Mines offense pours it on

By Jeff Budlong, Journal staff Sunday, August 31, 2008

RAPID CITY — It was fitting that the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology opened up its 2008 season with a night game against Haskell University. After a tight first quarter the Hardrockers turned out the lights on Haskell with a 62-7 rout on Saturday at O’Harra Stadium.

Led by a pair of freshmen in quarterback Nick Russell and running back Jamie Dale the ’Rockers put on their own version of “The Greatest Show on Turf” breaking the game open with a 34-point third quarter. The avalanche of points came up just short of the school record 77 points put up against Trinity Bible College in 1994.

“I am only a sophomore but last year we probably would have had to add up three games to get to 62 points,” Mines’ Dustin Meneley said. “This is a real big win for us.”

With the game tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter, Haskell looked as if might seize control of the game as it marched down the field with a 17-play drive that covered 93 yards down to the 1-yard line. However, momentum would swing in Mines’ favor for the rest of the game when Tom Lunzman intercepted a pass in the end zone.

“I just happened to be in the right place in the right time and just happened to get it,” Lunzman said.

The importance of the play was not lost on his teammates.

“That was the turning point of the game and I told him in the locker room at halftime that it was the turning point,” Russell said. “We could have just sat down and died, and it looked like we were about to. That interception really turned us around.”

Mines needed just three plays to complete the 14-point swing as Russell found Tony Ostheimer for a 79-yard strike and the 14-7 lead.

Mines would extend its lead two possessions later when Dale turned a 4th-and-3 run into a 43-yard touchdown burst with just 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the half.

Haskell responded with a three-and-out, giving Mines the ball back with 44 seconds left which was more than enough time to tack on another score. Three straight pass completions were capped by a 32-yard pitch-and catch from Russell to Tyler Barth to give the home team a 28-7 lead at the break.

Russell threw for 186 yards and the three scores in the first 30 minutes, hitting four different receivers.

“He is a very accurate quarterback and he is a field general,” Mines head coach Dan Kratzer said. “He made some key throws and had a couple drops or he would have had another TD or two.”

The second half belonged to the Mines’ special teams as the offense was on the field just twice despite the 34 points tallied.

Meneley wasted no time as he returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, and that was followed by another Dale rushing touchdown from 12 yards out.

Mines linebacker Eric Yeash would get the defense’s second interception of the game on the first play of the next Haskell drive which Russell turned into more points with a 20-yard toss to Jason Beilstein.

Meneley would put his stamp on the game with a 51-yard punt return, making the score 55-7 and Dale completed the scoring — and capped an amazing night for the freshman — with a 69-yard punt return of his own late in the third.

“Last year I didn’t score once and now I scored twice in one game,” Meneley said. “It was awesome.”

Russell finished his first college game going 15-of-28 for 248 yards and four touchdowns, while his fellow Californian — and roommate — Dale ran for 104 yards on just 10 carries.

“These kids have worked hard and we have a bunch of kids that have been through two or three years of neglect … but we are a lot better off than we were a year ago and this is just a starting point,” Kratzer said.

The Mines offense totaled 412 yards in the game, while the defense allowed 263 yards of offense but just 70 after halftime.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as Mines went to its backup quarterback and runners as the team celebrated its third straight win over Haskell.

The Hardrockers are off next week before playing a road game against Trinity on Sept. 13.