RAPID CITY -- The South Dakota School of Mines football team will be looking to pick up its fourth-straight win this weekend as the Hardrockers travel to Golden, Colo., to take on their southern counterpart, the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, in a battle of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's top two offenses.
 
Last year, CSM defeated the Hardrockers, 63-28, in Golden, Colo. So this season, not many would have expected the Hardrockers to be 5-1 entering this contest while the Orediggers sit at 4-2 on the year. The Hardrockers are tied for first in the conference standings (5-1) while Colorado Mines is fourth in the RMAC ranks.
 
The two programs are at the top of the RMAC in scoring offense (SD Mines 42.8 points a game; Colorado Mines 42.3 points a game) and total offense (Colorado Mines 529.7 yards per game; SD Mines 529.5). SD Mines leads the conference in rushing offense (259.2 yards per game) while Colorado Mines leads the league in passing offense (411.2 yards per game).
 
CSM's senior quarterback, Justin Dvorak, leads the RMAC in passing yards per game (404.7 yards per game), followed by SD Mines junior Jake Sullivan (267 yards per game).  Dvorak also leads the conference in total offense (416.2 yards per game), again followed by Sullivan (333 yards per game).
 
"Colorado Mines quarterback Justin Dvorak is the finest NCAA Div.II player I've ever prepared to play against," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker.
 
The Orediggers have won two-straight games after, what they surely consider, two disappointing losses to Colorado Mesa (40-41,  OT) and Western State (31-45). Last week, Colorado Mines dominated both sides of the ball as they stunned No. 10 Azusa Pacific, 27-23. The Orediggers kept the previously-unbeaten Cougars (5-1) off the field with 92 offensive plays, 40 more than APU ran. Justin Dvorak threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns, three to Brody Oliver, who produced 120 yards on nine catches. Against one of the nation's top-rated defenses, Mines rang up 481 yards of total offense. Colorado Mines defense was equally spectacular, holding APU to 13 first downs with four sacks and a key fourth-quarter interception by Jalen Champagne to prevent a go-ahead touchdown. Ty Young's third-quarter score proved decisive as the 'Diggers held Azusa Pacific scoreless for the final 28:52 of the game.
 
The 'Rockers have put up 152 points in their past three games and will look to rely on their "High Octane" offense to keep them competitive in this "Battle of the Mines."
 
SD Mines success this season stems from possessing one of the nation's most potent offenses, scoring 42.8 points per game while generating 529.5 yards of total offense. The Hardrockers' attack is balanced (259.2 rushing yards/270.3 passing yards). Dual-threat quarterback Sullivan is completing 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,602 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, while also rushing for 396 yards and eight touchdowns. Running backs  junior Connor Silveria (461 yards, 4 TD) and junior Dorian Cowart (445 yards, 4 TD) have split time at tailback, while senior Marcus Sanchez (24 rec., 343 yards) has been Sullivan's top receiving target. Defensively, the Hardrockers allow 29 points and 424 yards per game. Senior David Jakpor leads the team with 51 tackles, and junior Jake Fitzgerald has 36 with 4.5 for a loss.
 
 
"The reality for us is that we control our own destiny in the conference race," Tinker said. "The only team we need help from is our guys in the locker room. It's an exciting point to be at this time in the season."
 
At the Hardrocker Luncheon on Tuesday, Coach Tinker was very positive about his team's preparation entering this massive game.
 
"We are excited for this game, we had a morning practice (Tuesday) that was high energy, our guys brought a ton of juice," the head coach said.
 
Looking back at the history between these two programs, SD Mines is 0-15 all-time against Colorado Mines. The first-ever meeting was back on Nov. 13, 1936 where SD Miens came up on the short end, 45-6.
 
To catch the 2016 installment of this rivalry, go to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ for the live broadcast on the RMAC network. The game is slated for a 12 p.m. kickoff.