South Dakota Mines seeks break against 9-0 CSU Pueblo
The Hardrockers host the undefeated Thunderwolves in their final regular season home game on Saturday.
By Aiko Nakamura ·
South Dakota Mines football enters Saturday with a three game losing streak and a chance to end it against the RMAC Conference leader.
The Hardrockers began the 2026 season with five wins in their first six contests. That early momentum stalled in the second half of the schedule. Three consecutive defeats have dropped the team to a 5-4 overall record and a 3-4 mark in conference play. The most recent loss came against No. 6 Western Colorado, which defeated Mines 37-6.
CSU Pueblo arrives in Rapid City with a perfect 9-0 season record. The Thunderwolves are ranked third in the nation and hold the highest scoring offense in the RMAC. They defeated Black Hills State 38-31 in their previous contest. Black Hills State will also play a home game this Saturday against Chadron State at 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets are 5-4, while Chadron State stands at 4-5.
Head coach Charlie Flohr described the matchup as requiring a full team effort. He noted that CSU Pueblo possesses talent across all three phases of the game. "CSU Pueblo is a good quality football team," Flohr said. "Coach Vigil has done a really good job with that team and with that program. They've got a lot of talent on all three phases of the game. We talked about it a lot. We've got to start fast against a good quality team like this. They're very explosive as an offense. So we've got eliminate their explosive plays. And offensively, we've got to find a way get explosive plays during the course of the game. But I know our kids are going to show up and play hard for a full 60 minutes against a good quality opponent."
The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. at O'Harra Stadium. This kickoff time is one hour earlier than originally planned. It marks the final home game for South Dakota Mines in the regular season. Black Hills State fans can watch their game on channel 21.3.
The outcome of the Mines game will determine their standing in the conference before the final regular season contest. The Thunderwolves aim to maintain their undefeated record. The Hardrockers aim to stop the bleeding in their home stadium.
