Tough Finish

Former Dartmouth tailback Noah Roper and the previously undefeated Colorado School of Mines football team came up well short in the Division II national championship game yesterday, falling to Harding University, 38-7, as the Arkansas school that runs the "flexbone" piled up 502 rushing yards.

Roper scored Mines' only touchdown on a two-yard reception on the first series of the game and was hoisted aloft by his teammates as pictured in the Denver Post:

Although Roper carried just three times for nine yards and caught just the one pass, his season numbers impressed. He led the 14-1 Orediggers with 960 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground (averaging 5.8 yards per carry) while adding 18 catches for 178 yards and four touchdowns receiving.

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Nothing to report today on the grad transfer front but acceptances have gone out to Early Decision Applicants per this graphic out of the football office:

Here's the best guess at how the recruiting class looks right now:

• DT Jackson Ashford, 6-2, 250, IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla.

• WR James Elliott, 6-2, 195, Williston-Northampton/Leeds, Mass.

• DT Taylor Faalele, 6-2, 325, IMG Academy/Plymouth, Minn.

• ILB Tyler Kessel, 6-1 ½, 215 Summit HS/Summit, N.J.

• NB Lou Lamar, 6-2, 185, Concordia Lutheran/Magnolia, Texas 

• WR Jordan Leslie, 6-1, 180, Mullen HS/Denver, Colo.

• QB Kyle Meier, 6-3, 225, Whitesboro HS/Whitesboro, N.Y.

• OL Anthony Ndika, 6-4, 290, Loomis Chaffee/Nigeria

• ILB Johnny Riley, 6-3, 210, Delbarton/Morristown, N.J.

• WR Luke Rives, 6-0, 170, Stratford HS/Houston

• TE Kristian Strong, 6-4, 225, Avon Old Farms/Avon, Conn.

• OL Julian Sutton, 6-4, 306, Loomis Chaffee/Hamden, Conn.

• QB Noah Trigueros, 6-2, 180, Notre Dame Prep/Scottsdale, Ariz.

• OL Ryan Turk, 6-4, 280, Loyola HS/Los Angeles

As always, corrections and additions aren't just welcomed. They are encouraged. Send 'em along via the little "contact" box over there to the right!

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EXTRA POINT
On a relatively warm December night Mrs. BGA and I strapped on spikes and headlamps and hiked to the mountain peak on our nearby trail. From a viewpoint a good part of the way up that looks east toward our house I flashed my headlamp back this way. That Certain Nittany Lion '16 spotted the light and shot this picture to give us a sense of exactly where the overlook is. The viewpoint at the top looks to the west but the next time we hike after dark I may bushwhack my way to flash a light back to the east from the top of the mountain to see how that looks.