Football | 10/28/23 | 9:34 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The No. 11-ranked Carroll Football team will finish off their final road trip of the 2023 regular season this afternoon, taking on Southern Oregon in a 2 p.m. (MDT) matchup in Ashland, Ore.

The Fighting Saints (6-1, 4-1) will be team looking to respond, following their lone loss of the season last weekend to now-ranked No. 8 College of Idaho. The Raiders (4-3, 3-2) enter the game sitting just behind the Frontier Conference's four ranked teams in the conference standings.

Losses are a near certainty in modern college football, and the Saints will have an opportunity to move on from their one-and-only loss last weekend in Helena. Only six unbeaten teams remain in the NAIA, with the number guaranteed to shrink again this weekend. 

Being a one-loss team, ranked No. 11 in the nation, with with your only loss to a top-10 opponent is not a bad place to be if you're a Carroll supporter.

The 2023 schedule is a gauntlet, however, and a mad-dash to the finish line begins this weekend in Ashland.

Southern Oregon has a first year Head Coach in Berk Brown. Brown is not a stranger to the school or the series with Carroll. He was defensive coordinator of the Raider teams that made back-to-back NAIA Championships in 2014 and 2015, winning one in 2014.

The Raiders defense has rounded into form over the course of the season, and currently sit one spot in front of the Saints in terms of total yardage per game allowed in the NAIA (266.1 ypg).

Offensively, SOU seems to be finding their footing as well. Quarterback Blake Asciutto, who played well against Carroll in two starts in 2022, started as the second option, but has taken control of the Raider offense once again and they now have the nation's No. 22 total offense (413.3 ypg).

Beyond the staff and players, the sheer distance from Helena to Ashland may present the biggest challenge of the week for the Saints. Ashland, Ore. is 879 miles from Helena, and the Saints were forced to ship their team off via several different flights and connectors to get there.

SOU holds a slight advantage in the all-time series (9-8), and for over 20 years they kept the Saints winless at Raider Stadium. Carroll broke that cycle last season, picking up a 24-17 win in Ashland during their five game win-streak to end the 2022 regular season.

The Saints will look to duplicate that success in 2023, as they look to return to the NAIA Football Championship Series for a second-consecutive year.

Carroll's defense remains their strength, and the Saints enter the week as the No. 12 total defense (267 ypg), with a suffocating run defense, allowing just 65.6 yards per game (No. 5).

Offensively, the Saints have been close, but haven't fully clicked over their last four games. QB Jack Prka (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / JR) was terrific on routes under 20 yards, but he and his receivers were just a fraction off on some of the deeper attempts downfield in the loss. 

Carson Ochoa (Yorba Linda, Calif. / R-SO) caught the lone passing touchdown of the week last Saturday, and the big tight end could prove to be a critical piece this weekend against teh Raiders. Ochoa has a number of big catches, and big scores on the season and the Saints would love to keep him rolling through the final games of the year.

The Carroll Defense will hope to create pressure this afternoon and hurry Ascitutto into some poor decisions. The Raider quarterback has thrown seven interceptions in his limited work on the year, and the Saints hope to find a couple of takeaways today.

Saturday's 2 p.m. (MDT) kick off will feature a pay to watch stream via Southern Oregon HERE, and live stats can be followed HERE.

Voice of the Saints, Nick Dietzen, is on location and will have the call live on Rewind 94.9 FM, or online HERE.

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