RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines football program is under 10 days away from the season opener and we continue our season preview series with the offensive line.

Austin Stephens is the offensive line coach and is heading into his second year.

Most of the offensive line for South Dakota Mines returns in 2022, with plenty of youth to go along with the return of Coby Kiefer, Keegan Tandy, Trevor Griffin, and Honorable Mention All-RMAC Connor Smith returning.

Coach Stephens feels that the experience of the position group is a plus, stating "it gives you confidence as a coach, that experience is vital." He continued, "the things we're doing this year are further along than we were a year ago, and we're starting to execute and refine some things and continue to get better."

South Dakota Mines plays its first game against Missouri S&T on September 1st. That will be a 5:00 p.m. MT start. Season and single-game tickets are still available and can be purchased above.

The video interview with Coach Stephens and offensive lineman Connor Smith is below.



About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.