutive seasons. During his tenure at Mines, Stitt has coached 36 All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honorees. He has also developed eight All-Region players and All-American Brian Sump, who was named the National Special Teams Player of the Year in 2001 and signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers in April of 2003.

CHADRON STATE HEAD COACH
The Eagles are led by Brad Smith, who is in his 18th season at the helm. During that time, he claims a 126-53-1 mark.

SERIES HISTORY: Chadron State leads the all-time series with Colorado School of Mines, 18-8. The Eagles have won the last 10 meetings, as CSM has not won since a 51-28 triumph in 1993.

LAST TIME vs. CHADRON (9/27/03): The Colorado Mines football team dropped its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener against 20th ranked Chadron State, 38-21, on Saturday afternoon at Elliott Field. Danny Medina and Chad Friehauf combined to complete 24-of-46 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Gallas added five catches for 110 yards and Jonny Chan contributed five catches for 91 yards. The Oredigger defense, which forced five turnovers, was paced by Jared Heath who notched a game-high 13 tackles. Nathan Liess finished with 110 yards and four scores on 25 carries for Chadron State, while Shawn Eisenreich completed 15-of-25 passes for 283 yards and a score. The Eagle defense, while picked off three passes and recorded nine sacks, was led by Cody Assmann and Alex Tone who tallied 10 tackles apiece.

LAST CSM WIN: 51-28 in 1993
LAST CHADRON WIN: 38-21 in 2003
LARGEST CSM WIN: 41-6 in 1966
LARGEST CHADRON WIN: 66-2 in 2000

UP NEXT FOR MINES: CSM will host Fort Hays State on Oct. 2 at Brooks Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

ABOUT CHADRON STATE
The Eagles are 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the RMAC following a 51-28 victory at Fort Hays State on Saturday. Chadron, which raced out to a 35-7 lead at halftime, was led by Danny Woodhead who ran 48 times for 267 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Eagles, while Shawn Eisenreich completed 17-of-25 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. Kalan Jones and Paul Schwerger each had six tackles.

WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL
The leader of the Eagle offense is freshman running back Danny Woodhead who has run 99 times for 702 yards (7.1 avg) and 11 touchdowns. He is averaging 175.5 yards per game. Shawn Eisenreich has completed 71-of-137 passes for 810 yards and five touchdowns, but has been picked off nine times. His favorite target is Bryce Flamming who has caught 19 passes for 270 yards and four scores. The Eagle offense is averaging 393.2 yards of per game, 186.2 rushing and 207.0 passing. CSC is averaging 34.5 points per game.

AND WHEN THEY DON’T
Chadron State’s defense is giving up 29.8 points and 396.8 yards per game, including 159.5 rushing and 237.2 passing yards. The leader of the defense is Evan Halchishick who has posted 34 tackles, including five for losses and one sack. Seth Rhoades has posted 26 stops, while Eric Barker has been in on 23 tackles and leads the RMAC with five interceptions.

THE RANKINGS
Colorado School of Mines is currently ranked 23rd in the d2football.com poll, 26th in the CollegeSportsReport.com poll, 28th in the Don Hansen Football Gazette poll and 31st in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
Chadron State is 35th in Don Hansen’s Top-40 and 57th in the CollegeSportsReport.com poll.

MINES LAST TIME OUT (9/18/04)
The Colorado School of Mines football team improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 1963 season with a 27-13 victory at Northwestern Oklahoma State, the second ranked NAIA team, in nonconference action Saturday afternoon at Ranger Field. Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf once again led the attack as he completed 23-of-31 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 62 yards and two more scores and also extended his streak of consecutive passes without throwing an interception to 110 straight. Friehauf opened the scoring at the 2:34 mark of the first quarter when he hooked up with senior wide receiver Jonny Chan from four yards out. The extra point was no good. NWOSU took a 7-6 lead six seconds into the second quarter when Jeff Cooper scampered 27 yards for a touchdown. However, Friehauf added touchdown runs of eight and 11 yards in the second stanza to give the Orediggers a 20-7 lead at halftime. On the first drive of the second half, the Rangers marched 76 yards in seven plays and cut the lead to 20-13 when DeMarko Jones hit Nathan Soliz for a 23 yard touchdown strike. However, CSM’s defense stifled the Rangers for the rest of the game and stopped NWOSU on a fourth and seven from the Oredigger 23-yard line early in the fourth quarter to put the ball back in Friehauf’s hands. He promptly marched the offense 80 yards in seven plays, capped with a 55 yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Justin Gallas with 7:24 left to put the game away. Chan finished with seven catches for 149 yards and a score, while Gallas hauled in five balls for 94 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Danny Sprague led the defense with nine tackles and a fumble recovery, while junior linebacker Jared Heath and sophomore free safety Tim Miller tied for team-high honors with nine tackles each, while Miller also forced a fumble. The CSM defense held the Rangers to 320 yards.

STITT IN OPENERS
CSM Head Coach Bob Stitt is now 4-1 in season openers at Mines after a 34-28 win at Washburn to open the 2004 season. CSM lost its first game under Stitt, 43-34, to MidAmerica Nazarene but has rebounded to win its last three season openers, including a 51-10 triumph over Western New Mexico last year. In the last 17 openers, CSM is 15-3. In overall season openers, CSM is 57-53-5.

FOUR SCORE AND NINE YEARS AGO
With three straight winning seasons in the books, the Orediggers will be going after their fourth straight winning season, a feat that has not been accomplished by the program since 1912-15, or, 89 years ago. CSM needs to win two of its final seven games to assure itself of a season above .500.

65 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
The Oredigger Football Program will be celebrating the 65th Anniversary of arguably the greatest team in school-history. The 1939 team posted a perfect 8-0 record and outscored its opponents, 268-45, that season. Leading the way was running back Lloyd Madden who was college football’s leading scorer that year with 141 points and also ended the season rushing for 1,316 yards on 92 carries (14.3 yards per carry) and scoring 23 touchdowns. That same year, he captured the Blanchard Trophy as Colorado’s Most Outstanding Athlete.

THE DRIVE FOR FIVE
Saturday’s win at NW Oklahoma State gave the Orediggers their first 4-0 start to a season since 1963. A win against Chadron State on Saturday would give CSM its first 5-0 start since 1939, when that team finished a perfect 8-0.

RECORD BREAKER
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf keeps adding to the career records he has broken at Mines. He holds school records for pass attempts (807), completions (494), passing yards (6,538) and touchdowns (57).

“HAUF” THE HOOK
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf has been on fire through the first four weeks of the season and is on his way to seriously contending for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented annually to the top player in Division II. He has completed 105-of-140 passes (75.0%) for 1,311 yards and 12 touchdowns. Friehauf has thrown just one interception, has gone 110 straight passes without a pick and has a quarterback efficiency of rating of 180.5. Friehauf ranked second in the nation in total offense (373.5 ypg), third in passing efficiency (180.5) and has the Mines passing game ranked first in the nation at 346.8 yards per game.

FRIEHAUF vs. WESTERN STATE
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf will be sad not to see Western State on the schedule anymore. In three career games against the Mountaineers, he completed 67-of-101 (.663) passes for 1,135 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. He surpassed the 400 yard mark two times and the Orediggers were 3-0 against the Mountaineers.

GREAT GAMES
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf has turned in some of the best performances in the country this season. His 502 yards of total offense against Western State (Sept. 11) is the third highest in Division II this season. Meanwhile, his 415 passing yards against Western State and 31 completions at Washburn (Aug. 28) are the fourth best for a single game in Division II this year.

RULE OF TWO
The number two has been pretty kind to the Orediggers recently. In 12 of the last 15 games, Mines had at least one player find the end zone two times and CSM has posted an 10-5 record in those games.

HOP ON THE “VAN”
In Pittsburgh, the Steelers have tended to ride Jerome “The Bus” Bettis in dire times. Here in Golden, the Oredigger football team can always turn to senior running back Craig Van Horn when a big play is needed or when the team needs to grind out yards. Case in point, the win over Missouri Rolla on Sept. 4 when Van Horn ran 20 times for a career-high 185 yards and a touchdown. His run of 71 yards against UMR was the longest by an Oredigger in more than 15 years.

GO FLO GO
Van Horn’s backup, sophomore Bryan Florendo, is showing why the loss of the senior at the end of the season won’t be a tough pill to swallow. He has carried the ball just 19 times this year, but has gained 169 yards for 8.9 yards per carry. He has runs of 69, 18, 16 and 14 yards this season.

THE CHAN CHAN MAN
Senior wide receiver Jonny Chan is closing in on several career records currently held by former Oredigger standout Brian Sump. Chan needs just 134 receiving yards (2,464), two touchdowns (24) and 10 catches (146) to break the CSM career records. He has is second in the RMAC with 26 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns this season despite seeing constant double and some triple teaming.

S “LEDGE” HAMMER
Senior strong safety Daniel Leger, a three-time Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection, is on pace to become the first CSM player to record at least 100 tackles in four straight seasons. Leger posted a team-high 109 tackles as a freshman, set a school-record and led the conference with 110 stops as a sophomore and made 103 tackles a year ago. He leads the team with 41 stops this season, including seven for losses totaling 34 yards.

JUST IN CASE
Junior wide receiver Justin Gallas has molded into an outstanding No. 2 receiver opposite senior Jonny Chan. After not playing in the first two of the first three games of the 2002 season, Gallas was pressed into action due to injuries. He responded by finishing second on the team with 36 catches for 408 yards and a score en route to Team Newcomer of the Year honors. Last season, Gallas again finished second on the team with 44 catches for 602 yards and four touchdowns. Through four games this season, Gallas leads the RMAC in receptions (33), receiving yards (417) and average per game (104.2).

THE “HEAT”HER
Junior linebacker Jared Heath made quite a name for himself last season as he led the team and finished second in the RMAC with 114 tackles. His efforts led him to Honorable Mention All-RMAC and Third Team All-Region accolades. His 10.4 tackles per game ranked 26th in Division II a year ago. He is second on the team with 36 tackles this season.

FOR ALL-PURPOSES
Last year, the Orediggers had three players who amassed more than 100 all-purpose yards per game. That includes rushing and receiving yards, as well as punt, kick and interception return yards. After four weeks, the Orediggers appear to be on their way to the same feat as senior running back Criag Van Horn (155.5), junior wide receiver Justin Gallas (140.5) and senior wideout Jonny Chan (131.2) are above the century mark and rank second, fifth and sixth, respectively in the RMAC.

NINE WOULD BE FINE
As the season continues, the Orediggers could have their sights set on the number nine. Why? No team in CSM Football history has won more than eight games in a season. The 1939 team posted a perfect 8-0 mark, while the 1912 team went 8-1.

100/100 MEN
Last season, the Orediggers experienced a rare feat as wide receiver Jonny Chan and running back Craig VanHorn each went over the 100-yard mark in the same game. In the win over Missouri Rolla on Sept. 4, Van Horn again topped the 100-yard mark with 185 yards, while junior wide receiver Justin Gallas totaled 142 receiving yards.

EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
The Oredigger offensive line comes into the season as one of the most experienced groups under Head Coach Bob Stitt. The line features senior Gary Metz and junior Travis Yenne at right tackle and left guard, respectively, while sophomores Nick Belden, an Honorable Mention All-RMAC pick last season, (center) and Zach Ballard (left tackle) and redshirt freshman Stephen Immel (right guard) are listed at No. 1 on the depth chart at their respective positions. Metz and Yenne are each four-year starters, while Belden started nine games last season and Ballard the final seven games. The five up front allowed the first two sacks of the season in Saturday’s win at Northwestern Oklahoma State. The group had gone 126 pass plays before allowing a sack and the first sack against the squad came from NWOSU defensive end Van Brown, a backup on Southern California’s National Championship team last year.

OH DANNY BOY
Sophomore linebacker Danny Sprague has made quite a name for himself since making his first collegiate start in a 37-7 win over Fort Lewis on Oct. 18, 2003. In that game, the Wheat Ridge High School graduate racked up a team-high eight tackles, including two for loss, and two sacks en route to RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He finished the year with 40 tackles, including five for losses, and a fumble recovery. He notched a career-best 10 tackles in the 2004 season opener at Washburn and led the team with nine stops and a fumble recovery at NW Oklahoma St.

PICK OFFS
Over the last three seasons, the Orediggers have featured a defensive back who has notched at least five interceptions. Last year, cornerback Nick Gilbreath kept the streak alive with five picks. In 2002, Grant Newton picked off an RMAC-leading eight passes, while Tolu Lasaki recorded seven picks in 2001.

IT’S MILLE R TIME
Sophomore free safety Tim Miller is well on his way to keeping that streak of interceptions alive after posting four interceptions through the first two games of the season.

READY, WILLING AND ABEL
True freshman kicker Aaron Abel has been reliable after the first foour games as he has converted 20-of-23 extra point attempts. Abel also connected on his first career field goal at Western State on Sept. 11, a 29 yarder.

BEND, BUT DON’T BREAK
The Oredigger defense has adopted the “Bend, but Don’t Break” philosophy so far this season and has come up with the big play when needed, as evidenced with two interceptions in the end zone against Missouri-Rolla and a third one to stop a drive deep in CSM territory. One week earlier, the Orediggers stopped Washburn on a 4th and one play at midfield with 55 seconds to play that sealed the win.

ZERO ON THE BOARD
The shutout of Western State on Sept. 11 was the first for the Oredigger defense since the 2002 season opener at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Aug. 31. CSM won that game, 14-0.

STREAKS
Several Orediggers will be looking to keep streaks alive this week. Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf has thrown a touchdown pass in 10 straight games and has not been intercepted in 110 consecutive passes, while senior wide receiver Jonny Chan has caught at least one pass in 15 straight games, dating back to the 2002 season finale.

PILING UP YARDS
CSM has posted huge offensive days in each of the last two weeks. On Sept. 4, the Orediggers rolled to 616 yards of offense in a win over Missouri Rolla and followed that up with 686 yards in Saturday’s win at Western State. The 686 yards are the fourth most in a Division II game this season, while the 616 yards is the seventh best total this year. In addition, the Orediggers 474 passing yards at Western is the second highest in a Division II game this year, while the 58 points put on the board at Western State is the 11th highest point total in a game this year.

OREDIGGER OFFENSE ROLLING
The Oredigger offense is rolling after three games and is ranked first in several categories in the RMAC. Following is a list of where CSM ranks in the RMAC after four weeks.

CATEGORY RANK TOTAL
Scoring Offense 1st 41.8 ppg
Pass Offense 1st 346.8 ypg
Rush Offense 1st 203.5 ypg
Total Offense 1st 550.2 ypg
First Downs 1st 109
Sacks Against 1st 2
Pass Efficiency 1st 174.6
Red Zone Offense 2nd 16-18 (.889)

BUT DON’T FORGET THE DEFENSE
As much success as the Oredigger offense is having, the same can be said of the CSM defense. After finishing in the lower part of the conference the last few seasons, the defense is one of the best in the RMAC. Following is a list of where CSM ranks in the RMAC after four weeks.

CATEGORY RANK TOTAL
Scoring Defense 1st 13.0
Red Zone Defense 1st 3-7 (.429)
Turnover Margin 1st +6
Sacks 2nd 9
Rushing Defense 2nd 149.5
Total Defense 3rd 367.0