After leading Colorado Mines to a 56-14 win over Adams State last Saturday (October 19) in Alamosa, Oredigger quarterback Evan Foster is the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s Player of the Week.
In guiding Mines to its sixth win in seven games this season, Foster completed 25 of 31 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 57 yards and caught one pass for 17 yards and a score. Foster is the RMAC’s top passer, completing 153 of 219 passes for 1,997 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Fosher is the 19th player from Mines to be honored as a NFF Colorado Chapter POW. Oredigger gridders have been recognized 37 times since the start of the POW program in 2003. Foster’s chief targets this season – Max McLeod and Flynn Schiele – have also received NFFCC POW honors.
Other nominees from last week’s games were Alejandro Mata of Colorado, Aiden Taylor of Colorado Mesa, Gabe Kirschke of Colorado State, Cody Ramming of CSU Pueblo, and Josiah Ayon of Western Colorado.
Foster joins quarterback Devin Larsen (games played August 29 & 31) and wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff (September 5 & 7) of Colorado State Pueblo, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (September 14 & September 21) of Colorado, Mines wide receiver Schiele (September 28), Colorado Mesa linebacker Colin Stuhr (October 8), and Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (October 15) as NFF Colorado Chapter player-of-the-weeks.
Hunter and Robert Felberg of Colorado Mesa are the only two “slash” players to win the honor. Felberg was a quarterback/wide receiver recipient for the Mavericks in a 2010 game against Western Colorado. Hunter is the first to play on both offense and defense.
The POW program for the Colorado Chapter of the NFF & CHOF was started in 2003. Following the player facts and figures, there is information on the NFFCC POWs by school, division, and position.
Colorado (W, 34-7 at Arizona)
Alejandro Mata, junior kicker, 5-9, 190, Buford, GA/Jackson State/ Buford High School
INDIVIDUAL STATS: 2–f0r 2 fg, 4-for-4 PT. Recorded 10 points on a perfect day.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Helped Colorado win back-to-back road games by 27-plus points for the first time in 37 years, CU has also won three straight road games for the first time since the end of the 2001 and start of the 2002 seasons. Named Big 12 – Kicker of the week
Colorado Mesa (W, 21-10 vs. New Mexico Highlands)
Aiden Taylor, junior running back, 5-11, 215, Modesto, Calif. / Idaho State / Central Catholic
INDIVIDUAL STATS: 25 carries, 217 yards, 8.6 ypc., 1 TD
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Junior running back Aiden Taylor carried the ball 25 times for 217 yards and a touchdown in the Mavericks 21-10 win over New Mexico Highlands on Saturday. It was the first time a Maverick had rushed for over 200 yards since David Tann rushed for 206 yards against then Dixie State (now Utah Tech) on October 14, 2017. Taylor now has 456 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Colorado Mesa is now on a four-game winning streak which is the longest for the program since the 2017 season.
Colorado School of Mines (W, 56-14)
Colorado State (W, 21-13 at Air Force)
Gabe Kirschke, sophomore defensive lineman, 6-5, 245, Lone Tree, Colo. / Wisconsin / Valor Christian
INDIVIDUAL STATS: 3 Tackles (3 solo, 3 assist), 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tfl, forced fumble, blocked field goal, 1 pbu
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Six total tackles with three solo stops, career-high 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. Solo sack with 2:45 remaining in the game and hurried the QB to force an interception on the very next play. Half sack with 1:17 on the clock to help the Rams stop Air Force on its final drive. Forced a fumble in the second quarter that led to a CSU touchdown, putting the Rams up 14-0. Was in on the tackle that stopped the Air Force two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. Blocked a field goal attempt at the end of the first half to keep Air Force scoreless. Batted down a ball on 2nd and 10 in the third quarter. Led Colorado State to its first trophy game win since 2020, snapping an eight-game losing streak in trophy games. Led Colorado State to its first win at Air Force since 2002, snapping a seven-game skid in the series and a nine-game losing streak on base.
CSU Pueblo (W, 24-21 vs. Black Hills State)
Cody Ramming, senior defensive line, 6-7, 229, Littleton, Colo. / Columbine HS
INDIVIDUAL STATS: In the No. 13/14 Pack’s 24-21 home win over Black Hills State, Ramming was a terror on special teams for the Pack as he blocked two field goals that each led to touchdowns in the win to help the Pack lead 14-7 at the half, despite running just 17 plays for 73 yards of offense. The two blocked field goal returns yielded 133 yards for the Pack. Ramming’s kick blocking proved to be the difference in the win for the Pack which came on a 40-yard field goal with 7 seconds left by Jacob Willig. Ramming’s first block of the game came on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive of the game as he blocked a 40-yard field goal try by Ryan Ewing and the blocked went into the hands of Ben Wilson, who returned the ball 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Pack a 7-0 lead just four minutes into the contest. Ramming’s second block came in the second quarter with the scored tied at 7-all. BHSU’s Ewing was attempting a 55-yard field goal, but his attempted was blocked by Ramming into the hands of Eli Pittman, who returned the ball 58 yards for a score to give the Pack a 14-7 lead. At that point of the game, the Pack offense had run just a total of 11 plays for 44 yards. It was the first time in school history that the Pack returned two blocked field goals for a touchdown in the same game. Additionally, Ramming is now of 13 players in Division II this season to record two blocked kicks in a game. He is now one block shy of the school’s single season record for blocked kicks with three. In the game on Saturday, the Pack special teams blocked a school record three kicks in the game as Ramming blocked two field goals and Shallum Peter was credited with a blocked punt in the game.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES – It was the first time in school history that the Pack returned two blocked field goals for a touchdown in the same game. Additionally, Ramming is now of 13 players in Division II this season to record two blocked kicks in a game. He is now one block shy of the school’s single-season record for blocked kicks with three. In the game on Saturday, the Pack special teams blocked a school-record three kicks in the game as Ramming blocked two field goals, and Shallum Peter was credited with a blocked punt in the game.
Western Colorado (W, 35-24 vs. Black Hills State)
Josiah Ayon, wide receiver, junior, 6-3, 200, Fresno, Calif. / Fresno City College / Buchanan
INDIVIDUAL STATS: 6 receptions, 59 yds, 4 TDs
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Ayon caught 4 second-half TD passes as Western scored 28 unanswered points in its 35-24 come-from-behind win. Trailing 10-7 at the half and 24-7 five minutes into the 3rd quarter, Ayon’s 1-yd TD catch began the Mountaineers’ comeback. He caught an 11-yd TD late in the quarter, then early in the 4th scored the go-ahead TD on a 24-yd catch before finishing off the 2nd-half rally with a 20-yd TD catch. He finished with 6 catches for 4 TDs and 59 yds, with a long of 24 (4th TD).
