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THIS WEEK IN CARROLL FOOTBALL
Carroll College hosts Montana Western in the 2018 home opener. It's a chance for some home cooking, as the Saints look for an improved offensive performance after a tough Week One. The Saints have the added advantage of on-field experience as they host a Western team that will play in its first game this season. Carroll went 2-3 at Nelson Stadium last season. The final of those home wins came against Montana Western, 24-15, on Senior Day. The Saints will look to once again take down the Bulldogs in front of their home crowd.
LAST GAME: SAINTS DEFENSE STRONG, OFFENSE SLOWED
No. 20 Rocky Mountain harassed the Saints' rebuilt offensive line all game and used two short fields created by turnovers to defeat Carroll College 19-0.
It was the first time Carroll had been shutout from scoring since 1998, a season before
Mike Van Diest took over the helm in Helena.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback
Reese Hiibel was under duress the majority of the afternoon in Billings, taking eight sacks. Hiibel started the game and the Saints mixed in some wildcat looks with
Troy Arntson attempting one pass.
The Saints found positives in their run game, though the eight sacks masked the net rushing yards gained by Carroll runners.
Beyond the short field situations, Carroll's defense held Rocky Mountain to 281 yards on 70 plays.
Cornerback
Drew Melton had 11 total tackles for the Saints, five unassisted. He also broke up three passes. Linebacker
Chase Bowen was close behind with 10 total tackles, including seven unassisted.
Linebackers
Reece Quade and
Chase Bowen and defensive back
Matt Kvech each had a tackle for a loss. McGree ended the day with two sacks.
Rocky attempted passes with three different quarterbacks, but only one, Jacob Bakken, completed over 50 percent of his passes (2-for-3).
Ryder Rice finished the game with four sacks for the Battlin' Bears.
ABOUT MONTANA WESTERN
Montana Western returns three second team all-conference players to their 2018 team. Wide receiver Melvin Walser, linebacker Jason Ferris and defensive lineman Conlan Smith all return from a Bulldogs team that went 4-7 in 2017. Their play could be key if the Bulldogs look to make a run in the Frontier Conference this season.
Normally a strong defensive unit, the Bulldogs gave up piles of yards in 2017. Allowing nearly 500 yards per game, the Bulldogs were the second weakest defense last season in the Frontier Conference. The Bulldogs also surrendered 37 points per game.
UMW's Ryan Nourse is in his second stint with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs last winning season game in 2016 when they went 7-4.
