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THIS WEEK IN CARROLL FOOTBALL
The Saints host Montana State-Northern. It's the second matchup of the season between the two teams and also serves as a chance for the Saints two end a four game skid. The last time the Saints won a game? Sept. 15 against Northern.
LAST GAME: D LAPSE, TURNOVERS DOOM SAINTS VS. ROCKY
The Carroll College Saints rushed for nearly 300 yards as they defeated Montana State-Northern 32-14 on Saturday in Havre. The Saints (3-1, 2-1 Frontier) built a two score lead early thanks to rushing touchdowns from
Major Ali and
Eric Dawson. Northern (1-3, 0-3) cut into that lead with four minutes left in the first half, as Tommy Wilson rushed his way into the end zone for a score, but it would be the closest the Saints would allow the Lights the rest of the way.
Josh Kraft added a 22-yard field goal before halftime, and then the Saints struck first in the third. Redshirt sophomore quarterback
Kolby Killoy, who went 11 of 19 for 166 yards, hooked up with
Shane Sipes for a 24-yard scoring strike.
Ryan Arntson extended the lead with a seven-yard running TD. Wilson added another running touchdown for MSU-N, but it would be all the Lights had to offer on Saturday. Kraft closed the game out with a 26-yard chip shot. Four different runners contributed to the run game, led by junior running back
Major Ali, who posted his second consecutive 100-yard game with 133 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. Sophomore tailback
Ryan Arntson nearly eclipsed the century mark, running 15 times for 91 yards and a score. Tight end
Eric Dawson took six carries for 49 yards and a score. The Carroll defense held the Lights to 261 yards of total offense, while the Saints piled up 453. The Saints are back in Helena for homecoming next weekend as they host No. 3 Southern Oregon.
ABOUT NORTHERN
Northern is searching for its first Frontier Conference win this season and under first-year head coach Andrew Rolin. The Lights have had their moments but have not broken through yet. Northern hung tight last week with Western, leading 13-7 going into halftime before the Bulldogs scored 35 unanswered points in the second half. The last time Northern earned a victory in the Frontier came in 2016 when the Lights defeated Carroll 28-14 in Havre. The Lights give up the most yards on defense in the Frontier. Northern has never won in Nelson Stadium.
GAME NOTES
• The Saints suspended junior running back
Major Ali for one game after he violated athletic department policy. • Ali is the Saints' leading rusher this season with 612 yards and five touchdowns. He averages 4.1 yards per carry and 76.5 yards per game. • Saints sophomore running back
Ryan Arntson will make the start. • Carroll's total defense is the second best in the Frontier Conference, allowing just 332 yards per game. That mark is No. 23rd in the NAIA. • The Saints' offense, on the other hand, has room for improvement. The Saints score 12.6 points per game and average 294.3 yards per game, both lowest in the conference. • The Saints defense has grown each week. Against College of Idaho, the Saints recorded five takeaways. Two weeks ago, against Montana Western, the defense scored a touchdown. Carroll forced a fumble and several fourth down turnovers against Rocky. • The Saints have recorded a takeaway in four consecutive games. • In for another offensive explosion? 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 commitment 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 8.9 tackles per game, the third best mark in the Frontier Conference, and No. 38th mark in the NAIA. • Cornerback
Ryan Beaulieu is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA in passes defended per game (1.9). • Defensive back
Drew Melton is also ranked highly in passes defended per game, coming in at No. 9 in the NAIA with 1.8 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. 34 with 1.3 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. • MSU-Northern quarterback Tommy Wilson is ranked No. 15 in the NAIA in passing yards per game with 222.8. • Northern has never won in Nelson Stadium, twice coming close in 2006, the last and only time the Lights ever made the NAIA playoffs. Then, the Lights fell 10-3 twice in Helena. • The Lights' last win in the Frontier came in 2016 against Carroll in Havre.
