Denver, CO
Colorado Mines back in D-II football semifinals after running over Central Washington
The Colorado School of Mines football program is two wins from a national championship — again.
And this time, the Orediggers had to grind it out.
Riding a rushing attack that racked up 255 yards, Mines scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to beat Central Washington, 38-14, at Marv Kay Stadium on Saturday afternoon and claim its third straight regional title.
With the win, the Orediggers moved to 13-0 for the first time in program history and locked up a third consecutive NCAA D-II semifinal trip as the No. 1 overall national seed.
Next up is Kutztown (12-2), which beat Slippery Rock 28-16 in its regional final, next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Golden. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The other semifinal will pit Harding (13-0) against Lenoir-Rhyne (13-1). Get through that gauntlet, and the Orediggers will win their first national title.
Saturday did not produce a vintage John Matocha game through the air (225 yards, one interception on 16-of-25 passing), but the Orediggers more than made up for it by gobbling up chunks of turf on the ground.
Noah Roper and Landon Walker each ran in a pair of touchdowns, and Matocha added one of his own. Matocha (15 carries, 104 yards) and Roper (21-105) both crossed the century mark rushing as the Orediggers outgained CWU, 480-214.
The Mines defense also rose to the occasion, shutting out Central Washington (9-4) with three takeaways and allowing just seven yards total on the ground.
While Central Washington never led the game, the Wildcats did manage to tie it at 14-all going into halftime on quarterback Kennedy McGill’s 13-yard strike to Darius Morrison. McGill finished the game with 207 yards, two TDs and a pick on 16-of-33 passing.
After stopping CWU on a three-and-out to start the third quarter, Mines marched 65 yards for the go-ahead touchdown: a fourth-and-goal Walker score from the 1-yard line off a Wildcat formation.
Zach Hester stripped CWU’s Tyler Flanagan soon after, which the Orediggers cashed in for a 27-yard Hunter Pearson field goal. Jackson Zimmermann followed with a fourth-down pass break-up to set up Mines’ next score: a 1-yard Matocha run that gave Mines a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Roper’s second and final touchdown with 46 seconds to go was just icing on the cake.
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Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was placed in the concussion protocol after a collision with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle during Friday night’s game at Barclays Center. It happened in the third quarter of Denver’s loss.
Murray was cutting through the lane with Anthony Edwards guarding him, when Randle backed up to chase Aaron Gordon and inadvertently banged his shoulder into Murray’s nose.
Murray’s head jerked back into Edwards from the impact, and he doubled over in pain while the play continued before subbing out four possessions later during a timeout and heading to the locker room for further examination.
The Nuggets ruled him out for the rest of the game a few minutes later.
Murray had six points on 2-for-7 shooting and three assists in 22 minutes.
The Nuggets wound up losing the game by a score of 119-116.
Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos will be a battle of strengths.
On one side, there’s the Ravens’ high-powered offense led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Through Week 8, Baltimore ranks first in total offense (452.1 yards per game) and rushing offense (200 yards per game), second in scoring (30.3 points per game), and fifth in passing offense (252.1 yards per game) . The addition of Henry, the league leader in rushing, has taken this offense to new heights, and both he and Jackson could have hardware in their future.
On the other side, there’s a stifling Broncos defense that has quietly emerged as one of the best in the league. Denver currently ranks third in total (282.6 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (15 points per game), fourth in passing defense (176.3 yards allowed per game) and seventh in rushing defense (106.3 yards allowed per game). The Broncos don’t have any stars on defense outside of cornerback Pat Surtain II, but it’s just an overall very solid unit.
However, Denver hasn’t seen an offense like Baltimore’s yet. Ahead of their toughest test of the season, the Broncos are embracing the opportunity at hand.
“It’s really challenging,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said, per the team’s website. “Obviously, this league’s based on having good players [and] having a good scheme. But they’ve got playmakers everywhere. Their running game obviously starts with Derrick Henry — and when you have Lamar adding 60 yards a game to that, between the scrambles and the call quarterback runs, it makes it difficult to get a stop. That’s why they’re so high as far as the numbers.”
When asked how he intends to stop the Ravens’ high-flying attack, Joseph knows that taking away their greatest strength is paramount to victory.
“You have to take something away,” Joseph said. “My preference is the running game and make them throw it. So, we’ll see how that works out on Sunday. But we have a plan to get both stopped. We’ll see how that comes out.”
From Baltimore’s perspective, this matchup is a great test as well. The Ravens have faced some good defenses this season, such as the Cleveland Browns last week, but a chance to better themselves against a quality opponent is always appreciated.
“[The Broncos defense] is playing at a really high level. [They’re] very confident. Their guys are really active; they play hard,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “That’s one thing you see on film. They’ve done a great job of building the core personalities of the players they’ve got playing on the field – I think that’s impressive [and] how hard they play and schematically how they challenge you with their pressure package.
“We’re up for it; our guys are excited. We’ve seen that for the last four weeks. We’ve seen teams that have decided to pressure us. To me, that’s where the league is going, otherwise we wouldn’t be seeing it as much. So, we have to be on point with all of our IDs and where we go with the ball.”
Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Do you have room for dessert? If so, here are three new options where you can satisfy your sweet (or even your savory) tooth with eclairs, crepes, shaved ice and more.
Le Clare’s
This French-style patisserie specializes in eclairs, which makes sense since the owners are named Maggie and Tyler Clare. You’ll find maple bourbon pecan, vanilla lavender, and hazelnut chocolate mousse. But they’ve also got savory treats, like the “lox and everything” eclair with smoked salmon mousse, capers and red onion. In addition, there are other pastries and fun and flamboyant flavors. Le Clare’s opened in July.
2260 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; leclaresdenver.com
Sweet NOLA Snoballs
Most people know New Orleans for its jambalaya, beignets and crawfish, but the city also boasts a specific kind of shaved ice treat — first served nearly 100 years ago — known as the snoball. Made from finely-shaved ice to give them a fluffier feel, snoballs are topped with flavored syrups and sweetened condensed milk. Lara Stepneski-Mintz, who grew up in Denver (working at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream) lived in New Orleans for 17 years, so when she returned, she decided to bring snoballs with her. The family-run business in Denver’s Mayfair neighborhood offers classic flavors like strawberry and watermelon, but also has fall flavors currently, like caramel apple.
916 Jersey St., Denver; sweetnolasnoballs.com
La Creperie d’Audrey
Restaurateurs at Stanley Marketplace have been doubling up on their concepts there recently. The latest to do so is David Lewis, owner of Miette et Chocolat, who recently opened a traditional French creperie, La Creperie d’Audrey, with both sweet and savory crepes, pastry and bakery options. You’ll also find cocktails, wines, champagne, and boozy smoothies.
2501 Dallas St., Unit 104B, Aurora; stanleymarketplace.com/businesses/la-creperie-daudrey/
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