CHADRON, Neb. --- A constant cross wind and persistent well-balanced opponent did in the South Dakota School of Mines football team during a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivalry matchup Saturday afternoon in Nebraska as the Hardrockers came up short to the Chadron State Eagles, 29-17, and could not capture the Eagle-Rock Trophy in the "Rivalry Renewed" game.

The Eagles won the coin toss and chose to take the side of the field with a strong breeze behind them to open the game. As the game got going, the wind hampered SD Mines' play and the Hardrockers were forced to punt a couple times in the 15-minute period. Chadron State capitalized on the short-field situations and posted 15 points on the scoreboard before the teams were able to switch sides.

That's when the Hardrockers went to work.

SD Mines was able to close the deficit, rattling off 10 points when the wind was at their back. The 'Rockers first score came at the 11:44 mark of the second quarter when Dorian Cowart capped off a three-play 27 yard drive that ended in a one-yard touchdown run. Enis Sefa added the point after. The drive was set up when SD Mines recovered a fumble in Eagle territory courtesy of Blake Stone.

SD Mines tacked on three more points when Sefa put the boot to a 27-yard field goal attempt after the 'Rockers had a six-play 35-yard drive.

The Eagles though were able to get seven points with just 13 second remaining in the first half. At halftime, the home team held a 12-point edge, 22-10.

The 'Rockers again had the wind at their backs to open the second half. They were able to break the third-quarter stalemate late in the period when SD Mines charged all the way down to the one-yard line. It looked as if Chadron was going to deny the Hardrockers, but a couple of costly penalties gave the visitors extra opportunities which they exploited into a two-yard TD run from Brandon Labrie. Sefa added the PAT and with 3:23 left, the Hardrockers trailed by five, 22-17.

Unfortunately, Chadron was able answer with a quick strike at the 1:46 mark of the third, scoring on a 76-yard TD reception and extended their lead back the 12 points, 29-17.

The Hardrockers had a couple more chances in the fourth quarter, but the Eagle defense was able to turn away SD Mines "high octane" offense.

The 'Rockers closed out the game with 312 yards of total offense – 196 through the air and 116 on the ground. The Eagles accumulated 409 yards of offense, getting 161 on the ground and 248 through the air.

Individually for the Hardrockers, quarterback Jake Sullivan finished the game completing 17-50 passes for 196 yards. He also led the team on the ground, running the ball 15 times for 68 yards.

Cowart had 18 carries for 46 yards and led the 'Rocker receivers, catching five passes for 60 yards. Jermaine Williams hauled in three catches for 35 yards and Carson Hunt contributed with two receptions for 32 yards.

Defensively, Hardrocker Linebacker Blake Stone had an outstanding game. He led the team with 11 total tackles, including two for a loss. He recorded one sack, had a forced fumble as well as a fumble recovery and also had an interception during the game. Triston Brown had nine tackles on the day and also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

The loss puts the Hardrockers back and .500 for the season with a 4-4 overall record and 3-4 mark in the RMAC. SD Mines is back on the road next week, heading to Durango, Colo., to challenge the Fort Lewis Skyhawks in a 12 p.m. (MST) bout.