The Colorado School of Mines is not your average football team. All of its averages are well above average.
The unbeaten Orediggers, who lost in the NCAA Division II final last year, average 51.1 points a game and will enter the playoffs next week as a No. 1 seed. They have outscored their last two opponents 159-3.
Then there is the team GPA.
The Orediggers won the Brechler Award last year for holding the highest team GPA in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They are so proud of their academic aspirations and achievements that instead of numbers, players have their majors on the backs of their helmets.
And when we talk about above average, we could go into the Orediggers’ outrageous individual pictures, and we will.
But nothing stands out more than quarterback John Matocha, the greatest college football player of all time.
OK, that’s a bit much. But this past weekend, Matocha set an NCAA record for touchdowns, passing former University of Houston star Case Keenum, who is now with the Texans, and Blaine Hawkins of Central College (Iowa), who were tied with 179.
Matocha, who grew up in Magnolia and played for Magnolia West High School, has accounted for 181 touchdowns in his college career.
“It’s extremely special because it’s a testament to not only this team and this year, but to all the guys I’ve had the honor of playing with and all the coaches I’ve had the honor of playing under,” Matocha said. “It’s extremely special, and I feel extremely blessed.”
Thanks to a purple mustache and a hairdo that looks like a double pigtail mistake, he is also one of the standouts in popular photos of the team’s players, who, in a traditional lark, grow the wildest offseason hairstyle they can muster for individual publicity pictures.
Since heading west to Golden, Colo., Matocha has led the Orediggers on a historic run. In the school’s first 132 years of football, the Orediggers had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. In 2021, they made it to the semifinals. Last year, they advanced to the finals. This year, they have their sights on a championship.
After a bye, the Orediggers will face Augustana or Minnesota State in the second round.
“It’s electric over here in Golden,” Matocha said. “There’s definitely that anticipation and eagerness for the playoffs. We’ve had a couple good runs, but there is still one goal we haven’t accomplished yet.”
There are 45 Texans listed on the Orediggers’ roster, with 21 from the Houston area, including left tackle Nic Van de Graaf of Concordia Lutheran.
Matocha, who graduated with a computer science degree in May and is now working on his master’s, says he chose the Colorado School of Mines because of its academic standing.
“The Colorado School of Mines is an elite school, and I wanted to be able to go right in and have a chance to play, but academics is a major part of it,” he said. “To be able to get such a prestigious degree and be able to play high-level football made this a great choice.
“That’s something that we pride ourselves on. I know some that are mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, and some majors that I can’t even pronounce. Honestly, the academic rigor is really something that brings us closer together. Our freshman year, we’re all studying together, learning together, and that bond really carries on throughout the experiences at Mines.”
There are more athlete-students than student-athletes in college football. The Orediggers are certainly in the latter category, but these guys can play, too.
On Thursday, 19 of their 22 starters made first- or second-team all-conference, and Matocha was named the league’s offensive player of the year for the second straight season.
An All-Greater Houston pick who once scored seven touchdowns in a high school game, Matocha last year won the Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to Division II’s most valuable player.
After earning the starting job in his freshman year, Matocha threw for 5,930 yards in his first two seasons, then blew up last year, leading Division II with 4,778 passing yards, 52 touchdowns and a pass efficiency rating of 178.8.
Brandon Moore, who was the Orediggers’ head coach last year and is now at the University of San Diego, applauded Matocha’s leadership skills.
“John is the ultimate teammate,” Moore said. “His leadership qualities are really what make him special. The team unites behind him.
“When he speaks, everyone listens. He’s an incredible person, first, but an incredible athlete as well.”
A couple of weeks ago, when it was almost 90 degrees here in Houston, the Orediggers played in a snowstorm to win the conference title with a 42-7 win over previously unbeaten Western Colorado.
After the huge win, Orediggers first-year head coach Pete Sterbick, who was the team’s offensive coordinator prior to this season, shared a teary-eyed tribute to Matocha.
“I just love that kid,” Sterbick told the Denver Gazette after the game. “I’m the one (who) has gotten to coach him, and everybody benefits from John.
“I’ve had a chance to leave for some things, and you only get to coach a kid like that so often.”
Far better than average.
