GOLDEN — The second snap of Evan Foster’s first career start went sailing by his left ear, but it got a lot better after that.
Foster began the post-John Matocha era at Colorado School of Mines with an efficient performance, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns to help the Orediggers cruise to a 41-13 win Thursday night against West Texas A&M in front of 4,224 at Marv Kay Stadium.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this game, that it was had to stay clear-minded, but I think I did a pretty good job preparing myself and it was a blast,” Foster said. “Going forward, just being able to play ball now with this one under my belt will be nice.”
The redshirt senior from Olathe, Kan., has been Matocha’s backup for three seasons, but aside from a couple of wonky plays in the first half it looked like much of the same for the Orediggers after back-to-back trips to the D-II national championship game.
Foster’s second play was a botched snap that left Mines with a third-and-21, but his 34-yard pass to Flynn Schiele was the first of several escapes. The Orediggers faced third-and-10-plus five times in the first half. They prolonged the drive four times, including a 27-yard touchdown pass from Foster to Max McLeod on third-and-17.
“I knew (Foster) was going to be ready mentally and physically. I thought he did a great job,” Mines coach Pete Sterbick said. “We got ourselves in some tough spots, but he made some great throws. I think he’ll also keep getting better as we go.”
Landon Walker burst through the middle for a 47-yard touchdown run to put Mines ahead just 3:07 in. Now the clear-cut No. 1 back after a timeshare a year ago, Walker finished with a game-high 154 yards on 15 carries.
The Foster-to-McLeod connection made it 14-0 fewer than nine minutes in. West Texas A&M found some fleeting success with a pair of passes over the top of the Mines defense to make it 14-7 late in the first quarter, but it was almost all Orediggers after that.
The Orediggers have done a lot of winning in the foothills of the Front Range over the past two decades, but Matocha helped lift the program to another level, winning 50 games as a starter and throwing for an NCAA-record 162 touchdowns.
The first game without him wasn’t perfect, particularly at the start. Beyond the botched snap, Mines had a pair of back-to-back false starts. Three Foster passes were dropped, including two in the opening quarter because the intended target lost the ball in the sun before it set behind Lookout Mountain.
“Even if we played perfect, there would still be stuff to work on,” Foster said. “A lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties that shouldn’t be happening. We’ll fix it.”
Mines also had a pair of scary moments in the final two minutes of the first half. McLeod, a returning All-America and arguably the best pass catcher in America in Division II, was leveled on a play over the middle with 1:47 left. It was called targeting on West Texas A&M’s JT Cavender, and McLeod was down on the field for several minutes, but was able to leave the field on his own power.
One of the Orediggers’ best defensive players was injured moments later. Linebacker Jaden Healy, the team’s leading tackler in 2023, hobbled off the field and immediately grabbed his knee while writhing in pain on the sidelines. Healy was able to return briefly in the third quarter, but McLeod did not play in the second half.
Colorado School of Mines Orediggers WR Max McCleod (3) gets a first down against West Texas A&M University Buffaloes defenders Ty Dillon, (3), left, and Jamel Acosta Lewis (2) in the first quarter Marv Kay Stadium in Golden on Thursday, Sept. 05, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
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“I don’t know yet,” Sterbick said of McLeod, before saying Healy’s absence in the second half was a precaution. “He’s probably feeling better than we all thought he would, given what transpired, but just not sure if we’ll have him next week or what the process will be.”
The Buffaloes nearly made it a two-score game just before the half, but a Hail Mary completion was wiped out by an offensive pass interference call in the Orediggers’ end zone. Mines got a stop to start the second half, and Walker punctuated an easy touchdown drive with his second score of the night to extend the lead to 34-7.
The Mines offense bogged down at times after that, but All-America punter Blake Doud had a pair of punts downed at the Buffaloes’ 1-yard line, including one that traveled 80 yards.
“That’s why he’s an All-American,” Sterbick said. “Doesn’t surprise me at all. Blake’s incredible. He’s a weapon.”
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