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THIS WEEK IN CARROLL FOOTBALL

The eleventh-ranked Saints make the daunting bus trip to Ashland Oregon to take on the second-ranked Southern Oregon Raiders on their home turf. It is the second meeting of the season for the Raiders and Saints, Carroll won the first meeting 26-20. Since that time, SOU has won four straight while the Saints are 2-2 with losses to Montana Tech and Eastern Oregon.
 

LAST GAME: NO. 4 SAINTS FALL TO EASTERN OREGON 28-21

Eastern Oregon scored three unanswered touchdowns and forced back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter to earn a 28-21 Frontier Conference win over No. 4 Carroll College Saturday afternoon at an unseasonably warn Nelson Stadium.
 
The game opened with a big kickoff return from EOU's Calvin Connors gave Eastern the ball on its own 37-yard line. The Mounties quickly drove and scored on a 10-yard scramble by Zach Bartlow to a take a 7-0 lead with 9:32 left in the first half.
 
After a Carroll three-and-out, EOU's Jace Billingsly fumbled on the EOU 23-yard line and Carroll recovered to set up an 18-yard touchdown from Mac Roche to Tanner Gustavson to tie the game 7-7 with 5:56 left in the quarter.
 
On Carroll's next possession, the Saints drove 72 yards capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Roche to Ryan Gregory, who played both ways Saturday because of the slew of injuries in the wide receiving corps. The score gave Carroll a 14-7 lead to close out the first quarter.
 
Both defenses locked down and traded long fields before a failed Carroll fake punt gave Eastern the ball at their own 41. The Mounties drove the short field in just four plays, highlighted with a 20-yard touchdown run from Bartlow to tie the game at 14.

Much of the third quarter was a defensive stalemate before the Mountaineers drove 65 yards and scored on a 1-yard touchdown from TJ Esekielu on the wildcat touchdown to take a 21-14 lead with 19 seconds left in the frame.
 
Just two plays later, the first snap of the fourth quarter, EOU's JT Capers speed rushed Roche and forced a fumble, which he recovered himself, and ran in for the score and 28-14 lead.
 
Carroll answered with a 71-yard drive, capped by a 16-yard touchdown from Roche to Ryan Walsh out of the backfield to cut the deficit to 28-21 but interceptions on back-to-back Carroll drives ended the Saints chances.
 

ABOUT SOUTHERN OREGON

The defending national champions have been on a tear since dropping the season opener at Nelson Stadium, averaging nearly 50 points per game in the process. Tanner Trosin and Kamerun Smith are the two headed passing attack that has thrown for nine touchdowns and 1275 yards.

Like the Saints, the injury bug has bitten the Raiders. Several starters missed the  37-30 overtime win over Montana-Western.


CARROLL QUICK NOTES

• The Saints hit the road for the long road trip to Ashland, Oregon to take on the second-ranked Sothern Oregon Raiders. SOU is 4-1 on the season with the lone loss coming in week one to the Saints. 

• The Raiders are currently utilizing a two-quarterback system but transfer Tanner Trosin leads the team with 739 yards passing and five touchdowns.

• SOU leads the conference with 43.8 points per game but the Saints held the Raiders to the season low of 20 points in the opener. 

• The Saints were picked to win the Frontier Conference by the Frontier coaches. Southern Oregon was picked to finish right behind the Saints.

• After tallying an atypical 15 penalties against Southern Oregon, the Saints had only three penalties for 27 yards against Montana Tech and four penalties for 40 yards against Rocky and 5 penalties for 45 yards against Montana Western and three penalties for 35 yards against Eastern Oregon.

• The Saints are ranked third in the Frontier Conference for scoring defense but have yet to meet MSU-Northern who is averaging just 6.8 points per game.

• After five games, Mac Roche Ranks 25th in the NAIA for passing yards per game with 222 yards.

• Roche ranks in the top 50 in the NAIA in passing yards per game, total passing, total offense per game, total offense and pass efficiency.

• Roche was named the Frontier Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against SOU. James Dowgin was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the performance against UMW.

• Beaugh Meyer is 11th in the nation for tackles for loss per game at 1.9.

• Southern Oregon's 20 points against Carroll in week one was the lowest point output since a 2011 loss to Mary Hardin Baylor.

• Roche's four touchdown passes against Rocky Mountain is the high to date for the Frontier Conference.

• James Dowgin is second in the Frontier for tackles per game at 10.8. Greg Tucker is fifth with 10.8.

• Connor Fohn scored his first touchdowns as a Saint against Rocky Mountain and followed that up with a third quarter go-ahead score against Montana Western. The first was a 50-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The second was the game-winning 55-yarder with seven second remaining.

• Fohn broke out with 148 receiving yards on four catches against Rocky and followed that up with 137 yards against Montana Western.

• Fohn is now second in the Frontier Conference behind Rocky's Andre McColloch for receiving yards per game.

• Running back Ryan Walsh is first on the team with 20 catches and is second on the team with 210 receiving yards.

• Walsh is eighth in the Frontier for receiving yards per game at 48.5.

• Colter Hamel has 13 touchbacks on 23 kickoffs this season including one that went through the uprights against Rocky Mountain.

• Beaugh Meyer is first in the conference for tackles for loss per game at 1.9 and tied for ninth in the Frontier for sacks per game at 0.5.

•  Five Saints receivers: Connor Fohn, Eric Dawson, Troy Arntson, Connor McGree and Conner Poulson caught their first passes in a Carroll uniform against Southern Oregon. With a slew of injuries on the receiving corps, defensive back Ryan Gregory caught his first pass against as a Saint against Eastern Oregon.

• Head Coach Mike Van Diest has the best winning percentage (.856) of any active college football coach with more than ten years of experience. His winning percentage is also the fifth-best of all time behind Larry Kehres - .929 (Mount Union 1961-2012), Knute Rockne  - .881(Notre Dame 1918-1930), Frank Leahey  - .864 (Boston College, Notre Dame (1939-1953) and Bob Reade .862 (Augustana 1979-1994).