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THIS WEEK IN CARROLL FOOTBALL
The Saints get their second crack at Rocky Mountain College, this time in the friendly confines of Nelson Stadium. Though the Saints technically have a 1-0 win due to a forfeit over the Battlin' Bears, the Saints still feel they have to prove themselves against a talented Rocky squad.

LAST GAME: SAINTS FALL IN FOURTH QUARTER TO NO. 19 UMW Carroll College trailed Western 13-10 in the fourth quarter, but a run of scores from the No. 19-ranked Bulldogs put the game out of reach as the Saints fell 30-10 on Saturday in Dillon. The Saints (3-4, 2-4 Frontier) spotted Western (5-1, 5-1)points early when freshman quarterback Hunter Bledsoe threw a pick-six with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Bulldogs missed the ensuing point after try. Western added onto that lead when Bulldogs QB Jon Jund rushed from five yards out and built up a 13-0 lead toward the end of the first quarter. The Saints responded when McBride Galt picked up Jund and returned the interception for a touchdown, cutting the Bulldogs' lead down to 13-7 in the second quarter. The Saints cut further into that lead in the third quarter with Josh Kraft hitting a 35-yard field goal. Western opened up the fourth quarter with a field goal of their own to take a 16-10 lead and then rattled off two touchdowns. Jund connected with Walker McKitrick for a 39-yard touchdown strike and then rushed in from two yards out to score again and give the Bulldogs their final 30-10 margin. Despite the final margin, the game was even in many statistical categories. The Saints gained 241 yards to Western's 256. Carroll picked off Jund twice while the Bulldogs pulled away two interceptions of Bledsoe of one of Kolby Killoy. The Saints did have two fumbles lost on the day. Carroll out-rushed Western, 70-53, as both teams played strong run defense on the day. After two games on the road, the Saints return to Nelson Stadium to take on Rocky Mountain College next Saturday.

ABOUT ROCKY
The Battlin' Bears are making a strong case as a top contender in the Frontier. The Battlin' Bears have one of the best offenses and defenses in the league. Even with two losses on the season, Rocky could still make a push for the top spot in the Frontier. The Battlin' Bears are one of the hottest teams in the league having won three consecutive games. Quarterback Jacob Bakken puts up the second-most yards per game in the league and is coming off a game where he passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns against Montana State-Northern. The quarterback is completing 65 percent of this throws. The Battlin' Bears are coached by Jason Petrino, who was an All-Conference defensve back for the Saints before serving as an assistant under coach Mike Van Diest.

QUICK NOTES

• Carroll's total defense is the best in the Frontier Conference, allowing just 306.3 yards per game. That mark is the No. 19th in the NAIA.
• The Saints' offense, on the other hand, has room for improvement. The Saints score 11.4 points per game and average 284.7 yards per game, both lowest in the conference.
• The Saints defense has grown each week. Against College of Idaho, the Saints recorded five takeaways. Last week, against Montana Western, the defense scored a touchdown.
• Carroll had its highest scoring outing against Montana-State Northern on Sept. 15, scoring a season-high 32 points.
• 60-40: Carroll has shown a committment to the run, electing to rush the ball 60 percent of offensive snaps.
• The power of the takeaway: Carroll is 2-1 when it creates a positive turnover margin.
• Carroll continues to look for consistency from the quarterback position. Redshirt freshman Kolby Killoy and true freshman Hunter Bledsoe have each had their chances to lead the offense.
• Carroll junior linebacker Chase Bowen is averaging 9.3 tackles per game, the third best mark in the Frontier Conference, and No. 25 mark in the NAIA.
• Cornerback Ryan Beaulieu is ranked No. 3 in the NAIA in passes defended per game (2.1). • Defensive back Drew Melton is also ranked highly in passes defended per game, coming in at No. 10 in the NAIA with 1.7 each contest.
• Melton became the first individual to record two takeaways in a single game for the Saints this season when he picked of College of Idaho quarterback Darius-James Peterson twice.
• Another DB, Isazah King, is highly ranked in passes defended, ranking No. 32 with 1.4 knockdowns per game.
• Carroll DB McBride Galt is No. 20 in the NAIA in total interceptions with three. He returned his latest interception for a touchdown against Montana Western.
• Carroll returns three all-conference performers from a season ago, two on offense and one special-teamer. • Carroll lists 35 true freshmen on the roster.
• In one of the smallest classes in recent history, the Saints list only 10 seniors on the roster, all of those as starters on the two-deep.
• Coach Mike Van Diest has the 13th-best winning percentage (.794) of any active college football coach with more than 10 years of experience. He ranks 23rd all-time from any division. • Van Diest has the highest winning percentage of any coach in NAIA history with 10 or more seasons. Second is Charlie Richard who coached at Baker (Kan.) from 1980-90, 92-94.
• Van Diest was selected to join the NAIA Hall of Fame this season. He will be inducted this winter.
• The Battlin' Bears forfeited their opening week win over Carroll College. Rocky Mountain College self-reported an academically ineligible player, giving the Saints their first win of 2018.
• Since then, the Battlin' Bears have gone 5-1 with a win over Southern Oregon (then ranked No. 2).
• The Battlin' Bears are ranked highly on both offense and defense, ranking in the Top 15 in the NAIA in several categories.
• RMC QB Jacob Bakken passes for 276 yards per game and completes 65 percent of his passes. His total output of 308.9 yards per game ranks No. 7 in the NAIA.
• RMC defensive lineman Ryder Rice is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in sacks per game (1.4) and total sacks (9.5).