Colorado Mines football survives upset scare at Washburn, remains unbeaten

The Colorado School of Mines football program’s regular-season dominance faced a stern test Saturday in Topeka, Kansas.

The fifth-ranked Orediggers found a way, as redshirt junior Landon Walker ran in four touchdowns and Washburn missed a potential game-tying field goal in the waning moments to allow Mines to escape with a 31-28 win.

The three-point difference tied for the narrowest margin of victory for the Orediggers (2-0) in a regular-season win streak that extended to 22 on Saturday. The Orediggers beat Angelo State by the same 31-28 score in the 2023 season opener in Golden.

Mines quarterback Evan Foster threw for 255 yards on 24-of-30 passing, while Walker turned 18 carries into 142 yards and all four Mines touchdowns. Walker’s fourth and final TD, from 8 yards out, capped a nine-play, 80-yard march that put the Orediggers up 31-21 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.

Washburn answered two possessions later with a 12-play, 67-yard march capped by Maury Sullivan’s 8-yard pass to Keeler Hurla to pull the score within 31-28.

The Orediggers had two chances to put more points on the board, but came up empty both times, with their final drive ending in a punt with less than a minute to go. Washburn then went 53 yards in six plays to reach the Mines 28-yard line and set up a field goal attempt with one second to go. But Trenton Brehm’s 44-yarder was no good.

Mines senior receiver Max McLeod returned to the lineup after an injury scare in Week 1 and caught eight passes 94 yards. Flynn Schiele added seven receptions for 90 yards for Mines, which outgained Washburn 467 yards to 399.

The Orediggers open RMAC play at Chadron State next Saturday at noon.

RMAC football

Saturday’s scores

South Dakota Mines 17, Upper Iowa 10

Central Washington 28, Colorado Mesa 12

St. Thomas (Minn.) 24, Black Hills State 14

Arizona Christian at Fort Lewis, 2 p.m.