RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines football team will look to rebound after a 37-33 loss to Chadron State last week as the Hardrockers welcome Fort Lewis College Saturday to O'Harra Stadium in just the two programs second meeting ever, first in Rapid City, S.D.,  and first as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents.
 
"Last week that was the toughest loss we've been through this season," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker, who remained positive despite the disappointing result. "We played with great intensity, a ton of fire and great energy."
 
Fort Lewis currently has just one win in the RMAC and 2-6 overall. A 27 minute differential in time of possession helped Fort Lewis to their first home win of the season last Saturday in Durango, Colo. The Skyhawks defeated Western New Mexico University in a non-conference matchup, 52-14.
 
"Fort Lewis is outstanding at moving the football," said Coach Tinker, who really praised his opponents. "They play an exciting brand of football."
 
The Skyhawks won the first and only meeting between the two teams after recorded a 48-30 win over the Hardrockers on Sept. 3, 2011 in Durango, Colo.
 
Coach Tinker felt Saturday's game could very much be a challenge and feels the stakes are very high.
 
"They are going to try and be physical with us, and we are going to match that physicality with what we do," Tinker said.
 
The Hardrockers are currently second in the RMAC in total offense (4,088 yards), scoring offense (318 points) and rushing offense (1,894 yards). The 'Rockers are also third in passing efficiency (151.1), surprisingly right behind Fort Lewis (151.5). The Hardrockers are tied for sixth in the league standings with a 4-3 record (5-3 overall).
 
Individually for the Hardrockers, junior quarterback Jake Sullivan is second in the RMAC for total offense (1,890 yards), junior running backs Connor Silveria and Dorian Cowart are seventh and eighth respectively for total rushing yards. Silveria has 586 yards and Cowart has 580 yards. Senior David Jakpor is fourth in the conference with 72 total tackles, junior Rafael Arellano is second in passes defended (10), senior Martin Rodriguez is ninth for average yards per punt (37.5) and sophomore Robbie Jo Gerarden is third for PAT's with 38-40.
 
As a team, Fort Lewis is ranked in the Top 5 in the RMAC in rushing defense (second, 123.1 yards), total defense (third, 340.6 yards), punting (second, 35.4 yards), rushing offense (third, 233.8 yards), pass efficiency (second, 151.1) and pass defense (fourth, 217.4 yards). The Skyhawks continue to lead the league in time of possession (35:21), holding more than a three minute lead over the next team.
 
Two of the top RMAC other rushers hail from FLC. Drake Griffin is third in the league with 109.5 rushing yards per game (two touchdowns) and PJ Hall is 10th with 71.8 yards per game (two touchdowns). Griffin has tallied 876 rushing yards this season. 
 
Linebacker Andrew Ike has the fifth most tackles in the league. Ike is averaging 8.4 tackles per game.  Twenty-six of his 67 tackles have been solo stops while Joseph Cavale leads the RMAC in punting with a 43.1 average (1,165 yards-27 punts).
 
 "We get an opportunity that we don't get often here," Tinker said. "We have a chance at a winning season if we can get this win on Saturday."?
 
The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start. Check out the broadcast live on the RMAC Network along with live stats from the game at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ .