DILLON, Mont. – 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 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 Shane Sipes 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. 
 
The Saints notched 325 of offense compared to 373 for the Bulldogs. Carroll had three turnovers to none for Western. 
 
Gustavsen was 7-of-18 for 92 yards and an interception. He ran for three touchdowns on 23-yards rushing. Linder was 9-of-23 for 81 yards. 
 
Major Ali notched 120 yards on 22 attempts to lead the Carroll rushing attack. Conner Fohn notched four catches for 40 yards, Troy Arntson had three catches for 55 yards. 
 
Rutherford had 16 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown. Thomsen had nine carries for 71 yards and a score. Ferris was 17-of-33 for 223 yards and a touchdown. Brekke had six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. 
 
The Saints close out the season next Saturday at Nelson Stadium against the Eastern Oregon at 12 p.m.