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THIS WEEK IN CARROLL FOOTBALL
The Saints host Eastern Oregon in the final game of the 2016 season. The ninth-ranked Mounaineers bring a five-game win streak into the final game of the season. Their losses came in week three and four to the College of Idaho and Montana Tech. Their five-game win streak includes wins at MSU-Northern, Southern Oregon, Montana Western, College of Idaho and Rocky Mountain. 

LAST GAME: CARROLL FALLS TO MONTANA WESTERN 35-28 ON LATE FUMBLE
A Carroll fumble late in the fourth quarter was recovered by Montana Western and returned for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 35-28 win over the Fighting Saints Saturday night at the vigilante Field in Dillon.

The Saints began the game in a similar fashion to where Montana Western ended the game with a gimme touchdown off a mistake.

A bad snap on a punt attempt for the Bulldogs first possession gave Carroll the ball on the Western 5-yard line. Two plays later, Tanner Gustavsen scored with his feet to  put the Saints up 7-0 with less than two minutes off of the clock in the first quarter. 

The Bulldogs would answer on their next three drives. Sam Rutherford scored a 6-yard touchdown with 10:09 left in the first quarter. J.D. Ferris would find Beau Brekke for 13 yards and a score with 8:33 left in the first to go up 14-7. Western closed out the quarter with a 37-yard touchdown run from Hunter Thomsen. 

Gustavsen ran for a touchdown in the second quarter from the 3-yard line to cut the UMW lead to 21-14 at the half.  In the third quarter Gustavsen again found paydirt, this one for five yards to tie the game at 21 with 10:35 remaining in the frame. 

The Saints regained the lead late in the third with a touchdown pass from JT Linder to JD Lyle for a 3-yard score. The Carroll lead would be short-lived.  Just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter, Rutherford broke off a 47-yard run to tie the game at 28.

The remainder of the game was a classic Carroll-Montana Western defensive slugfest. There was very little offensive movement and the game appeared destined for overtime.

A Carroll stop on fourth-and-1 on their own 12-yard line gave the Saints a chance to drive the field with just over four minutes remaining but Gustavsen fumbled on the second play of the drive and it was recovered and returned by Skyler Roope for the touchdown.

Carroll drove into Western territory on the ensuing possession but it stalled when Linder was sacked on fourth down, essentially ending the game. 

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON
Head Coach Tim Camp is on the verge of taking his team to the NAIA Playoffs for the first time in school history. Quarterback Zach Bartlow paces the Mounties with 256.2 yards passing per game as well as 41.6 yards per game on the ground. The EOU defense is led by Stanley Ticker with 96 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions.