Football | 09/23/23 | 7:11 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The No. 10-ranked Carroll College Football team will take to a soggy Nelson Stadium field this afternoon in a special 2 p.m. homecoming weekend kick-off against Arizona Christian.

The Fighting Saints (3-0), will look to remain unbeaten this afternoon, hosting Frontier Conference newcomer, Arizona Christian (2-1) for the first time in each program's history.

Montana Radio Company's Stewart Davis coined the 2023 Fighting Saints "Cardiac Carroll College" on air last weekend, and the title certainly fits through the first three games of the season.

The Fighting Saints mounted their second-straight comeback victory, erasing a 20 point fourth quarter deficit for a 21-20 win over (RV) Rocky Mountain College. 156 passing yards, 18 total yards allowed, and three touchdowns over the final 10 minutes of the game lifted the Saints over the top, keeping their season record clean, and more importantly, started their Frontier schedule on the right foot.

The Saints enter today's game with three wins by a combined six points. All three of the victories, however, have come at the expense of teams ranked or appearing in the NAIA Coaches' Poll (Montana Tech - 16, St. Thomas - 14, Rocky - RV).

Carroll players, staff, and fans alike will certainly celebrate those wins, but hope for a slightly less stressful result on Saturday.

Arizona Christian is a new football-only associate member of the Frontier Conference. Last season, their final in the Sooner Athletic Conference, the Firestorm won the league and advanced to the NAIA Football Championship Series where they would lose to Morningside (Iowa) in the opening round.

The Firestorm enter the week off of a 21-20 victory of their own in their first ever Frontier game. Arizona Christian defeated MSU-Northern on a last-second play, scoring with just 11 seconds remaining in the game to escape the tilt with the Lights and secure their first conference win.

Outside of MSU-Northern, the Firestorm have never faced any other Frontier opponent. Their first road test in their new conference comes in Helena, at one of, if not the NAIA's toughest places to win - Nelson Stadium. The Fighting Saints have an all-time record of 116-22 (.841) at Nelson, and very few teams have found success in their first appearance in Helena.

Jack Prka (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / JR) enters the game as the reigning Frontier Conference and NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week following his 407-yard, two touchdown passing day last weekend in Billings. In addition to the national recognition, Prka now finds himself listed at the top of the Carroll individual-game passing yardage in the record book.

Saturday's homecoming game will kick-off at 2 p.m., with a later start time to accommodate all of the homecoming festivities, including the annual Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony.

Five individuals and two teams will be inducted into the Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame this morning, and the group will be recognized at halftime of the game.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, online HERE, or at the Nelson Stadium gate.

This afternoon's game will be broadcast locally on SWX, and a simulcast will be streamed HERE.

Catch Voice of the Saints, Nick Dietzen, and Carroll Hall of Famer, Gary Turcott, call the action live on Rewind 94.9 FM, or online HERE.

Live stats for the game can be found HERE.

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