SPEARFISH, S.D. – The nation's top offense was too much for the Black Hills State University football team as the Yellow Jackets fell 83-28 to Colorado School of Mines on Saturday.
 
Colorado Mines entered the game ranked No. 25 in the nation and won a share of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship with an 8-2 conference record and 9-2 overall record.
 
The Yellow Jackets, who enjoyed a bounce-back season, close the season 7-4 overall and 6-4 in the loop. The win totals are the most in the NCAA era for both overall and conference wins and is also the first winning season since 2010.
 
Colorado Mines scored on their opening drive when Justin Dvorak threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Riley Hoff and opened a 14-0 lead on a Sam Seeton two-yard run.
 
Black Hills State answered on a 14-play, 82-yard drive capped by a Phydell Paris two-yard score. The score was set up on a 16-yard Paris run to start the drive along with pass completions of 13 yards to Shandon Jones and 15 yards to Erick Hairston-Belcher. Trey Fleming's point-after touchdown was good for the 14-7 score.
 
The Yellow Jackets score three other touchdowns on the day, with the second score in the second quarter. Ryan Hommel put a perfectly-placed ball in the hands of Hairston-Belcher for a 27-yard touchdown. The play capped a quick five-play, 75-yard drive with the score at 34-14 with 1:40 remaining in the half.
 
However, a quick strike from the Orediggers gave the visiting squad a 41-14 halftime lead.
 
Midway through the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored again on a connection between Hommel and Hairston-Belcher, this time 42 yards to cap a six-play, 75-yard drive.
 
The final touchdown of the game for the Yellow Jackets came with 9:11 remaining in the game when backup quarterback Zach Meyer threw a pass into the end zone, falling off the hands of Jake Basinger and right into the hands of Brennan Walk for a 22-yard touchdown.
 
Paris ran for at least 100 yards for the eighth time this year as he tallied 136 yards, and totaled 1,314 for the season. That total is a new single-season record for the Yellow Jacket career-rushing leader.
 
Hommel completed 17 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns as Meyer tallied 49 yards on three completions. Hairston-Belcher tallied nine receptions for 134 yards while Eriq Swiftwater had five receptions for 78 yards.
 
Defensively, Cody Benne and Thayer Sauter tallied a game-high 11 tackles in the final game of each of their careers. Groves, also a senior, had nine tackles.
 
Dvorak, who leads the nation in almost every passing category, totaled 259 yards passing with five touchdowns.
 
The Yellow Jackets end their season with seven wins, the most since the 2008 season and a vast improvement from 2015. Within the year, the Yellow Jackets set Black Hills State records for rushing yards in a game both team and individual, individual rushing yards in a season, team interceptions and tied for individual interceptions.
 
Stay tuned to the new BHSUAthletics.com as the Yellow Jackets can be statistical champions for team interceptions and individual interceptions.