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HELENA, Mont. - The No . 15-ranked Carroll College Football team came into Saturday's non-conference tilt with Dickinson State looking for a hot start, and found it in spectacular fashion as they stormed to a 42-7 win on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.

Saturday's game was Carroll's Gold Standard game, an ode to the school's six national championship teams and a run of success unmatched at every level of College Football. The Fighting Saints (2-1) donned gold helmets, and continued a long-running trend of blowing out the Blue Hawks (1-3), extending their win-streak to 16 straight games in the series.

Steady rain throughout the morning gave way shortly after kick-off. Carroll received the opening kick, and Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / SR) would connect with Ty Wilkinson (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO) for 13 yards and a first down on the first play of the game. The offense would sputter from there, however, forced to punt away from near midfield. 

Much like Carroll, Dickinson State opened their first drive with a first down completion, before the Saints' defense stiffened and forced a punt. In that moment, the game turned in a big way.

Gage Norslien (Lewistown, Mont. / R-JR), Carroll's leading tackler on the season, broke the Dickinson wedge and managed to get a paw on the Blue Hawk punt. Garrett Freeman (Boise, Idaho / R-SO) scooped the loose ball near the 10-yard line, and scampered into the checkerboard endzone to give the Saints a 7-0 lead just 2:24 into the game.

The blocked punt and subsequent return was Carroll's first scoop and score on special teams since 2024 (Forrest Suero 38-yard TD vs MSU-Northern, October 5, 2024), and perhaps more importantly helped erase any lingering thoughts following a special teams miscue that led to a loss two weeks ago in Butte.

Later on in the first, the Carroll offense would finally find their footing after a slow start. Huot began the drive with a 13-yard rush, then completed consecutive nine-yard passes to Wilkinson and Gavin Vandenacre (Townsend, Mont. / R-SR). On the next play, Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / JR) would provide the first big ground play of the season for the Saints. Minneart bounced a run around the right side of his line, then out-raced everyone on the field for a 44-yard touchdown run, his first of the season and the longest of his career.

While Carroll's next six points would come on the ground, Gavin Vandenacre did the heavy-lifting on the scoring drive with 78-yards on just two catches. On the final play of the first quarter, Huot would connect with a streaking Gavin Vandenacre on a 48-yard bomb to put the Saints just outside of the red zone. Vandenacre came up clutch again later in the drive, hauling in a 30-yard pass on a third-and-23. Jake Jeske (Spangle, Wash. / R-JR) capped the seven-play, 77-yard drive with his second touchdown of the season, a six-yard score to put the Saints in front 21-0.

Entering Saturday's game, the Saints hadn't returned an interception for a touchdown since a Daxon Graham 45-yard pick-six at Southern Oregon in October of 2023. 

The three-year drought ended early in the second quarter by Kolbe Coey (Boise, Idaho / R-FR). Coey perfectly jumped an in-breaking route in the middle of the field, then raced untouched 54-yards for the pick-six. The second interception of Coey's career gave the Saints a 28-0 lead, but it wouldn't last long.

One interception return for a score is impressive. Two interception returns for scores in a game is memorable. Two interception returns for scores on back-to-back plays is almost unheard of. 

On Dickinson State's very next play from scrimmage, junior-transfer Max Grady (Phoenix, Ariz.) doubled-up the defensive points. The Blue Hawks looked towards the sideline, but Grady made a great break on the out-route for a 30-yard pick-six, the first of his Carroll career.

"Always good to score a touchdown on defense," said Defensive Coordinator Joe Dunning "To go out and do it on back-to-back plays? Can't be much better than that."

Not to be outdone, the Carroll offense put up a one-play score of their own the next time they touched the ball. Following a Dylin McIntyre (Kennewick, Wash. / R-SO) sack on fourth down, Huot and the Saints took over at the DSU 48-yard line with 2:25 remaining in the half. Fresno State-transfer Joshua Johnson (Gardena, Calif. / R-JR) lined-up as the lone receiver on the left side of the field, beat his man on a double-move, and then hauled-in a perfectly placed throw for his first career touchdown to cap a 28-point second quarter outburst for Carroll.

The full team effort gave the Saints a 42-0 lead at the half, reminiscent of some historic performances from the very era of Carroll teams being recognized as part of the Gold Standard game. 

"Coach Petrino back in the old days always used to tell us there were four things you needed to win any game; offense, defense, turnovers, and special teams." Said Head Coach Troy Purcell "I thought the guys really played well, and found a way to win in every aspect today."

Kaden Huot had an effective, albeit quiet by his standards, afternoon. The senior gunslinger finished 12-16 for 179 yards and a touchdown, while the Carroll ground game was equally as efficient for the first time in the young season. The Saints finished with a season-high 166 yards on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Minnaert and Jeske combined for 83-yards and a pair of scores, while freshman Michael Darling (Monroe, Wash.) and redshirt freshman Beau Butner (Spokane Valley, Wash.) combined for 53 yards in the second half.

Gavin Vandenacre led all players with 87 receiving yards on three catches, while Johnson added in 53 yards on another trio of receptions.

Defensively, Gage Norslien continued his strong start to the season, leading all players with 10 tackles, including 1.5 TFL's and the big-time punt block leading to the game's first points.

Kolbe Coey was outstanding all afternoon long, finishing with eight total tackles while impacting plays all over the field.

"It was really only a matter of time before Kolbe started making a bunch of plays that people want to talk about." said Dunning "Coey is a guy we've known was going to be that type of guy who will make those sorts of plays, it was just a matter of time before that young guy to find his confidence and really catch his stride."

Henry Gross (Helena, Mont. / R-JR), fresh off being named the 2026 A.O. Duer Scholarship Award winner, forced a fumble for the third-straight game, recovered a fumble for the second-straight game, and added six total tackles, two TFL, and accounted for 1.5 sacks.

"Coach Purcell talks about it all the time - there's no luck, there's only effort." said Dunning "That is Henry Gross. He's all effort, all the time, and you're seeing it on the fumble recoveries because he's always around the ball and he just hustles."

The Saints will look to build off the lopsided win, as they wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule next Saturday in Billings, taking on former Defensive Coordinator and now Rocky Head Coach Randy Bandelow and the Battlin' Bears at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

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