DILLON, Mont. – The cliché says that the only thing that matters is having one more point than the other team and Saturday in Dillon Carroll College football did just that when the No. 6 Saints didn't allow Montana Western to score a touchdown and held on to win a defensive battle 10-9 at Vigilante Field.
 
The Saints played bend-don't-break defense, allowing Western to tally 390 yards of offense but held the Bulldogs to just three field goals to hold on for the win.
 
"Our defense had no quit and there are a lot of guys we can hang our hats on this week who did a good job," head coach Mike Van Diest said. "There were about 15 defensive players who could have gotten game ball because the way they played."
 
Carroll scored just one touchdown, a 35-yard pass from Mac Roche to Connor Fohn on the first drive of the second half to give Carroll the 10-9 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game.
 
Montana Western had chances, in the third quarter Seth Mason missed a 37-yard field goal into the wind and Carroll remained on top.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were driving with 1:34 to play at the Carroll 45-yard line when, on fourth and less than a yard, JD Ferris attempted a QB dive to get the first down.
The Saints defense held and the Bulldogs missed the first down by the just inches.
 
"We put guys in gaps and didn't want to do too much," Van Diest said. "We said, 'this is where you play, get off a block. It's us against them.'"
 
Western got on the board first with a field goal early in the second quarter but the Saints answered with a 36-yard field goal from Benton Braesicke with 4:21 left in the second quarter.
Montana Western took the lead back with a field goal right before half to take a 6-3 lead into the locker room.
 
Western again scored on their first possession of the second half on a 30-yard field goal but the Saints responded with a 72-yard drive, capped with the touchdown from Roche to Fohn.
 
Fohn led the Saints with six catches for 129 and the lone TD. Mac Roche was 15-29 for 176 yards, a touchdown and one interception.
 
Sam Rutherford led the Montana Western with a huge game on the ground with 185 yards on 29 carries. The Bulldogs tallied 297 rushing but just 93 yards passing. Ferris was 9-of-26 for 93 yards and an interception, he was also sacked twice.
 
Beaugh Meyer and Dawson Osborne had 12 tackles each to lead the Saints.  Meyer had two tackles for loss. Gus Somerfeld and Kyle Smith each had a sack to lead the Saints.
 
The Saints now move into a four-way tie for first place in the Frontier Conference at 3-1. The Saints share the lead with Montana Tech, Montana Western and Southern Oregon. Western and Southern Oregon both received their losses at the hands of the Saints.
 
Carroll has a bye week before hosting Eastern Oregon on Oct. 10 at Nelson Stadium.