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BUTTE, Mont. - Missed opportunities, costly mistakes, and a sputtering offense plagued the No. 11-ranked Carroll Football team on Saturday afternoon, as they fell 24-14 to No. 5 Montana Tech at Alumni Coliseum.

Saturday's Top-15 showdown in Butte was the only game between ranked teams in the NAIA this week, but a pair of game-changing plays in the third quarter would spell trouble for the Fighting Saints (1-1) and prove to be the difference in a loss to the rival Orediggers (2-0).

Tech won the opening toss and elected to receive, stringing together a methodical opening drive. The Orediggers held the ball for nearly half of the opening frame, poking down the field on an 12-play, 65-yard drive. Nearing the goal line, however, the Carroll defense game up with the game's first big play. Derrick Saltzman (Hamilton, Mont. / R-JR) stuffed Tech quarterback Jarrett Wilson on a rush attempt, punching the ball free and coming up with his first career fumble recovery at the 10-yard line.

Carroll's opening drive didn't result in points, but flipped field position to help set up the game's first score. The defense forced a three-and-out on the second Tech possession, and a shanked punt would give the Saints the ball back in plus territory.

The Saints made good use of the gifted field position, as Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / SR) would connect on a screen pass to Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / JR) who would scamper up the left side of the field untouched for a 36-yard score near the end of the first quarter. The 36-yard touchdown was the longest receiving TD of Minnaert's career, and the third time he and Hout have combined for six through the air.

On the first play of the second quarter the Carroll defense would strike again. Cooper Collins (Great Falls, Mont. / R-SO) nearly had his first career sack, but Tech's Wilson would find a way to get off the pass with Collins draped all over him. The Tech QB might have been better served taking the loss, as his pass fluttered aimlessly into the hands of Jacob Nemecek (Salem, Ore. / R-SO).

The lengthy corner's first career pick again gave the Saints the ball near midfield, but a dropped pass on third down would kill the Carroll momentum as they went three-and-out again.

The Orediggers responded with a 14-play, 73-yard drive aided by a pair of Carroll penalties. Tech's longest play of the drive went for just seven yards, but the eight-minute long odyssey would culminate with a one-yard TD plunge by Wilson to even things up at 7-7. 

The Carroll defense stood tall with their heels on the goal line in the waning seconds of the first half, holding the Orediggers out the endzone, but a 20-yard Tech field goal as time expired would make the game 10-7 heading into the half.

A deep shot down the left side of the field intended for Gavin Vandenacre (Townsend, Mont. / R-SR) was just overthrown by Hout on the opening possession of the second half, resulting in his first interception thrown on the season.

Another lengthy Tech drive got into the Carroll redzone, but a string of three consecutive penalties would knock the Orediggers out of scoring position. Forced to punt, it appeared as though Carroll would get the ball back with a chance to regain the lead. Instead, the punt bounced off a Carroll player at the three-yard line, and Tech pounced on the live ball for a touchdown, extending their lead to 17-7.

Disaster struck again for Carroll just two plays later. On the first play of the drive, a fumble by Gavin Vandenacre would give Tech the ball right back at the 13-yard line. A  one-yard Jamal Cariglia touchdown run would put the Saints in a 17-point hole with 5:30 remaining in the third.

The Saints put together their first sustained drive since the opening frame on the ensuing possession. An 18-yard strike to Tanner Larson (Kennewick, Wash. / R-FR) would move Carroll into the redzone for the first time, and three plays later Huot would cap the 12-play 77-yard drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown, his first of the season, to trim the lead to 24-14.

Henry Gross (Helena, Mont. / R-JR) sparked life into the comeback attempt early in the fourth quarter. The Carroll defense forced the second fumble of the afternoon by Tech's Wilson, and Gross came out of the scrum with the ball near midfield.

Carroll's offensive woes continued throughout the fourth, however, and the Saints would not be able to find a way to comeback any further, dropping their first game of the year 24-14.

Huot finished the day 11-26 for 72 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while leading the team with 12 rushing yards and one score.

All said and done, the Saints were held to just 105 yards of total offense in the loss (78 yards passing, 27 yards rushing).

Carroll will have the first of two bye-weeks this season next weekend, looking to regroup for a September 19 matchup with Dickinson State in Helena at 1 p.m.