CHADRON, Neb. - With the NCAA Division II career rushing record safely tucked away, Danny Woodhead and the Chadron State College Eagles can now set sights on him setting the all-college career rushing mark, right?

Wrong.

Anyone buying that doesn't know much about Woodhead, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound senior tailback from North Platte, or the Eagles.

The Eagles have their sights set all right, but only on their second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest of the season, when they host New Mexico Highlands University of Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday.

The Eagles' homecoming clash with the Cowboys is set for 1:30 p.m. on Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium in Chadron.

"Nobody believes us when we say it. Nothing is said about any records. Our focus is on New Mexico Highlands, and that's how it should be. We need the win," head coach Bill O'Boyle said.

And Woodhead maintains that attitude since winning last year's Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in NCAA Div. II, and continuing a march through the record books this season.

"You shouldn't be thinking about all the numbers. That stuff will fall into place. I'm really just not worried about it," Woodhead said.

"We all know he's a special player, but he doesn't act bigger than the team. He knows his role, and everyone else does too," said junior quarterback Joe McLain, a Chadron native who is 17-2 as the Eagles' signal-caller.

It's difficult not to get caught up in Woodhead's accomplishments.

His 160 yards against Colorado School of Mines last week (a 35-7 win) gave him 7,066 career rushing yards and the NCAA Div. II record. R.J. Bowers, from Div. III Grove City College in Pennsylvania, has the all-college mark, 7,353 yards on 1,188 carries.

Woodhead's 576 points is also second on the all-time scoring list, trailing the 656 points scored by Germaine Race of Pittsburg State.

Woodhead's 8,374 all-purpose yards ranks him seventh on the all-college list. Brian Westbrook of Villanova set the leading mark of 9,512 yards from 1997-2001.

Woodhead already owns the all-college records for exceeding 200 yards rushing in a game (18) and consecutive games scored (35).

This week the Eagles have to overcome what they say was a sluggish start against Colorado Mines, this week's homecoming hoopla, and the ever-present spotlight on Woodhead.

O'Boyle feels the Eagles are ready on all fronts.

"We were all high on ourselves coming into our first conference game. We're weren't focused on our jobs and on our assignments. We gave them a little bit of momentum. You can't do that against a good team, and Mines is a good team," O'Boyle said.

The coach has eliminated participation in most homecoming activities.

"I don't think I'm real popular on campus the last couple years," O'Boyle said. "I'm not a guy that likes our kids going to a lot of rallies or anything that takes them away from their normal game routine."

O'Boyle credits his team and Woodhead's attitude for keeping the individual accomplishments in perspective.

"He's pretty grounded, and he's a very goal-oriented kid," O'Boyle said "He's the first one to say that, hey, we've got win this game, whatever it takes."

A case in point was last year, when Woodhead tallied 2,756 rushing yards, 3,159 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns to earn the Harlon Hill Trophy.

Woodhead was quick to maintain that the offensive line also had its fingerprints on the award.

"That's how it should be. People don't recognize those guys near enough, and they should. I wish people would know there're ten more guys on the field," he said.

"Whenever we see a running back or a team doing that well, making that many yards on the ground, that's a pat on the back for us," said offensive guard Ben Puffer, a sophomore from Hot Springs.

Both O'Boyle and Woodhead say they don't expect the Eagles to play any differently come Saturday.

"I'd rather do it (set the rushing record) in front of the home crowd, but we're not going to do something stupid, like put me in if it's not what we want to do," Woodhead said.

"If he's got 150 (yards) by half and we're up, he's going to come out. The homecoming crowd is probably going to want to kill me if he's close," O'Boyle said.

Highlands' (3-1, 2-0 RMAC) lone loss was a 17-9 setback to NAIA Northwest Oklahoma on Sept. 8.

The Cowboys are led by quarterback Alex Aispuro, who threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns in last week's league win over Adams State.

O'Boyle said it would be a tall order for Woodhead to gain 288 yards against Highlands.

"They're more athletic than (Colorado) Mines. They're a big-play team. After last week, we got take care of business and do it early." he said,

O'Boyle said if the Eagles stay focused, Woodhead's numbers will take care of themselves. "We're always going to be home and if he stays healthy, he's going to be breaking the record every time he carries the ball," O'Boyle said.