HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Football team picked up their second-straight win on Saturday, earning a 52-0 shutout over Simpson (Calif.) in front of a hearty purple-clad crowd on homecoming weekend in Helena.
The Fighting Saints (2-1, 1-0) wasted little time building a lead, then relying on one of the best defenses in the nation to pick up the lopsided win over the Red Hawks at Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.
Entering the game, you'd be hard-pressed to find two programs in the NAIA in different stages of their program histories. Carroll's six NAIA National Championships doubled the total amount of games that the Red Hawks had played in school history. Saturday's match up reflected the disparity.
After receiving the opening kick,
Jack Prka (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho / SR) engineered a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with Carroll's first passing touchdown of the season. Prka hit
Chris Akulschin (Gig Harbor, Wash. / R-JR) in the back right corner of the end zone from 14 yards out to put Carroll in front 7-0 early.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Saints' next drive would stall out deep in the red zone, and reigning Frontier Conference Special Teams Player of the Week
Spencer Berger (Billings, Mont. / JR) would knock down a 22-yard chip shot to make things 10-0.
Prka hit wide receiver
Lincoln Holmes (St. George, Utah / R-FR) for 38 yards to start their next drive, then
Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / FR) would take over. Minnaert took the handoff on each of the next four plays, eventually punching in from one-yard out for his first collegiate touchdown to extend the lead to 17-0 in the opening frame.
Elijah Larson (Sandpoint, Idaho / R-JR) grabbed his first pick of the season on the next Simpson drive, and
Jake Jeske (Shangle, Wash. / R-FR) would cash-in for his first collegiate touchdown on a nine-yard touchdown run just three plays later, advancing the Carroll lead to 24-0.
Prka picked up touchdown pass No. 2 on the season on the next drive, connecting with
Ryan Rickman (Salem, Ore. / R-SR) on a six-yard pass.
With just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Prka hit Holmes on another chunk play, this time a 35-yard touchdown strike to give Carroll a 38-0 lead at the break.
Peter Minnaert scored his second touchdown of the game on Carroll's first drive of the third quarter, racing through a big hole on the right side for the nine-yard score.
With the game clearly in-hand, the second half provided valuable game-experience for Carroll's underclassmen.
Quinn Stamps (Chelan, Wash. / R-JR) found
Gavin Vandenacre (Townsend, Mont. / R-SO) in nearly the exact same spot that Akulschin had scored earlier in the game, and the Saints lead grew to 52-0 where it would remain.
Defensively, Carroll was sound all game long, never allowing Simpson to get their footing. For the second-consecutive week, the Saints held their opponents to fewer than 200 yards of total offense (193). The Carroll front seven are as formidable as any in the NAIA, and they held the Red Hawks to just 20 rushing yards in the win.
Three Carroll quarterbacks, Prka, Stamps, and
Hogan Carmichael (Bend, Ore. / R-FR) combined for 296 passing yards. Prka saw the lion's share of the snaps, finishing 14-18 for 225 yards and three touchdowns, while Carmichael was impressive on the ground in the fourth, rushing for 38 yards.
Minnaert led the Saints with 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Simpson's Kaleb Anderson was 24-50 for 173 yards and a pair of interceptions, while also finishing as the leading rusher with all 20 of the Red Hawks' rush yards in the game.
The Saints will look to continue their winning ways next week, as they hit the road for the first time in 2024. Carroll will fly to the desert heat next weekend, as they take on Arizona Christian in Glendale next Saturday.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that game, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
FOLLOW THE FIGHTING SAINTS
Facebook: @carrollcollegeathletics
Instagram: @cc_saints
X: @CCsaints
#MarchOn
