Football | 10/21/23 | 7:35 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Football team will get their first chance to play on their home turf in nearly a month when they host No. 9 College of Idaho today at 12 p.m. at Nelson Stadium in Helena.

The Fighting Saints (6-0,4-0) are ranked No. 6 in the nation, and have the opportunity to cement their position atop the Frontier Conference standings as they take on the No. 9-ranked Yotes (6-1, 4-1) in a top-10 matchup.

Wins are wins, and Carroll has six of them in the 2023 season.

The Saints have marched through the first six games on their schedule, winning all six games to start the season for the first time since the 2010 National Championship season.

Carroll enters the game off of an uncharacteristically slow game last weekend in La Grande. 14 fourth quarter points, including a 35-yard scoop-and-score from Forrest Suero (Helena, Mont. / SO), propelled the Saints to a 14-6 win to keep their record clean for the year.

With that game in the rear-view mirror, the Saints have shifted all focus towards what could be described as the biggest game at Nelson Stadium in over eight years. The nation's ninth-ranked team, College of Idaho, roll into Helena with a self-described "vengeance".

The all-time series between the Saints and Yotes reads, six wins for Carroll and seven wins for College of Idaho. However, C of I disbanded their football program in the 1970's and only reintroduced the sport in 2014. Recent history suggests that the Saints have the Yotes; number, with Carroll winning four out of the last five meetings between the two schools.

The two teams split a pair of games last season, with the Yotes earning a 31-20 win in Helena in one of the rainiest and muddy games the facility has ever seen. Carroll got the last laugh in the 2022 season, picking up a 21-6 win in the final game of the regular season, in Caldwell, to claim a share of the Frontier Title with the Yotes, and more importantly, the conference's atuo-bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series.

For three-consecutive seasons, Carroll has spoiled the College of Idaho's postseason hopes. In 2020-21, the Saints won 28-19 in the spring season to grab a share of the Frontier title and an auto-bid to the NAIA FCS. In 2021, Carroll beat the Yotes in the final game of the year to open the door for Montana Western to earn the conference's playoff spot.

The Saints have one of the nation's most prolific defenses, entering the week with the No. 7 total defense in yards per game (240.3 ypg), and No. 3 rushing defense (51.7 ypg).

The Yotes have one of the nation's most prolific offenses, entering the week with the No. 9 total offense in yards per game (451.6 ypg), and No. 7 scoring offense (44.4 points per game).

The Carroll defense has proven time and again that they are capable of keeping the Saints in any game. The Carroll offense will look to rebound from a down performance last weekend against EOU and get the ball into the hands of their bevvy of play makers. Chris Akulschin (Gig Harbor, Wash. / R-SO) has been quiet as of late, and will look to get back on track this afternoon. The Saints' passing game has slowed in recent weeks, but the run game has picked up the slack, with Duncan Kraft (Billings, Mont. / R-SR) taking the lion's share of carries and keeping drives alive.

Under Head Coach Troy Purcell, the Saints have been remarkably good in the second half of the season. The Saints have a 17-3 record in his five seasons at the helm in the back-half of the season.

Saturday's strength-on-strength battle between the top contenders in the Frontier Conference will kick-off at 12 p.m.

The game will be broadcast locally on SWX, and simulcast on the Fighting Saints Network - presented by Point S Tire & Auto Service.

Tune in to Rewind 94.9 FM to catch Voice of the Saints, Nick Dietzen, and Carroll Hall-of-famer, Gary Turcott call the action live.

Live stats can be followed along HERE.

A healthy and boisterous crowd is expected, but tickets remain available for purchase in advance HERE or at the Nelson Stadium gate.

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