PUEBLO, Colo. --- The South Dakota School of Mines football team faced a big challenge Saturday night, going up against perennial powerhouse and five-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions CSU-Pueblo, and if not for some untimely turnovers, could have really given the Thunderwolves a run for their money.

After a back-and-forth first quarter where CSU-Pueblo led by just a field goal, 3-0, the winless Thunderwolves took advantage of some Hardrocker miscues to gain momentum and earn the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory 37-10.

The biggest momentum swing came early in the second quarter when CSUP's Emery Taylor intercepted a Jake Sullivan (junior)  pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown (9-0). That was followed by 14 unanswered points (a rushing touchdown at the end of the second quarter and a rushing touchdown in the middle of third quarter) giving the home team a 23-3 edge.

"Give credit to Coach Wristen, his assistant coaches, and his team for their performance tonight," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker. "I'm proud of our team and the battle we put forth and how we contended throughout the game."

South Dakota Mines got on the scoreboard toward the end the third period when sophomore kicker Robbie Jo Gerarden made good on a 47-yard field goal capped off by a 10-play, 64-yard drive with 3:20 to go in the period, making the score, 23-3.

The Thunderwolves found the end zone two more times in the final stanza, before SD Mines was able to answer back with a two-yard rushing TD from Sullivan after an eight-play, 75-yard drive to make it the final, 37-10.

On paper, the Hardrockers compared very well with the 2014 NCAA Div. II national champions. SD Mines finished with 328 yards of total offense while the Wolves tallied 400. The Hardrockers collected 74 yards on the ground and amassed 254 through the air. CSU-Pueblo had 205 passing yards and 195 rushing yards. The Thunderwolves notched 23 first downs on the night to 20 by SD Mines.

Two interceptions by the Hardrockers during successful drives seemed to be a big difference in the outcome.

"We lost the turnover battle, and when we made mistakes Pueblo took advantage like good teams do," Tinker said. "We played a physical brand of football and will have many positives to build on despite our defeat."

Sullivan finished the game with 249 passing yards, completing 24-38 passes with one INT. Senior Ben Broeker also saw time at the quarterback position completing 1-4 passes for five yards and one INT.

Starting running back Kevin Thompson's night was cut short after suffering an injury early in the first quarter. Junior Connor Silveria led the ground attack with 32 yards on nine carries and junior Dorian Cowart added 24 yards on three carries.

There were 11 different Hardrockers that had receptions in the game, senior Marcus Sanchez led the charge, catching three passes for 42 yards. Junior Isaiah Manley collected 35 yards on three receptions and junior Damon Barnes hauled in three passes for 30 yards.

Defensively, senior David Jakpor led SD Mines with 14 total tackles while junior Jake Fitzgerald collected eight. Junior Rafael Arello and sophomore Chis Counce both recorded seven. Counce was also credited with a fumble recovery. Freshman Adrian Perez and Will Zolan both recorded a sack in the game as well.

Saturday's win was the first of the year for CSU-Pueblo, now 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

The loss is the first for SD Mines on the season dropping their record to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in RMAC play. Next up the Hardrockers play host to Black Hills State in the oldest rivalry in NCAA Div. II footoball in the Black Hills Brawl, Battle for the Homestake Trophy (131^st meeting).

"We are juiced to see our home fans at Dunham Field next Saturday night as we renew our storied rivalry with Black Hills State," Tinker added.

That game is slated for a 6 p.m. start (MST) on Dunham Field at O'Harra Stadium in Rapid City.