GLENDALE, Ariz. - On an absolutely perfect night for football in the desert, the No. 17-ranked Fighting Saints ran away in the second half in a 34-12 win over Arizona Christian at the ACU Football Field.

Maybe it was the chaotic Friday travel day that saw three groups of players fly out of three different cities at three different times, or the oddity of waiting an extra hour for Saturday's 8 p.m. kick off, or the unconventional ACU Wing-T offense -  but the Saints' sluggish start to the game saw them trail after one quarter for just the second time this season. Carroll trailed 3-0 after one, with Arizona Christian's Franklin Wilcox hitting a 26-yard field goal capping an 11-play, 62-yard drive as the frame's only points. 

Once the second quarter started, however, the switch was flipped and the Fighting Saints (4-1) took complete control.

"Any time you can get a road win it's a successful trip" said Head Coach Troy Purcell "Just proud of our guys for their performance - especially there in the second half when we kind of got it off the ground a little bit. I've got to do a better job of preparing them for those first two quarters, but real proud of the guys and the coaching staff, and thought everyone did a good job."

After throwing for 300 yards for the first time in his career last weekend, Carroll quarterback Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / JR) put together an even more impressive performance against the Firestorm on Saturday. The junior was electric, completing 30 of his 38 attempts for a career-high 379 yards and three touchdowns. His 30-completion evening was just one shy of tying J.D. Emmert's single game program record of 31 (vs VCSU - 2000).

"Definitely feeling more comfortable in the offense and more confident in my play." said Huot "It's not just me out there though - you know the offensive lline, running backs, receivers - I couldn't do any of that without those guys. It's all of us executing the plays together and getting the job done, and that's what's leading to more yards in the pass game."

Huot made a big-time play to start the second quarter, connecting with Chris Akulschin (Gig Harbor, Wash. / R-SR) on a 34-yard strike with a defender wrapped around his legs, setting up Carroll's first score of the game. One play later, Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / SO) barreled across the goal line to give the Saints a 7-3 lead.

Peter Minnaert was highly-effective in the backfield. Playing on the field where his season was cut short with injury nearly one-year ago to the date, Minnaert led Carroll in rushing - averaging 5.1 yards per carry, totaling 73 yards and punching in both of Carroll's two rushing touchdowns on the night.

Growing more and more comfortable in the offense on a weekly basis, Huot has also been the benefactor of some outstanding performances from his surrounding skill players. 

Carson Ochoa (Yorba Linda, Calif. / R-SR) has been tremendous all season long, and was as good as ever on Saturday with a ho-hum six-catch, 71-yard performance - but it was wide receiver Gavin Vandenacre (Townsend, Mont. / R-JR) who stole the show with a seven-catch, 122-yard evening that included his first touchdown of the 2025 season.

"Gavin was great tonight," said Hout "I missed him on a big play, but we got back to him there late in the game and he was awesome tonight."

The Saints extended their lead midway through the second quarter, with Minnaert scampering into the endzone for the second of his two scores, capping a 13-play, 65-yard drive in which Hout completed five passes to four different receivers. 

ACU responded late in the half with a second Wilcox field goal, this one good from 26 yards - cutting the Carroll lead to 14-6 with just over a minute remaining before the break.

Coming out of the half, the Carroll defense flexed their muscle in an impressive third quarter effort. Similar to last season's matchup in Glendale, the Saints spent nine-plus minutes of the frame on defense, holding the Firestorm scoreless in the quarter while the offense was limited to only one possession.

"It's totally different than normal." said the game's leading tackler Braden Orlandi "It's hard to plan for a Wing-T team until you get to that week. We kind of carried in a similar gameplan as we did with Northern, because they run some similar stuff, but really it boils down to guys being dedicated and everyone doing their 1/11. We pride ourselves as a DB group on being willing to come down and make tackles, and I thought we did a really good job of that tonight."

The fourth quarter belonged to the Saints, as they scored 20 points on consecutive drives to put an exclamation point on the win.

Runs of 11 and 18-yards by Minnaert and Huot moved Carroll into ACU territory on Carroll's opening drive of the quarter, setting the stage for the longest touchdown of the evening. Huot had plenty of time thanks to great protection from his line, allowing him to step into a 40-yard bomb from the right hash to the left corner of the endzone, where he hit Vandenacre in stride for six.

The next Carroll drive was dominated by the tight ends, as Ochoa and Ty Wilkinson (Pocatello, Idaho / R-FR) combined for four catches totalling 71 yards, including back-to-back receptions of 20-plus yards. Ochoa, who continues to lead all NAIA tight ends in receiving yards and catches, capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception in the back corner to give Carroll a 27-6 lead.

Ochoa wasn't the only tight end to find the endzone, however, as Huot threw one final touchdown on Carroll's last possesion of the game - a 12-yard pop to WIlkinson in the back of the endzone - putting an emphatic close on any hope of a Firestorm comeback.

"Those guys are huge," said Huot of his tight ends "That's a big part of our offense - trying to get the ball to those guys. We like to say 'paint touches' - getting them the ball and getting them some space, and those guys are tough to bring down in space."

ACU would go on to score with 0:00 left on the clock, as running back Ty Cole scored from one-yard out, finishing his night with a game-high 106 yards rushing on 23 attempts. The Firestorm elected to go for two on the game's final untimed PAT, but Forrest Suero (Helena, Mont. / SR) burst through the line for the game's only sack to hold the final score steady at 34-12.

Carroll's 42-unanswered point streak dating back to the fourth quarter of the 2023 meeting was snapped, but the Saints moved to 4-0 in the all-time series, with each victory coming by at least two scores.

Defensively, the Saints were led by another double-digit tackling performance by Braeden Orlandi (Valley Springs, Calif. / R-SO), who finished with 12. Forrest Suero and linebacker Eli Aby (Laurel, Mont. / SR) each posted eight tackles, while Brett Tommasini (Eagle, Idaho / SR) added seven.

The Saints out-gained the Firestorm 488-305 in the game, and were especially efficient on third downs (CC 8-12, ACU 4-15).

Carroll moves to 1-0 in the Frontier Conference - West, and will turn their attention towards a monumental matchup next weekend in Dillon. The Saints will have their first Top-10 opponent of the season, as they take on No. 8 Montana Western in a battle for West supremacy.