Denver, CO
Keeler: No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, John Matocha are men on a mission. Next stop? Turning Golden into Titletown, USA
GOLDEN — The best college quarterback in Colorado drives around Titletown in a Toyota Tacoma. 2012. Two-wheel drive.
“We bought it used. Very used,” Keith Matocha, father of Colorado School of Mines QB John Matocha, told me with a laugh as his son’s top-ranked Orediggers pounded Kutztown, 35-7, to punch a second straight ticket to the NCAA Division II football national championships.
“And we weren’t very smart. We’re from Texas. It’s 2-wheel drive in a pickup, so he gets stranded quite often. So his lineman roommates ended up hauling him around quite a bit.”
As the snow that frosted Marv Kay Field reminded Keith of the worst decision of his son’s young life, the party below us reminded him of the best.
“Definitely the goal was to get back (to the NCAA championship),” the elder Matocha said of his son, who completed 30 of 37 passes, threw for three scores and ran for another to improve Mines’ record to 14-0 and launch them into a winner-take-all title game against Harding (Ark.) on Saturday in McKinney, Texas.
“So they can talk about ‘one game at a time’ all they want. But at the end, it was always about getting back to McKinney. So, yes, very determined. Very focused.”
A friend slid carefully to Keith along the icy bleachers, patting Dad on the shoulder as he passed.
“Bring home one more!”
Then another friend.
“Five years. It’s been great.”
Then another.
“Happy for all of you. Way to go.”
And another.
“You won’t have to fly out again.”
Keith, whose family lives in Houston, smiled at that last one.
“My brother lives very close to (McKinney),” dad explained. “So we get to go sleep on their floor.”
One more. One. More.
At least they know the drill. More to the point, so the Diggers. In hindsight, John Matocha reflected, just getting to the title game for the first time as a program last December felt like Mines’ big victory.
The Diggers were just happy to be there. Ferris State was angrier. And faster. And bigger. Much, much, much, much bigger.
“When I sat up there (in the stands at McKinney) and (Ferris) ran that first sweep,” reflected Mines alum Tom Dimelow, who sat a few rows over from the Matochas. “I said to myself, ‘My God, Vince Lombardi most be smiling today.’”
Marv Kay, bless his soul, not so much. Ferris went up 27-0 at the half and rolled to a 41-14 victory.
“We felt we’d made it,” the younger Matocha, who just passed Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent for the No. 1 spot on the NCAA’s all-time carer passing TD chart, recalled earlier in the week. “We felt like the hype overcame us, and it may have affected our preparation and our execution.
“This year, it’s not a surprise, or ‘Oh my gosh, we made it.’ We have the experience to back it up now. … We’ll be more prepared.”
They’ve got the beef, too, if Saturday was any harbinger.
Mines nose tackle Kyle Bahnsen, a 305-pound ball of angry, split a double-team in the first half and forced Bears QB Judd Novak to throw the ball to the Heavens or risk an early audience with the angels. Novak heaved a wounded duck that got picked off in the end zone by Diggers safety Collin Romero. Kutztown never really threatened through the air again.
And despite the Golden Bears making a concerted effort to load up in the box, Mines racked up 165 rush yards on 29 carries anyway. And the fakes off the read option allowed Matocha to find 6-foot-4 Flynn Schiele (11 catches, 181 receiving yards) either all alone or matched up in single coverage against 5-9 corner Antaun Lloyd, whom he posted up the way Nikola Jokic posts up small-ball centers.
“They’ve got a great offensive line,” Kutztown coach Jim Clements said. “They are going to be hard to beat (in the championship).”
One more. One. More.
Mines athletic director David Hansburg had Texas on the brain Saturday, too. He watched the postgame news conference, leaning against a far wall, in a gray cowboy hat.
“You get that in McKinney?” I asked.
“Aspen,” he said with a grin.
“Is that from the Coach Prime collection?”
Hansburg shook his head, removed his chapeau and pointed at the tiny name burned into the brim: OREDIGGERS.
Welcome to Golden, where the dream lives.
“It’s what they play for,” Keith Matocha reflected proudly. “And a lot of these kids stuck around to go make it happen, right? I mean, you’ve got a lot of kids — I think (Mines coach Pete) Sterbick has said, they’ve got other things to do. And they stuck around to go for it. … I didn’t know if they could make it this far. Certainly not with the consistency that they have. But they’ve proven it.
“All of a sudden, it’s a reality now.”
One more, Blaster. One. More.
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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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