DII football: Dixie State stuns No. 6 Colorado School of Mines in a 52-45 offensive explosion

If you love offense, you'll love Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football.

One week after putting up the highest-combined point total in DII football, No. 6 Colorado School of Mines was once again involved in an offensive explosion, this time, on the losing side of the battle. Dixie State upset the Orediggers 52-45, both teams combining for a ridiculous 1,318 yards.

MORE: Here are the 12 most eye-popping numbers from Colorado School of Mines' 84-42 win

This one came down to the final seconds, as a tremendous 21-point fourth-quarter Orediggers comeback was thwarted by  Dixie State's Michael Sanders' fifth touchdown pass of the day with just 24 seconds left on the clock. Of course, as with any RMAC showdown, you can expect monster offensive numbers. 

Mark your calendars! Next Saturday, Nov. 10th, the football game between Chadron State and No. 6 Colorado School of Mines will be featured in the NCAA Division II Showcase!#D2FB 🏈 pic.twitter.com/4xfhz32f5a

— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) November 1, 2018

Sanders is on absolute fire. Two weeks ago, he set the Trailblazers single-game record with 527 yards passing. That record didn't last very long, as Sanders unleashed on the Mines defense for 553 yards. He did it at an impressive 64.6 percent rate, tossing five touchdowns and no interceptions. Just for good measure, Sanders ran for 56 yards, eclipsing the 600 total yard mark. Have yourself a day, Mr. Sanders.

You can say that he and wideout Dejuan Dantzler have a newfound chemistry. Last week, Dantzler set a season-high with 11 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown. This week? He crushed those numbers, reeling in 241 yards and three touchdowns.

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Of course, that Mines offense wouldn't go quietly. Quarterback Isaac Harker posted his fourth-straight 300-yard passing day and eighth overall on the season. He now has 3,201 yards passing and 37 touchdowns on the year to just six interceptions, two of which came on Saturday. The Orediggers all-time leading rusher, Cameron Mayberry, had another monster day himself, reeling off 224 yards and two touchdowns while grabbing three passes for 74 yards. 

Isaac Harker of @MinesAthletics is this week's #RMACfb Offensive Player of the Week! Harker was 19-of-24 for 372 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. He averaged 19.6 yards per completion. #EverythingElevated pic.twitter.com/hqZ2pHUAYr

— RMAC Sports (@RMAC_SPORTS) October 29, 2018

Last week, this Mines offense combined with the opposing team for 126 total points. This week, it was for 1,318 yards. Next week the Orediggers host 7-2 Chadron State with the RMAC title on the line. We can only hope for another stat-sheet stuffed day in Golden, Colo. 

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