CHADRON, Neb. – After a gutsy rivalry win in its home opener, the Chadron State football team (1-2, 1-0 RMAC) heads to Golden, Colorado to take on Colorado School of Mines (2-0, 0-0 RMAC) this Saturday at 12 p.m., one year removed from a serious upset bid by the Eagles in Chadron. 
 
Last season, the Orediggers defeated the Eagles by a single point – 13-12 – despite entering ranked as a top five team in the nation. While that 2024 Mines team, which finished fourth in the RMAC last season, took a step back from the heights of five straight RMAC championships and two national runner-up finishes by the Orediggers from 2018-2023, this season's Orediggers are unbeaten under a new but familiar head coach and on the fringes of the national Top 25. 
 
Chadron State has played games in all three possible weeks this season, while the Orediggers took a bye in Week 0 and have won in back-to-back weeks. Chadron State and Mines were two of only four RMAC teams in action last week.
 
Fans can watch live (with a subscription) on the RMAC Network, listen live on Double Q Country 97.5/105.9 FM or doubleqcountry.com with Dave Collins on the call, or monitor the Chadron State Eagles Facebook page or @cscfootball on X and Instagram for updates.
 
For Denver-area Eagle fans, Saturday's game will also be broadcast on KCDO Local3 television in the Denver market. 
 
RMAC Network Reminder
As a reminder, RMAC Network games this season now require a pay-per-view subscription to watch. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their broadcast systems and programs.
 
NEWS: RMAC Network Moves To Pay-Per-View Model
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network, including both home and away RMAC contests for Chadron State. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription (for all sports) costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants the viewer access to a single game for 24 hours. Subscriptions can be purchased through Hudl at rmacnetwork.com. 
 
Now that CSC has completed the non-conference portion of their schedule, all remaining football games in 2025 (home and away) will be on the RMAC Network and included in any monthly/annual subscription purchases.
 
Fans will technical support issues can contact Hudl, visit the RMAC email the RMAC Network FAQ page, or directly email the RMAC at rmac@rmacsports.org.
 
Looking Back
Debuting brand-new black jerseys under the lights of Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium, Chadron State raced out to a 21-point halftime lead and held on to defeat Black Hills State 31-28 in the conference opener for both teams.
 
RECAP: Eagles Hang On To Defeat BHSU
 
Chadron State scored touchdowns on its first two drives and led 28-7 at the half. Quarterback DJ Ralph threw touchdowns to Tommy Thomas and Preston Pearson and rushed for a score himself in the first half, but Black Hills State chipped away offensively and CSC's offense stagnated when Ralph exited the game in the third quarter. 
 
With just under two minutes left but with no timeouts remaining, the Yellow Jackets scored to pull within three points at 31-28. The Eagles had to defend two separate onside kicks after an inadvertent whistle call on the first one allowed a Yellow Jacket re-kick, but CSC recovered both to seal the win.
 
Player of the Week
Chadron State earned its first RMAC Player of the Week award of 2025 in last week's window, as redshirt senior linebacker Logan O'Brien earned the league's defensive weekly honor on Monday. 
 
STORY: O'Brien Named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week
 
O'Brien earned the award after a litany of contributions during Chadron State's 31-28 win over Black Hills State last Saturday. The redshirt senior linebacker finished with eight tackles (five solo and three assisted), 3.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. 

The key moment for O'Brien came in the second quarter. Blitzing off the edge, O'Brien read the Black Hills State swing pass perfectly and leapt vertically to snatch the ball out of the air for an interception, then ran 18 yards untouched for a score that gave the Eagles a 21-7 lead. 

Saturday's game will feature the reigning offensive and defensive Players of the Week as Mines running back Landon Walker took home the offensive honor. Walker rushed for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns against Washburn, finishing with 220 all-purpose yards.

CSC-CSM History
by Con Marshall
Entering Saturday's matchup, Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines are dead even in the all-time series, 23-23. But as Chadron State coaches, players and fans know, the Orediggers have been hard to beat most of this century. 

Mines led the rivalry 7-5 when the Eagles joined the RMAC in 1990. Chadron State won 13 of the next 14 games after joining the league and 18 of 23 matchups from 1990-2012, which was the Eagles' most recent win in the rivalry by a 20-14 score. Since then, the Orediggers have won the last 11, knotting the series.

Mines has also dominated most of the other RMAC teams recently. They are 51-5 in conference contests the past six seasons, with three of those losses coming last fall. 

The Eagles came about as close as possible to pulling off a major upset last year in the conference opener for both teams played in Chadron. Mines was coming off its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game and was ranked No. 4 entering the contest at Elliott Field. The final score was Mines 13, Eagles 12. 

Chadron State scored on a 67-yard drive to open the game and went for two, but failed. Mines kicked two field goals to tie the score 6-6 at halftime. The Orediggers went 75 yards to open the second half for their only touchdown and added the PAT. CSC's Wilson Yee kicked 43-yard and 33-yard field goals in the fourth quarter, cutting the margin to a single point. 

Mines then managed three first down and took five minutes off the clock before the Eagles' defense got the ball back at CSC 15. The offense attempted to run a "hook and ladder" play to open its drive, but Mines intercepted the pass to clinch its victory. That was the Eagles' only turnover. 

Trophy Cabinets
Colorado School of Mines and Chadron State have 24 combined RMAC championships (the Orediggers' 16 are the second-most all-time while the Eagles' eight are fifth-most among active members, tied with former RMAC schools Utah, Colorado and Colorado State). The Orediggers and Eagles have an exclusive club all to themselves, however, when it comes to RMAC Harlon Hill trophies. 
 
Eagle legend Danny Woodhead won two Harlon Hill trophies (considered the Division II version of the Heisman trophy) in 2006 and 2007, while Colorado School of Mines has had three individual winners – quarterbacks Chad Friehauf (2004), Justin Dvorak (2016) and John Matocha (2022). 
 
That makes CSC and Mines the only RMAC schools with a Harlon Hill winner, and two of just 10 schools to have won multiple Harlon Hills in program history (alongside Central Missouri, Ferris State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Valdosta State, Bloomsburg, North Alabama, North Dakota State and Pittsburg State).
 
Individually, Woodhead is one of only five players to win multiple trophies on their own, joining Texas A&M Kingsville's Johnny Bailey (1987, 1988, 1989), Valdosta State's Dusty Bonner (2000, 2001), Ferris State's Jason Vander Laan (2014, 2015) and Central Missouri's Zach Zebrowski (2023, 2024).
 
Cashing In?
There has been little correlation between yardage and points in Chadron State's first three football games this season.
 
So far in 2025, the Eagles have outgained FCS foe Northern Colorado in a loss (333-291) and been outgained by Black Hills State in a win (380-285). Against Nebraska-Kearney, the Lopers and Eagles finished dead-even in total yards, 306-306, despite the 20-point scoring difference in favor of UNK.
 
Tommy Tracker
Tommy Thomas hauled in his first receiving touchdown of 2025 on CSC's first possession against Black Hills State. That continued a pattern of big performances against the Yellow Jackets, as Thomas had racked up 147 and 146 yards in his previous two outings against BHSU. 
 
In 33 career games between 2022-2025, Thomas has racked up 1,872 career receiving yards and is 128 away from 2,000 in his career.
 
Taking Snaps
Quarterback DJ Ralph continued his incredible play at Elliott Field. Ralph, whose CSC career has been limited due to injuries, improved to 3-0 on Chadron's home field in games where he played more than one series. Chadron State has averaged 46 points per game in those three contests. 
 
Before exiting last week's game in the third quarter, Ralph completed 16 of 25 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns and added seven carries for 32 yards and a TD on the ground.
 
With Ralph out, Oklahoma Baptist transfer Aidan Thompson played much of the second half under center. Thompson completed 2 of 5 passes for 32 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard strike to Preston Pearson to convert a third-and-13. That drive ended in a 29-yard field goal by Wilson Yee, which ended up being the deciding points in the 31-28 win.
 
In the Polls
Chadron State finished in a tie for seventh place in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll. There were multiple ties throughout the preseason voting, including at the top. Defending league champions CSU Pueblo and defending runners-up Western Colorado finished in a dead heat for first place at 76 points, both receiving the exact combination of five first place votes, three second place votes and one third-place vote. 
 
Colorado School of Mines, whose five-year streak of having at least a share of the RMAC title was broken last season, finished third in the voting while Colorado Mesa finished fourth. Regional rivals South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State tied for fifth. After the Eagles and New Mexico Highlands in seventh, the poll was rounded out by Fort Lewis in ninth and Adams State in 10^th. 
 
The RMAC has three programs receiving national mention in the Top 25 polls. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll has Western Colorado at No. 7, CSU Pueblo at No. 12 and Colorado School of Mines among teams receiving votes. D2Football.com's poll has Western Colorado at No. 7, CSU Pueblo at No. 12 and Mines ranked at No. 23.
 
Elite Company
Redshirt senior safety Dax Yeradi earned a coveted preseason national honor as he was named to D2Football.com's Elite 100 Watch List.
 
Yeradi appears on the annual Top 100 after a breakout junior season. The Wright, Wyoming native earned First Team All-RMAC and Second Team D2CCA All-Region selections as a safety, then picked up an additional honorable mention All-RMAC nod as a punt returner. Yeradi tied for the RMAC lead with four interceptions and finished with 51 tackles and eight passes defensed. 
 
The 100-player national watch list includes 25 first-team players and 25 second-team players (11 offense, 11 defense, 3 special teams), then 50 "squad" players (25 offense, 25 defense). Yeradi was named as a defensive "squad" player.
 
2025 will mark the third straight season that Chadron State has had an Elite 100 Watchlist selection, after now-graduated defensive end Hunter O'Connor appeared on the list in the previous two seasons.
 
Yeradi's inclusion makes Chadron State one of only four RMAC programs to be represented on the Elite 100 list. There are nine total RMAC athletes among the 100, including four from CSU Pueblo (first-team WR Reggie Retzlaff, first-team DB Donovan English, squad OL Tyler Ethridge and squad LB Gary Seidenberger), two from Western Colorado (first-team DL Ricky Freymond, second-team QB Drew Nash) and two from Colorado School of Mines (first-team WR Flynn Schiele, squad DB Jackson Zimmerman). 
 
The Staff
Head Coach Jay Long returns for his 14^th season at the helm of the Chadron State football program, accumulating a 62-64 record at CSC over his previous 13 seasons.
 
The core of Long's staff all returns for 2025, including sixth-year offensive coordinator Micah Smith and fifth-year defensive coordinator Clint Sasse. Long, Smith and Sasse are all Chadron State football alumni. Special teams coordinator Wes Coomes and quarterbacks coach Tommy Wilson also return to their roles from 2024. 
 
Four of the Eagles' six coaching assistants are new to the staff this year, with three bringing Division I experience. 
 
DeMarcus Felton (running backs) and Herbert Frazier, Jr. (wide receivers) both come to CSC from the staff of Dekaney High School in Houston, Texas, where they mentored several eventual Division I and Power 4 players. Both Felton and Frazier were members of the Texas Tech (Division I, Big 12) football program, with Felton racking up 10 rushing touchdowns during his Red Raider career.
 
Lorenzo Neal (defensive line) joins the CSC staff after a playing career at Purdue University, where he served as a team captain and earned two Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selections. Neal's father, Lorenzo, played for 16 seasons in the NFL and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro as a fullback.
 
The final new coaching assistant is Deunte Moody (defensive backs), who begins his coaching career at Chadron State after concluding his playing career at Black Hills State last season. Returning to the staff are coaching assistants Steve Chang (linebackers) and Logan Zacharias (offensive line). 
 
Other Eagle support staff includes strength and conditioning coaches E.J. Kreis and Chase McClendon and athletic trainer Allison Wood.

Scouting the Orediggers
by Con Marshall
Mines went on to finish last season with an 8-3 record. The Orediggers have an "old-new" coach this year. After former coach Pete Sterbick left Mines for the offensive coordinator job at Montana (DI FCS), Bob Stitt, who was the team's mentor from 2000 through 2014, has returned. Stitt compiled a 110-62 record and won three conference titles before resigning to become the head coach at Montana.

Stitt spent three seasons in Missoula, then was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State and Texas State and even Valor Christian High in the Denver area before being hired by Mines again last February. During his absence, Mines had three head coaches, a 94-22 record and won six RMAC titles. 

This year's team has a powerful rushing attack. Running back Landon Walker, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior, has carried 56 times for 337 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games. He was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week this past week after rushing a career-best 199 yards against Washburn. His output included a 75-yard touchdown jaunt. 

Sophomore quarterback Joe Capra also has played well. He has completed 33 of 47 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns, has not been intercepted and has run for 126 yards and three TDs.