BUTTE, Mont. - The No. 15-ranked Carroll College Football team picked up a 21-19 season opening victory over in-state rival, No. 16 Montana Tech, tonight in a non-conference matchup in Butte, Mont.

The No. 15 Fighting Saints (1-0) have had one common goal as a team entering the 2023 season; start fast. They did just that this evening in Butte, earning a hard-fought 21-19 win over No. 16 Montana Tech (0-1).

Carroll won the opening coin-toss, elected to receive the ball, and proceeded to march down the field right from the first whistle.

The Saints rattled off a nine-play, 77-yard scoring drive on their opening possession of the season. A 17-yard Duncan Kraft (Billings, Mont. / R-SR) run moved the Saints into Oredigger territory, and a few plays later Jack Prka (Couer d'Alene, Idaho / JR) connected with Chris Akulschin (Gig Harbor, Wash. / R-SO) on a 25-yard catch-and-run to put Carroll just a couple of yards shy of the endzone. Baxter Tuggle (Laramie, Wyo. / R-SR) punched in the first touchdown of the season for the Saints, beating everyone to the left edge and walking into the endzone untouched to put Carroll on top 7-0, five minutes into the game.

The Carroll defense would force a quick exit for the Oredigger offense on their first possession of the game, and what would be their only possession of the opening frame, holding the ball for just three minutes.

Prka would lead the Carroll offense back on to the field, and the Saints would find pay dirt once again. This time, Prka and the offense engineered an even more impressive 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive. The Saints signal-caller was poised in the pocket on the second series, progressing through his reads and spreading the ball around the field. Kraft and Tuggle each did their part, moving the chains and running with purpose. 

The drive, which started at the seven minute-mark of the first quarter, spilled over into the second, and would be capped with an exclamation point. Duncan Kraft would power through the Oredigger front and into the endzone from two yards out to give Carroll a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Montana Tech would finally put up their first points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half on the game's first big play. Quarterback Blake Thelen hit wide receiver Wyatt Alexander ona 68-yard touchdown pass to cut the Carroll lead in half, 14-7.

Another long Carroll drive would stall out deep in Montana Tech territory on the ensuing possession, but a mistake between the long snapper and holder would cause Spencer Berger's (Billings, Mont. / SO) field goal attempt to fall short under heavy pressure.

Montana Tech would capitalize on the opportunity, coming up with a sustained drive of their own for the first time in the game. The Saints defense would stand tall near their own goal line, forcing the Orediggers to settle for a field goal with just seconds remaining in the half, and Carroll would enter the break with a 14-10 lead.

The Orediggers would narrow the lead to just one point early on in the third quarter. Ryan Lowry would hit his second field goal of the game from 29 yards out, to make it 14-13 in favor of the Saints.

No other points would be scored in a defensive third quarter. Just minutes into the fourth quarter, however, Jack Prka would give the large contingency of Carroll supporters reason to cheer.

With the pocket collapsing around him, Prka would scramble forward and show off his athleticism with a highlight-reel worthy juke move on a pair of Oredigger defenders as he crossed the goal line. Prka's scamper capped a nine-play, 80 yard drive and put Carroll in front 21-13.

Carroll's defense would force the game's first turnover on the very next possession. Cameron Pruitt (Boise, Idaho / R-SR) and Forrest Suero (Helena, Mont. / SO) combined to punch the ball free from the Montana Tech ballcarrier and recover the fumble. Unfortunately for the Saints, the ensuing drive would not last very long, and they would be forced to punt it back.

With just under six minutes remaining in the game, Montana Tech would find themselves facing a fourth-and-one scenario at the Carroll 39 yard line. With nearly everyone on the field converging at the point of attack, Blake Counts was able to bounce a run outside and break away for a 39-yard touchdown to bring the Orediggers within two points, 21-19.

Tech would go for two, attempting to even the score at 21, but the Carroll defense would once again hold strong. The Saints would force an attempted run off of the right side all the way to the boundary, forcing the running back out-of-bounds at the one to hold on to their 21-19 advantage with just under five minutes remaining.

The game was turned over to Kraft and Tuggle, and the pair of veteran backs would proceed to chip away at the clock with a series of physical runs. 

Facing a third-and-seven with just over two minutes remaining, Camron Rothie (Hamilton, Mont. / R-SR) would make the game's most important play. The senior went up and snagged a nine-yard reception to give Carroll a first down, and an opportunity for their first victory formation of the season.

*NOTE: Statistics for tonight's game feature a number of incorrect attributions and will be updated

Up next for the Fighting Saints, 10 days of preparation before welcoming the No. 14-ranked team in the NAIA, St. Thomas (Fla.) to Nelson Stadium next weekend.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that matchup and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.