2004 COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE #6

Colorado School of Mines (5-0, 2-0 RMAC) vs. Fort Hays State (1-4, 1-2 RMAC)
Saturday, October 2, 2004 - 1:00 pm
Brooks Field - Golden, Colorado

Click HERE for a complete .PDF version of the notes

SERIES HISTORY: Fort Hays State leads the all-time series with Mines, 13-4, but Mines has won two of the last three meetings, including the memorable 52-45 overtime win in Hays, Kan., in 2001. FHSU won last year’s game, 27-17, in Hays.

LAST TIME vs. FORT HAYS (10/4/03): The Colorado School of Mines football team slipped to 2-3 and 0-2 in the conference with a 27-17 setback at Fort Hays State. CSM managed to knot the game at 10-10 early in the third quarter when Danny Medina hit Derek Lis from two yards out. But the Tigers used two scoring runs from Luke Gottschalk (13 and 1 yards) and a 24 yard field goal by Moore to reclaim a 27-10 lead with nine minutes to play in the game. Chad Friehauf and Medina combined to go 29-of-37 for 224 yards and two scores, while Lis hauled in seven balls for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Gottschalk ran for 123 yards and two scores on 23 carries, while Rusco added 116 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Reed Gottula completed 11-of-20 passes fo 92 yards, while Jace Pavlovich amassed a game-high 13 tackles.

LAST CSM WIN: 42-27 in 2002
LAST FHSU WIN: 27-17 in 2003
LARGEST CSM WIN: 37-7 (30 points) in 1972
LARGEST FHSU WIN: 54-14 (40 points) in 1992

UP NEXT FOR MINES: CSM will travel to Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 9 for a 1:00 pm kickoff.

BOB STITT • DOANE (1986)
5th season as Mines Head Coach
27-21 Overall Record
15-19 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 26-21, including a 15-19 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Stitt’s .563 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.

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 Athletic Department’s 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 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).

FORT HAYS STATE HEAD COACH
The Tigers are coached by fourth-year Head Coach Tim O’Connor, a 1991 graduate of Boise State. He claims a 15-23 mark during his time at FHSU.

ABOUT FORT HAYS STATE
The Tigers are 1-4 overall (1-2 RMAC) following a 24-17 setback at Adams State last Saturday. FHSU lost its season opening nonconference games to nationally-ranked Emporia State and Pittsburgh State. In Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies, the Tigers were held to just 217 yards of offense and 12 first downs.

WHEN THE TIGERS HAVE THE BALL
Quarterback Reed Gottula leads the Tiger offensive attack as he has completed 36-of-81 passes for 444 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while running 76 times for 283 yards and a score. Kelly Griffeth leads the receiving corps with nine catches for 136 yards and a score. As a team, FHSU averages 275.6 yards of offense and 21.4 points per game.

AND WHEN THEY DON’T
Fort Hays State’s defense gives up 30.0 points and 391.8 yards of offense per game and is led by Jerrell Pfannenstiel’s 40 tackles. Marcus West has produced 34 tackles, including two sacks, while Mike Wooten has 15 stops and leads the team with two interceptions.

THE RANKINGS
Colorado School of Mines moved up in several national polls following its 40-39 win over Chadron State. The Orediggers moved up four spots in the d2football.com poll to 19th, seven spots in the American Football Coaches Association Poll to 24th, and two spots in Don Hansen’s Football Gazette Top-40 and the CollegeSportsReport.com Polls to 26th and 24th, respectively.

IN THE REGION
Following is the first edition of the Southwest Regional Rankings with records and conference affiliation. The top six teams in the region will qualify for the postseason and the top two teams will earn byes in the first round.

1. Northwest Missouri (5-0) - Mid-America Intercollegiate
2. Texas A&M Kingsville (3-0) - Lone Star
3. Central Oklahoma (5-0) - Lone Star
4. Pittsburgh State (5-0) - Mid-America Intercollegiate
5. Central Missouri (4-1) - Mid-America Intercollegiate
6. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES (5-0) - RMAC
7. Midwestern State (3-1) - Lone Star
8. SE Oklahoma (3-1) - Lone Star

MINES LAST TIME OUT (9/18/04)
Colorado School of Mines senior quarterback Chad Friehauf scored on a two-yard keeper with 35 seconds left and then hit sophomore wide receiver Derek Dykstra 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 dating back to last season. The win moves Mines to 5-0 overall (2-0 RMAC) and 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 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 from Friehauf. 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. 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 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 who produced a school-record tying 17 tackles.

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 one of its final six 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.

EIGHT WOULD BE GREAT
A win over Fort Hays State on Saturday would be the eighth straight for Mines dating back to last season. It would also tie the school-record for most consecutive wins set by the 1939 team, which went 8-0. The 1938 team lost its season finale, while the 1940 team lost its season opener.

AND NINE WOULD BE FINE
As the season continues, the Orediggers could have their sights set on the number nine. Why? In addition to nine being the school-record for most consecutive wins, no team in CSM 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.

ON A ROLL
After winning four of its last five games to end the 2003 season, the Orediggers have opened with five straight wins in 2004. That means Mines has won nine of its last 10 games.

RECORD BREAKER
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf keeps adding to the career records he has broken at Mines. He holds school records for pass attempts (838), completions (518), passing yards (6,949) and touchdowns (60).

“HAUF” THE HOOK
Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf has been on fire through the first five 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 129-of-171 passes (75.4%) for 1,722 yards and 15 touchdowns. Friehauf has thrown just one interception, has gone 141 straight passes without a pick and has a quarterback efficiency of rating of 187.8. Friehauf ranked first in the nation in total offense (395.6 ypg), third in passing efficiency (187.8) and has the Mines passing game ranked first in the nation at 359.6 yards per game and second in total offense (549.2 ypg) among Division II schools.

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.

THE EAGLES HAVE FINALLY LANDED
CSM’s 40-39 victory over Chadron State on Sept. 25 was the Oredigger’s first over CSC since a 51-28 victory on Oct. 16, 1993, a span of 10 games. It was also just the second win over the Eagles in the last 17 meetings.

RULE OF TWO
The number two has been pretty kind to Mines recently. In 13 of the last 16 games, Mines had at least one player find the end zone two times and CSM has posted an 11-5 record in those games.

TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE
How many coaches in the country would go for two points to win a game in the final minute at home? Not many, but one resides in Golden, Colo. CSM Head Coach Bob Stitt opted to go for two points after pulling to within 39-38 with 35 seconds left against Chadron State on Saturday. The gamble paid off as quarterback Chad Friehauf hit a wide open Derek Dykstra in the end zone for the win.

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. In addition, Van Horn came through in a large way against Chadron State as he busted through the line and went 36 yards to the house on a fourth-and-one to open the fourth quarter and cut the CSM deficit to 25-22. 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 an RMAC leading 8.9 yards per carry. He has runs of 69, 18, 16 and 14 yards this season. In addition, Florendo has caught 17 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. He caught six passes for 101 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown in Saturday’s win over Chadron State.

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 29 receiving yards (2,464), one touchdown (24) and three catches (146) to break the CSM career records. He has is second in the RMAC with 33 catches for an RMAC-best 509 yards and five 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 50 stops this season.

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 five games this season, Gallas leads the RMAC in receptions (38), and is second in receiving yards (488).

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 has been in on 45 tackles this year.

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 five weeks, the Orediggers appear to be on their way to the same feat as senior running back Criag Van Horn (164.6), senior wideout Jonny Chan (147.0) and junior wide receiver Justin Gallas (126.6) are above the century mark and rank third, fourth and sixth, respectively in the RMAC.

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 on two occasions. 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 is a four-year starter and Yenne a three-year starter, 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. On Saturday, he tied the school-record with 17 tackles against Chadron State. He is second on the team with 48 tackles.

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 kept the streak alive as he picked off his team-leading fifth pass of the season against Chadron State. The Columbine graduate is fourth on the team with 36 tackles and seems to have a nose for the ball. In addition to his five picks, Miller has broken up eight passes, forced three fumbles and recovered one fumble.

READY, WILLING AND ABEL
True freshman kicker Aaron Abel has been reliable after the first five games as he has converted 23-of-26 extra point attempts. Abel is also 2-of-3 on field goal attempts, including a long of 29 yards.

BEND, BUT DON’T BREAK
The Oredigger defense has adopted the “Bend, but Don’t Break” philosophy so far this season. The group 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. In Saturday’s win over Chadron State, the defense stopped Chadron State two times all afternoon. On the second last drive for the Eagles, Mines stopped them on a fourth and eight from the CSM 25-yard line and also the final drive of the game when sophomore free safety Tim Miller picked off a deep pass.

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. Mines has not had two shutouts since 1958 when they blanked Omaha and Colorado State that year.

QUICK STARTERS ... GOOD FINISHERS
The Orediggers have proved that they are both quick starters and good finishers this season. Through five games, Mines has outscored its opposition, 50-19, in the first quarter, and 66-27, in the final 60 minutes of play. The 66 points in the third quarter is the most in a quarter for CSM this year. The defense has allowed just 13 third quarter points, the fewest in a quarter this year.

STREAKS
Several Orediggers will be looking to keep streaks alive this week. Senior quarterback Chad Friehauf has thrown a touchdown pass in 11 straight games and has not been intercepted in 141 consecutive passes, while senior wide receiver Jonny Chan has caught at least one pass in 16 straight games, dating back to the 2002 season finale.

OREDIGGER OFFENSE ROLLING
The Oredigger offense is rolling after five games and is ranked first or second 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 41.4 ppg
Pass Offense 1st 359.6 ypg
Total Offense 1st 549.2 ypg
First Downs 1st 134
Sacks Against 1st 4
Pass Efficiency 1st 181.4
3rd down conversions 1st 35-60 (.583)
Punt Returns 2nd 16.6 ypr
Red Zone Offense 2nd 16-18 (.889)
Rush Offense 2nd 189.6 ypg

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 18.2 ppg
Red Zone Defense 1st 3-7 (.429)
Turnover Margin 1st +8
Sacks T-2nd 9