Lopers beat CSM 24-12, earn share of RMAC crown

Grant Strunk/McCook Daily Gazette University of Nebraska at Kearney wide receiver Brendan Liess (31) of McCook finds a hole against Colorado School of Mines during Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at Kearney Saturday. The Lopers secured a piece of the RMAC title with a 24-12 win over the Orediggers.

KEARNEY -- Sophomore running back Rustin Dring ran for a career-high 219 yards and the Nebraska-Kearney defense came up with eight sacks as the Lopers beat Colorado School of Mines, 24-12, Saturday afternoon.

The victory at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium on the UNK campus in Kearney gave the Lopers a share of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title. UNK can win the league championship outright with a win at Mesa State next Saturday in the regular-season finale. The Lopers shared the RMAC title in 2002 and won it outright in 2005.

In front of a crowd of 4,862, the eighth-ranked Lopers (9-1, 8-0 RMAC) claimed their ninth-straight win. Colorado Mines (7-3, 7-1 RMAC) had won three straight games over UNK. The Orediggers host New Mexico Highlands Saturday to close out the year.

UNK freshmen and former Bison standouts Joe Vetrovsky (front) and Dillon Goltl watch from the sidelines. Both Vetrovsky and Goltl are recovering from knee surgeries.

Former McCook High School standout Brendan Liess, a UNK junior, caught two passes for 18 yards. Liess added eight rushing yards on four carries.

The Lopers out-gained Mines 430-256. Thanks to those eight sacks, for a loss of 35 yards, Mines had minus-12 rushing yards on 18 carries. This marks just the eight time in the last 19 years a Loper opponent has had negative rushing yardage.

UNK trailed 3-0 after the first quarter. The Lopers scored 14 points in a short span in the second period to grab the lead for good. Dring ran 64 yards for a score, as he eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season. On UNK's next series, a 31-yard run by Dring got the Lopers moving once again. Two plays after Dring's run, sophomore quarterback Jake Spitzlberger threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Kaiser.

Kaiser, averaging well over 25 yards per catch, has 32 catches this year, 10 going for scores.

The Lopers led 14-6 at halftime. Mines scored in the third quarter to cut the gap to 14-12. Early in the fourth period, senior kicker Jordan Alegria capped a UNK 61-yard scoring drive with a 25-yard field goal. Later in the quarter, Spitzlberger ran 25 yards for a touchdown, completing an 80-yard drive for the Lopers.

Late in the fourth quarter, UNK held a 24-12 lead but Mines was driving. On third down and 12, senior safety Pat Ackerman picked off a pass at the Loper 12-yard line. Six straight subsequent runs by Dring kept the clocking moving and the ball away from the Orediggers.

Spitzlberger now has 900 career rushing yards and 17 career rushing TD's. He needs just two more rushing scores to break the school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (19, Rich Osentowski, 1965-68).

Dring reached the century mark rushing for the fourth straight Saturday and for the seventh time this fall. His previous career high of 202 yards came three weeks ago at New Mexico Highlands. Dring achieved his career-high rushing total against a Mines defense that was giving up an average of only 98 rushing yards per game. Dring also led UNK in catches (six) and receiving yards (57).

CSM -- FG Dalton Lane 30.

UNK -- Rustin Dring 64 run (Jordan Alegria kick).

UNK -- Kyle Kaiser 45 pass from Jake Spitzlberger (Alegria kick).

CSM -- FG Lane 28.

CSM -- Blaine Sumner 1 run (pass failed).

UNK -- FG Alegria 25.

UNK -- Spitzlberger 25 run (Alegria kick).