Football is a game of inches and milliseconds. A little more or a little less. A little higher or a little lower. 

Down by two points against Colorado School of Mines and driving down the field with 5:27 to play, the West Texas A&M football team faced a fourth and five. At their opponent’s 41-yard line, quarterback RJ Martinez had plenty of protection and fired it deep to wideout C’ing Blanton. 

Mines redshirt senior free safety Joel Diaz disrupted the ball’s trajectory just enough for the pass to fall away from Blanton’s grasp, thus turning the ball over on downs. 

A moment sooner, Blanton could have reeled in the pass and the Buffs’ final drive of the game would have survived another four downs. Perhaps an opportunity at go-ahead points.

A moment later, the downfield throw could have resulted in a game sealing interception for the Orediggers.  

It’s those mere inches and milliseconds that mean so, so much.

Despite the Buffaloes’ best efforts to shake up the NCAA Division II Super Region 4 landscape, WTAMU fell short against the Orediggers in a tense 33-31 contest on Thursday night at Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium.

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First half penalties and field position roughed up WT, as the maroon and white yielded 10 penalties for 80 yards in the first two stanzas and was pinned behind their own 10-yard line on three separate occasions. WT’s final possession, which started on their own seven yard line, resulted in a safety for Colorado School of Mines.

Even though the Buffaloes’ efforts were dashed, a star emerged under center. That dynamo who made offensive coordinator Justin Bane’s unit go was indeed Martinez. The journeyman from Austin was impressive, going 33-of-47 for 273 yards through the air and rushing for 133 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

Martinez was disappointed with the loss, but knows that his team is trending in the right direction.

“Any kind of game like this definitely stings,” Martinez said after the game. “I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this moving forward, and I believe that everything is in front of us. It’s really about how we look at this. We really improved from last week with a lot of new people and a lot of new schemes. We want to come out on top (from here on out), there’s no mistaking that.”

Heading into the season, WTAMU head coach Josh Lynn spoke on taking the next step. He still believes that those major strides are well within reach.

“From week one to week two, I feel really encouraged,” Lynn said. “I’m really happy with my guys and their efforts. Gosh, one play here and one play there, and we win that game. It wasn’t necessarily the case last year against (Colorado School of Mines). So, we’re closing the gap. But we’ve got to win one of these games to help us take another step.”

Due to their latest heartbreaker, the Buffs slipped to 0-2. WT returns to road mode next week, facing off against Western New Mexico for each team’s respective Lone Star Conference opener. The contest between the Buffs and Mustangs will take place at 7 p.m. CT next Saturday at Altamirano Field in Silver City, N.M.

The Mustangs (0-1) take on New Mexico Highlands (1-0) on Saturday in Las Vegas, N.M.

Colorado School of Mines started their campaign 1-0, and will head back to Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium in Golden, Colo. next weekend. At 1 p.m. CT next Saturday, the Orediggers will square off against Washburn.

The Ichabods (1-0) battle Northwest Missouri State (0-1) in a MIAA tilt set for Saturday in Topeka, Kan.

WT had no trouble moving the ball to begin the game, thanks to their up-tempo offense. The Buffs’ 11-play, 75-yard drive finished with Martinez plunging into the endzone from three yards out with 12:19 in the initial period. 

The Orediggers responded by pinning the Buffs deep in their own territory, and forging a 30-yard drive for the tying score. At the 7:54 mark, Mines redshirt junior Braelon Tate polished off the short drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

Martinez had an answer for Mines in the following drive, bursting through the line of scrimmage, shedding a tackler and sprinting into the endzone with 5:07 left in the initial period. The 41-yard scamper provided the Buffs with a 14-7 lead.

“It felt really really good,” Martinez said, recalling his huge run. “I don’t think I’ve scored a touchdown like that since my freshman year at Northern Arizona. It might have tied my longest ever.”

“It was just a dart scheme play, and our line blocked (really well),” Martinez continued. “I knew someone was going to be in the block, and I had to make that guy miss and find a way to make yardage. I was going to do anything I could to get to the endzone.”

Lynn was also quick to praise his starting quarterback.

“He did a good job,” Lynn said. “He’s getting to where he’s really comfortable with the offense. He’s getting more comfortable with the receivers. He’s just a competitor. He makes plays that we need him to make. This is only his second time starting in this offense. He’s just going to get better and better.”

Before the end of the initial period, Mines tied the game back up with an eight-yard touchdown connection between quarterback Joseph Capra and redshirt sophomore Pierce Richards. The Buffs committed three penalties before the Orediggers struck paydirt with 1:40 remaining in the first.

Mines took the lead with 9:49 before intermission, as Capra floated a pass to redshirt junior wideout Nick Stone for the eight-yard score. Due to the 10-play, 89-yard drive, the Orediggers took a 21-14 lead.

In the following drive, Mines’ Diaz captured an interception after defenders forced Martinez to throw off of his back foot. The Buffs’ defensive unit made a stand, though, forcing a three-and-out.

The WT offense made good on what the defense offered, driving 93-yards in eight plays. Martinez scored his third TD of the game, bouncing to his right and reaching the endzone untouched.

With 3:59 until half, the Buffs tied the game back up at 21-21.

Colorado School of Mines was unfazed, scoring another TD with 50 seconds left until halftime. Capra was flushed out of the pocket, and found a wide-open Richards for a 38-yard touchdown.

WT did manage to score points, with redshirt freshman kicker Levi Crowder splitting the uprights from 24 yards away. The Buffs were able to inch closer to the goalposts before the horn, due to a roughing the kicker call.

At the break, the Orediggers held a 28-24 advantage.

Returning to the gridiron, the defenses settled in and points came at a premium.

Mines was first to score this time around, as redshirt freshman kicker Preston Kyle knocked through a 39-yard field goal. The three points granted Colorado School of Mines a 31-24 lead.

WT returned the favor with a 19-yard, 75 yard drive. With three minutes remaining in the third quarter and following multiple attempts, junior running back Gene Sledge punched it into the endzone from the one-foot-line.

The Buffs did force the Orediggers to stall out, giving the home side an opportunity for a score. However, Mines pinned WT on their own seven yard line heading into the final period.

Mines forced the Buffs back into a corner, eventually forcing Martinez to fumble the football out of the back of the endzone. With 14:07 remaining, the Orediggers held a 33-31 lead — an advantage they would not relinquish.

Midway through the closing stretch, WT had a chance to drive and score, but a fourth down shot downfield fell harmlessly to the turf. Mines then drove the ball deep into Buff territory before allowing time to expire.

Compared to the first half, the defense only allowed five points down the stretch. Lynn commended defensive coordinator Justin Richter on the second half amendments.

“I thought coach Richter made some nice adjustments at halftime,” Lynn said. “Going in, that was (Colorado School of Mines’) first week. We didn’t have much film on them. They did some stuff we thought they might do, but didn’t know necessarily what they were going to do. The defense made some nice adjustments to give us an opportunity to win the football game.”

Complementing Martinez was graduate receiver Drew Zamar, who caught six passes for 101 yards. 

Redshirt sophomore defensive back Miles Hill paced the defense with 11 total tackles, including seven solo tackles. One of those stops was for a loss.

Senior David deMenezes picked up eight tackles, followed by redshirt sophomore Javin Cash, graduate Ashton Reynolds and junior Hunter Corbin, who each reeled in six tackles.

Martinez knows that his team, both offense and defense, are going to keep improving.

“I love those guys to death,” Martinez said. “They’ve really impacted my life in a tremendous way, and I’ve only known them for a short time. We’ve come together as a team. Coach Bane talks about giving all we got, and that’s really our mantra. We give each other everything, and we hold each other accountable to give no less than everything we got. They really boost me, and I’m so thankful for them.”

Lynn tipped his cap to junior Canyon Ives and the Buffalo offensive line, alongside his secondary. He also understands that a long trip is ahead of them, and taking that next step is not that far away.

“We need to have a good week of practice,” Lynn said. “We have to handle the trip (to Silver City, N.M.). More than anything else, it’s just us and the improvements that we have to put together from these last two games moving forward to Western New Mexico.”

A look at the box score

For a look at the full box score from Thursday’s game, please visit https://gobuffsgo.com/sports/football/stats/2025/colorado-school-of-mines/boxscore/11283