Football | 10/29/22 | 8:48 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The No. 25 Carroll College Football team is ready for a tilt with Eastern Oregon today at Nelson Stadium in Helena at 1 p.m.

The Saints (5-2) coming off of a 24-0 shutout victory over then-ranked No. 14 Rocky Mountain College last Saturday in the rain will look to keep the momentum rolling against Eastern Oregon (1-7, 1-6) as they continue to fight for a spot in the NAIA Playoffs.

One big storyline heading into today's matchup is the dominant play by the Carroll defense in the past several games. The Saints defense has been stout all season long, but the group has turned things up a notch over the last two games in particular, holding MSU-Northern and Rocky to a combined 131 total yards, and 3 points. Carroll shut down a Rocky offense that was averaging 397 yards per game last weekend, and held the Lights to just 4 yards of offense. Turnovers have been plentiful for the unit, with the opportunistic bunch setting up the offense in plus territory, leading to scores, and even scoring once themselves.

Quarterback Jack Prka (Coeur d' Alene, Idaho / SO) has been outstanding in October, completing 48 passes for 575 yards and 5 touchdowns on the month. Prka and his receiving crops have found a groove, and the offense is moving the bal down the field much more consistently than the start of the season. Chris Akulschin (Gig Harbor, Wash. / R-FR) has been one of Prka's top weapons, hauling in 24 passes for 275 yards and three scores on the year. Tony Collins (Fort Worth, Tex. / SR) has been stellar as well, leading the Saints with 27 catches for 393 yards and two scores. The Saints are averaging 138 yards on the ground heading into the game, led by Matthew Burgess (Junction City, Ore. / R-JR) who has 376 yards and three touchdowns.

Carroll snuck out of the last matchup with Eastern Oregon with a 25-23 win in La Grande last month, thanks to some late game heroics from Garrett Kocab (Phelan, Calif. / R-SR), Zach Spiroff (Helena, Mont. / JR) and Spencer Berger (Billings, Mont. / FR). Kocab blocked a PAT, Spiroff scooped it and scored, and Berger made a list minute field goal to give the Saints the win. Berger was named the NAIA National Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in that game.

The Mountaineers come into the game with just one win on the year, a 37-0 win over MSU-Northern last weekend. The Saints will not overlook them however, with five of the last six matchups between the schools being decided by 7 or fewer points.

Today's game will be streamed live on the Fighting Saints Network: Presented by Point S Tire & Auto Service, and live stats can be found HERE. Tune in to Rewind 94.9 FM to catch Stewart Davis and Gary Turcott on the call, or listen online HERE.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.