HELENA, Mont. - The No. 13-Ranked Carroll College Football team is set for their annual Homecoming game this evening, a 6 p.m. bout with Arizona Christian on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.

The Fighting Saints (3-1) wrapped up their non-conference slate in a big way last weekend in Billings, blowing out the Battlin' Bears, 45-13, in a dominant game from start to finish. The Saints rolled momentum over from a 42-7 win over Dickinson State the week prior, and nothing Rocky did was going to slow down Carroll. Continuing their strong team performance from the week before, the Saints again saw big time contributions in all three phases to pick up a landslide victory.

There was no change for the Fighting Saints in this week's NAIA Coaches' Poll. Carroll remained at No. 13 for the second-straight week, as nearly every top ranked team picked up wins last weekend. 

Saturday evening marks the fourth matchup in the all-time series between the Fighting Saints and the Firestorm, with all three previous meetings taking place the last three years. Carroll has emerged victorious each game, averaging 32.33 points per game while limiting ACU to just 32 points total. This is the second time that the Firestorm have come to Helena - also a homecoming game back in 2023, their first year in the Frontier.

Carroll's offense has seemingly found its stride as the calendar flips to October. Last week's win over Rocky saw the Saints put up 555 yards of total offense - the single most in Head Coach Troy Purcell's tenure. Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / SR) flung the ball around the yard, tossing five touchdowns to four different receivers - including the first career receiving TD's for WR Connor Sullivan (Kalispell, Mont. / R-SR) and TE Tanner Larson (Kennewick, Wash. / R-FR). It wasn't just the pass game, however, as Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / JR) added one score and a team-high 88 yards on the ground to help Carroll eclipse the 200-yard rushing mark for the first time this season. The Saints now enter conference play in nearly the exact same spot as they did last season, coming into the weekend at the same NAIA rank with an average total within one yard of last year at this same time. (2026 No. 41 - 371.8 ypg  2025 No. 41 - 372.3 ypg)

Going into Rocky last week, the Saints were a bottom-20 team in the NAIA in rushing (87.1 ypg), but one week can help change everything. For the first time all season, the Saints found some success on the ground, with six players combining for 203 rush yards in the win to bump their season average up to 166.5 ypg. It was just the sixth-time in the last four years that Carroll rushed for at least 200 yards in a game. 

In three all-time meetings with Arizona Christian, the Saints have averaged 120 rushing yards per game. They'll look to up the number this year against an ACU defense that enters the week allowing 159 yards per game this season.

Head Coach Troy Purcell can become just the third coach in Carroll history to eclipse the 50 career wins mark on Saturday. Purcell enters the week at No. 3 all-time with 49 wins over his eight-year career, trailing only legendary coaches Bob Petrino (163) and Mike Van Diest (203).

As Frontier Conference play officially begins the Saints once again find themselves in familiar territory defensively. Carroll enters the week as one of the top all-around defensive teams in the country, allowing just 14.5 points per game (No. 11) and 283.8 yards per game (No. 20). The unit has been extra salty since the bye week, holding DSU and RMC to an average of just 226 total yards while giving up just two TD's - both coming in the fourth quarter with the Saints' second-string on the field. On paper, the Saints appear primed for another shutdown week, as they take on an ACU offense that ranks bottom-five in the NAIA in scoring (8.4 ppg), passing (65.3 ypg), and total offense (219.7 ypg).

Carroll is No. 1 in the nation with 10 forced fumbles entering this weekend's game, and sit at No. 2 in the NAIA with six fumble recoveries. Finding a way to force the ball loose has helped the Saints build a +5 turnover margin (10 takeaways, five turnovers), one of the top marks in the NAIA. The Saints are licking their chops this week, as Arizona Christian enters the game on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Through three games, the Firestorm have the most fumbles in the nation, coughing it up 12 times. They also have the second-most fumbles lost in the nation, with seven balls headed the other direction. Interestingly enough, in three all-time meetings, Carroll has forced only one turnover against ACU - an INT back in 2023.

Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com tonight for a full recap of all the Homecoming action, and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.

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