GOLDEN, Colo. -- Despite facing a 21-0 first-half deficit, Azusa Pacific got back up to speed and pulled within a touchdown of No. 6-ranked Colorado School of Mines early in the fourth quarter before the Orediggers dug in and held off the late rally for a 42-27 non-conference win over the Cougars.

Starting with Bryce Grandison's 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Azusa Pacific steadily chipped away at the lead but Mines kept a double-digit cushion until the Cougars forced the game's only turnover on a fumble in Oredigger territory early in the fourth quarter. Azusa Pacific capitalized with a Jacob Hall field goal to pull within 35-27 with exactly 10 minutes to play.

The Cougar defense came up with stops on the next two possessions, but the Colorado School of Mines defense matched the effort with consecutive stops to keep Azusa Pacific out of scoring range. With the Cougars needing a third-down stop with just over a minute to go, Cameron Mayberry made up for his fumble earlier in the quarter with a 25-yard touchdown scamper, putting the game out of reach with the 42-27 final score.

Both teams got outstanding production from their starting running backs, as Grandison rushed for a career-high 159 yards on 24 carries while Mayberry had 28 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns for the Orediggers.

With the loss, Azusa Pacific drops to 5-3 overall as the Cougars return to Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition for the final three games of the regular season. Colorado School of Mines remains unbeaten this season, improving to 8-0 overall.

How It Happened: Colorado School of Mines hit the ground running to start the game, scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions to jump out to an early 21-0 lead. After Azusa Pacific ended the first half with two scores to pull within 21-10, the Orediggers added a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to take a 35-17 lead into the fourth quarter.

An early fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Tyrone Williams Jr. to Weston Carr cut the lead to 35-24, and things got even more interesting when Ma'ake Muti recovered a Mayberry fumble forced by Adrian Shocks in Mines territory. That led to Hall's 21-yard field goal which got Azusa Pacific within a touchdown at 35-27 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

The Cougars got the ball back twice with a chance to tie the game, as the defense delivered third-down stops on the next two Oredigger possessions, but Azusa Pacific stalled near midfield with just over six minutes left. Colorado School of Mines delivered a fourth-down stop with less than two minutes to play before Mayberry sealed the game with a 25-yard scoring run on third-and-three with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Turning Point: After cutting the Colorado School of Mines' lead to 28-17 on Williams' 35-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Adams Jr., the Cougar defense had the Orediggers stopped at the edge of field goal range facing a fourth-and-10 from the Azusa Pacific 28. Colorado School of Mines kept its offense on the field, and Isaac Harker found Brody Oliver down the left sideline for a 28-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 35-17 with 2:20 left in the third quarter. That touchdown provided all the cushion the Orediggers needed to withstand Azusa Pacific's fourth-quarter comeback.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Grandison rushed for a career-high 159 yards to lead Azusa Pacific on the ground, Williams added 49 yards rushing on nine carries to a 20-for-36, 197-yard passing performance. Adams was the Cougars' leading receiver with eight catches for 103 yards while Brandon Jackson added seven catches for 70 yards.

The leading tacklers for the Azusa Pacific defense were Ulysses Pickett and Willie Fair with 10 tackles each, and Tevin Krall registered a pair of sacks for 18 yards. Muti had eight tackles with a pivotal fourth-quarter fumble recovery.

Hall was two-for-two on field goals, hitting a 42-yarder in the closing seconds of the first half to pull within 21-10, along with his 21-yard fourth-quarter field goal that got the Cougars within a touchdown with 10 minutes left. He also averaged 50.6 yards on five punts, hitting a long of 56 yards on the afternoon to move into the national top-10 in punting average. He currently ranks seventh with an average of 43.7 yards.

Colorado School of Mines Standouts: The Orediggers' potent offense produced 536 yards of total offense, with quarterback Isaac Harker delivering 316 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-40 passing while Mayberry provided a powerful rushing complement with 186 yards and three scores on 28 carries. Brody Oliver led Mines' balanced receiving corps with seven catches for 112 yards, while Riley Hoff had eight catches for 56 yards and Sean O'Dell recorded six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Chase Nicholas led the Orediggers with a game-high 11 tackles.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific returns to GNAC play for the final three games, starting with a Homecoming matchup against Western Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 27, in the Cougars' final home game of the season. The Cougars finish with road trips to Humboldt State (Nov. 3) and Central Washington (Nov. 10).

Quotable: "It was positive that we came out in the second half and played really good football against a very good football team. We made a few early mistakes, and even though there was nothing glaring, Colorado School of Mines is a very good football team executing at a very high level. We're going to look at the tape and find the details we can clean up, but I don't want to take anything away from Colorado School of Mines. They have some of the best receivers in the country, their quarterback is playing tremendous football, and as small and tight as the windows were, they were able to hit them. We have to clean up our details and get back to winning football, but we're happy to get home next week and continue to pursue what we can accomplish in the GNAC." -- Head Coach Victor Santa Cruz