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Oct 31, 2009

Eighth-ranked UNK defeats Orediggers, 24-12


KEARNEY, Neb. - The eighth-ranked University of Nebraska - Kearney Lopers defeated Colorado School of Mines by the score of 24-12 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) football action on Saturday afternoon, October 31st, at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field.  For the box score, CLICK HERE.

After CSM and UNK traded punts on their opening drives of the game, the Orediggers' Marc Schiechl blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt by the Lopers' Jordan Alegria late in the first quarter (2:22) and the contest remained scoreless heading into the second period.

Mines' Dalton Lane, the reigning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week, connected on a 30-yard field goal attempt with 12:06 remaining in the second quarter for the first score of the afternoon.  After the Lopers returned the subsequent kickoff to their 36 yardline, Rustin Dring's 64-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the ensuing drive gave UNK a 7-3 lead.  The Orediggers punted on their next possession, and Nebraska-Kearney proceeded to cap a three-play, 80-yard drive with Jake Spitzlberger's 45-yard scoring pass to Kyle Kaiser at 9:16 in the second quarter.  A 28-yard field goal by Lane with 16 second left in the first half capped a 10-play, 71-yard CSM drive and trimmed the Orediggers' deficit to eight points (14-6) at the intermission.

Midway through the third quarter (8:05), Mines' Blaine Sumner - a nose tackle by trade - found the endzone on a one-yard run (two-point conversion try failed) and CSM trailed by only two points at 14-12 heading into the final period.

Alegria made a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter (13:27) and Spitzlberger scored on a 25-yard run with 7:51 remaining in the game to provide the final margin of victory for Nebraska-Kearney.

Dring carried 30 times for 219 yards as the eighth-ranked Lopers improved to 9-1 overall and remained undefeated in the RMAC at 8-0.  Spitzlberger, who had eight carries for 61 yards on the ground, completed 12-of-20 passes for 143 yards (one interception) while Dring, who also had six receptions for 57 yards, finished with 276 all-purpose yards.  Ozzie Smith, Chris Senkbile, Mason Brodine (2.5 sacks) and Ethan Kuhlmann all finished with seven total tackles for UNK.

CSM's David Pesek, the reigning National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame - Colorado Chapter Player of the Week, completed 26-of-41 passes for 263 yards (no touchdowns, one interception).  Adam Saur (75 yards receiving) and Cody Renken (98 yards receiving) caught eight and nine passes, respectively, as CSM saw its record slip to 7-3 overall (7-1 RMAC).  Jahre Cheeseman had eight carries for 22 yards as the Orediggers converted on just 4-of-16 third-down opportunities.  James Tucker and Kyle Goracke (two tackles for a loss) led all players in solo tackles (seven) and total tackles (11) while Alex Vigil made 10 total stops.  Kevin Gallas recorded his second interception of the year, as well.

The Orediggers, who were listed in the "receiving votes" section of last week's American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, will host New Mexico Highlands University (1-9 overall, 1-7 RMAC) on Saturday afternoon, November 7th, at 12:00 p.m. (MST) at Brooks Field.  November 7th will be Senior Day for the Orediggers.

CSM would need a victory against the Cowboys, as well as a UNK loss at Mesa State, to earn a share of the 2009 RMAC football regular-season championship.

The 24-team field for the 2009 NCAA Division II football championships is scheduled to be announced on Sunday afternoon, November 8th, at 1:00 p.m. (MST) on ESPNEWS.  Six teams from each of the four Super Regionals will qualify for the 2009 NCAA Division II football championships.  Regular-season champions from all of the NCAA Division II conferences do not automatically qualify for the 2009 NCAA Division II football championships.  However, earned access into the 2009 NCAA Division II football championships can be gained if a regular-season conference champion finishes in the top eight of their respective final Super Regional rankings.  The RMAC resides in Super Regional Three.  Nebraska-Kearney is ranked #6 in the most recent (October 26th) Super Regional Three top 10 poll, while Mines was ranked #10.

-- OREDIGGERS --