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Like most college athletes, Keenan Bruchez would rather face a fourth-and-15 with the game on the line than any test in the classroom.

The main difference, however, is Bruchez isn't taking ballroom dancing or history of music. Rather, Bruchez is attending a school more notable for developing engineers than sending players to the NFL. It's a school with an actual emphasis on the student in student-athlete. His class load would make the most well schooled individuals blush. Calculus. Chemistry. Physics.

Along with that course load, he also attends football practices, team meetings, position meetings and weight lifting sessions.

"A lot of people think football players have their academics taken care of," Bruchez said. "That's definitely not the case here."

Bruchez is a freshman petroleum-engineering student at Colorado School of Mines. He was the team's starting quarterback in two games, just a year removed from staring at Class 1A Hayden High School.

"I was surprised to see him play just because of the fact that they had a pretty good starter," Hayden head coach Shawn Baumgartner said. "I knew he could play, but I was surprised because everyone thought he was going to be redshirted."

Bruchez was forced into action after senior starter Garrett Mehl went down with a shoulder injury. Then backup quarterback Rowdy Arciaga proved ineffective in two starts.

Mines coach Bob Stitt then decided to take a chance on the tall, lanky freshman. "We knew at the quarterback position you've either got it or you don't," Stitt said. "It's all about intangibles. You either have it or you don't. We could see in practice that Keenan did have it."

In his first game since falling to Dolores in the 1A playoffs last year, Bruchez looked more like a four-year starter than a kid from small-town Hayden.

Against Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Sept. 30, Bruchez threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in a 69-0 rout. The next week against New Mexico Highlands University, he finished 24-of-35 for 302 yards and a touchdown in a 19-16 loss.

"It's pretty similar going from middle school to high school," Bruchez said of the jump up in competition. "The first game everyone is flying around. It seems like in high school there were a couple of guys who could hit, but now everyone can hit, and they want to hurt you."

For Bruchez, he's just living out a childhood dream.

Bruchez was the starting quarterback at Hayden for three years and was the 1A Western Slope League player of the year his senior year. Baumgartner said from when the time Bruchez took the field he knew he had something special. Baumgartner changed the offense Bruchez's junior year to cater to his talents. It just happened to be the same offense Mines runs.

"He's always had that ability, and he improved each year," Baumgartner said. "His junior year he came on and you could see he had the tools to play at the next level."

Bruchez's performance in the two games has brought up memories for those around the program of another tall, lanky quarterback to play at Mines. In 2004 Chad Friehauf won the Harlon Hill Trophy, the D-II version of the Heisman Trophy.

Bruchez is flattered with the comparisons, but said they stop there - at least for now.

"It's good to be compared to Chad, but I don't pay attention to it," Bruchez said.

Coach Stitt isn't so sure.

"Physically he's probably on top, because he's bigger than Chad," Stitt said. "Both are tall, can run and both can throw the ball around. I'd say in (comparing) first years, Keenan's a little farther ahead."

For now, Bruchez will have to wait until next year to see anymore game action after suffering a season-ending rib injury against New Mexico Highlands. Bruchez said he hopes to receive a medical redshirt and still have four years of eligibility.

Still, the brief glimpse Stitt got of Bruchez in two games make him think Mines' future is in good hands.

"In spring practice, after watching him, I told him, 'you've got the ability to really do something here,'" Stitt said. "Some quarterbacks you have to walk through everything with them. With him, you don't. It seems like he just gets it. He could be great because he has that type of potential."