Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – South Dakota Mines’ Jayden Johannsen, Colorado School of Mines’ Mack Minnehan and Adams State’s Ahmed Bernard are the week eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week, the league announced Monday.
 
Johannsen picks up his third RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honor this season after leading the Hardrockers (5-3, 4-2 RMAC) to a commanding 65-20 road win over Fort Lewis last weekend. The redshirt sophomore tied a program record for South Dakota Mines with six passing touchdowns despite playing in just three quarters. He was successful on 18 of his 29 passing attempts and closed the contest with a 199.3 quarterback efficiency rating.
 
South Dakota Mines returns to action this weekend at home against Adams State. Kickoff against the Grizzlies is slated for Saturday, Oct. 29, at noon MT inside O’Harra Stadium in Rapid City, S.D.
 
Minnehan earns his first RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season after a monstrous game for the Orediggers (6-2, 6-0 RMAC) last weekend where Mines cruised to a 38-0 win at home over Black Hills State. The redshirt senior led the Orediggers’ defense with 10 total tackles, four unassisted tackles, 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, which amounted to 24 yards.
 
The Orediggers are back on the gridiron this weekend on the road against Western Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 1 p.m., at Katy O. Rady Field in Gunnison, Colo.
 
Bernard secures his first RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor and the Grizzlies’ (2-6, 2-4 RMAC) first weekly accolade of the season after a huge performance in ASU’s 45-31 win over Colorado Mesa last weekend. The junior returned a trio of kickoffs for the Grizzlies, one of which was a crucial 97-yard return for a touchdown in the third quarter. In addition to his special teams efforts, Bernard also claimed six tackles and three pass breakups on the defensive side of the ball.
 
Adams State will now travel to Rapid City, S.D., to take on South Dakota Mines this weekend. All RMAC football contests will be broadcast live on the RMAC Network.
 
Offensive Player of the Week: Jayden Johannsen, South Dakota Mines – R-So. – QB – Sioux Falls, S.D.
Johannsen threw for six touchdowns against the Skyhawks over the weekend, tying a school record along the way. He racked up 238 yards through the air and averaged 8.2 yards per pass, despite not appearing in the fourth quarter.
 
Honorable Mention: Marckell Grayson, Adams State; Jullen Ison, Colorado Mesa; John Matocha, Colorado School of Mines; Andrew Cook, CSU Pueblo; Christopher Thomas, Jr., Fort Lewis; Andrew Montez, Western Colorado.
 
Defensive Player of the Week: Mack Minnehan, Colorado School of Mines – R-Sr. – OLB – Woodinville, Wash.
Minnehan had a monster game to lead Colorado School of Mines in a 38-0 shutout of Black Hills State on Saturday. He generated a game-high 10 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the win. Minnehan was involved in three of Mines’ nine sacks on the day and led a defense that allowed just 146 total yards, including 39 on the ground.
 
Honorable Mention: Daniel Mendoza, Adams State; Ryder Blair, Black Hills State; Hunter O’Connor, Chadron State; Cam Nathan, Colorado Mesa; Cory McLellan, CSU Pueblo; Parker Cunningham, Fort Lewis; Kaleb Tischler, South Dakota Mines; Carson Mandrell, Western Colorado.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week: Ahmed Bernard, Adams State – Jr. – CB – Pass Christian, Miss.
Bernard made three kickoff returns in Saturday's win over Colorado Mesa, but none bigger than his 97-yard kick return late in the third quarter to help the Grizzlies snap a seven-game losing streak against the Mavericks, their first win over CMU since the 2012 season. Bernard finished the game with 112 yards in his three carries and put together a strong defensive outing to go along with it.
 
Honorable Mention: Lucas Ruiz Diaz, Colorado Mesa; Jon Lujan, CSU Pueblo; Hunter Villavicencio, Fort Lewis.