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Over the past couple of decades, the Colorado School of Mines football team has become a rather improbable Division II powerhouse. For starters, it’s a school where academics—not athletics—rule. But since a horrific 16-53-2 stint before Bob Stitt was hired as the head coach prior to the 2000 season, three Mines players have won the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding DII football player. In the past decade, Mines has racked up a remarkable 96 wins (to just 21 losses), including a 51-7 record over the past four seasons.
In the process, the Orediggers have gotten tantalizingly close to winning a national title. In 2021, they made it to the semifinals for the first time in program history. In 2022, they advanced to their first-ever championship game, where they fell to Ferris State University. Last year, they played a perfect 9-0 season to win their fourth-consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) title and returned to the national championship game, this time as the number one team in the country. Once there, however, the same agonizing fate awaited them, with Mines getting thumped by Harding University 38-7 while allowing 502 rushing yards and 8.7 yards per carry.
For second-year coach Pete Sterbick’s team to once again vie for a title, it will have to successfully replace not only a handful of key pieces, but pillars of its program. The most prominent of those losses from the previous two seasons is John Matocha, the 2022 Harlon Hill Trophy winner, who graduated earlier this year after throwing for 190 touchdowns over the course of his career—the most by a quarterback at any level in college football history.
But if this century of Orediggers football has offered up any clues, it’s that Mines should be fine. Over the past 11 seasons, the team has averaged at least 35 points per game, despite year-to-year personnel changes.
Expectations for Mines have only slipped so much. In a preseason poll released earlier this month by the American Football Coaches Association, the Orediggers were ranked fifth overall, placing them among a handful of favorites to make it to the national championship game. And should they get there, maybe, just maybe, this time might come with a different ending.
5280 Record Prediction: 10-1
Can’t-Miss Matchup
vs. Western Colorado University, October 26: Though Mines is the clear favorite to win yet another RMAC championship, its stiffest competition for that honor figures to be Western Colorado, the only other team from the league to appear in the preseason top 25 poll, at number 15. The Orediggers blew out the Mountaineers last season 42-7 while racking up 505 total yards in the victory. Without Matocha and several other standouts, though, Mines could very well face a tougher test this time around.
Find the Orediggers’ schedule here.
3 Players to Watch
Max McLeod, wide receiver: When Matocha claimed his records last season, there was no player he leaned on more than McLeod. The 6-foot-3 wideout put up an astonishing 1,656 receiving yards in 2023, leading all DII players and setting a program single-season record. For his efforts, he was named an Associated Press first-team DII All-American. Even as the Orediggers transition to a new quarterback, McLeod should help the new signal-caller fit right in.
Jackson Zimmermann, cornerback: Another first-team All-American last season, Zimmermann started all 15 of Mines’ games in 2023, anchoring a defense that allowed just 13 points per game, the third-best mark in DII. Zimmermann, a Highlands Ranch native, finished the season with a conference-leading six picks.
Evan Foster, quarterback: Given the position he plays and the man he’s replacing, perhaps no Mines player will have more eyes on him this season than Foster. The 6-foot-1 redshirt senior joined the program in 2019 and sat behind Matocha for the past several years. Now, he gets his chance to start under center. Foster appeared in 10 games last season, completing 22 of his 31 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. For his Mines career, he has completed 75.9 percent of his throws for 616 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. If he can maintain that level of play throughout an entire season, the Orediggers’ offense will be tops in the league again.
