HELENA, Mont. - On the first real Fall afternoon of the season, a Top-15 matchup will take place in Dillon as No. 14 Carroll takes on No. 8 Montana Western in a Frontier Conference - West clash from Bulldog Stadium at 1 p.m.

The Fighting Saints (4-1, 1-0) will look to snap a two-game skid to the Bulldogs (4-1, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon in what will be one of the most consequential Frontier - West games of the 2025 season.

The annual matchup with Montana Western is Carroll's third longest-running series in terms of total years played (99 years), but the second-most played opponent in school history (120 all-time meetings). Carroll owns a 78-40-2 record in the all-time series, but Western has an advantage in recent years. The Bulldogs have won seven of the last ten meetings. Carroll's last win over UMW came in the 2022 season opener, a 16-10 slugfest at Nelson Stadium. 

For the third time this season, the Saints will have a ranked opponent lined up across the field from them. This marks the 13th-straight full season (COVID excluded) that Carroll has played at least three ranked opponents in the regular season.

The Saints enter the week tied for 14th in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, matching their season-high from a year ago. Oddly enough, the Saints were ranked No. 14 the last time the two teams met last November. 

Carroll vs Western is the only game on the NAIA slate this weekend between two ranked opponents, and is one of - if not the - most interesting statistical matchups of the entire NAIA season. Few times during the regular season does a Top-12 offense matchup against a Top-12 defense in multiple categories.

Western's high-powered aerial attack has made them a consistent contender in recent seasons. 2025 is no different, as QB Michael Palandri enters the game at No. 2 in the nation, averaging 341.6 yards per game through the air, and WR Eli Nourse leads the NAIA with 140.0 receiving yards per game. The Bulldogs have the No. 12 total offense with 466..4 yards per game, and are No. 4 in passing with 350.8 yards per game.

Conversely, Carroll has been one of the toughest defensive units all season at No. 4 in the NAIA allowing just 230.6 yards per game total, and a minuscule 138.4 passing yards per game. Safety Braeden Orlandi (Valley Springs, Calif. / R-SO) enters the week at No. 2 in the NAIA in both total tackles (61.0) and tackles per game (12.2).

Quarterback Kaden Huot's (Helena, Mont. / JR) first half of the season was about as good as you could ask for from a transfer QB learning a new system without playing a single snap in the past three seasons. Huot's continued growth in the offense has been exciting to watch, as he's now thrown for 300-plus yards in back to back weeks, including a career-high 379 last weekend. Entering the week, he's No. 14 in the NAIA with 1,307 pass yards, and has been highly-efficient - completing 70.3 percent of his attempts. With 12 touchdowns on the season, he's on pace be the first Carroll QB with 20-plus passing TD's since 2014 (Mac Roche - 28).

The winner of Saturday's duel in Dillon will put themselves in prime position for the Frontier - West title, with only four conference games remaining in the chase for the crown and an autobid to the NAIA Football Championship series.

Saturday's game is the Frontier Conference game of the week, and will be broadcast live on SWX stations throughout Montana, Northern Idaho & Wyoming, and Eastern Washington. A simulcast can be found online HERE.

Catch Voice of the Saints, Stewart Davis, and Carroll Hall of Famer, Gary Turcott, call the action live on Rewind 94.9 FM in Helena, or online HERE.

Live stats for the game can be followed HERE.
 

Be sure to 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.

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