No. 14 Carroll knocks off No. 8 Montana Western

DILLON — Kaden Huot threw for 349 yards and scored six total touchdowns to push No. 14 Caroll College over No. 8 Montana Western 42-34 on Saturday. 

Saints' receiver Chris Akulschin caught eight passes for 193 yards and two scores. Carroll (5-1, 2-0 in the Frontier’s Western Division) outgained Western (4-2, 1-1 in the Frontier’s Western Division) 432-349. The Bulldogs were held to 20 yards rushing on 26 attempts. 

Michael Palandri finished the game with 329 yards passing, three touchdowns, and three interceptions for Western. Receivers Seth Shook and Eli Nourse combined for 251 yards and three scores. 

Huot scored the first touchdown of the game late in the first quarter with a one-yard run. Western responded with two scores on the following two drives. Shook caught a 39-yard pass and Nourse scored a 46-yard touchdown to give Western a 14-6 advantage with 9:06 remaining in the first half. 

The Saints responded with 22 unanswered points late in the second quarter. Huot threw three of his touchdowns to Ty Wilkinson, Gavin Vandenacre, and Akulschin. The Saints went into the break with a 28-14 lead. 

Nourse caught his second touchdown of the game on the first Bulldogs drive of the second half. The Bulldogs marched down the field for 77 yards in seven plays to cut into the lead 20-28.  

Akulschin and Huot continued to respond to Western’s momentum. The duo connected again on the very next drive for a 40-yard score. Huot didn’t stop there either. Late in the third quarter, he threw his final touchdown pass to Carson Ochoa on a 13-yard pass. This gave Carroll a 42-20 advantage with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter. 

Western scored two scores in the final period to attempt a late comeback. Aidan Lammers ran in a 4-yard touchdown and Connor Dunlea returned an interception 26-yards. 

The Bulldogs travel to No. 22 College of Idaho next Saturday, as the Saints return home to face Simpson (CA). 

No. 7 Montana Tech 49, MSU-Northern 7 

HAVRE — Montana Tech’s defense held MSU-Northern to 188 yards in their 49-7 blowout victory on Saturday. 

On 30 rushing attempts, the Northern Lights (1-5, 0-1 in the Frontier’s Eastern Division) were limited to 70 yards. The Orediggers (7-0, 2-0) returned three punts for 149 yards to establish a good field position on multiple drives. Former Wolfpack receiver Connor Sullivan returned two punts and one kickoff for 35 yards combined. 

Polson product Jarrett Wilson threw for 289 yards and had three touchdown passes. Levi Torgerson finished with 6 catches on 92 yards receiving, with one score. Glacier talent Luke Bilau caught two catches for 24 yards. 

On the first drive of the game, Wilson and Torgerson connected for a 29-yard score to give the Orediggers their first points. 

Montana Tech scored 31 more unanswered points with five different players until the Northern Lights were able to score their lone touchdown at the end of the third quarter.  

Braydon Cline ran in a two-yard score to put the Northern Lights on the board 38-7. 

In the fourth quarter, Casey Kautzman scored a 34-yard field goal, and Isaiah Claunch found Manu Melo for a 15-yard touchdown, giving Tech a 49-7 lead to end the game. 

Tech remains undefeated and will now get rest on their upcoming bye week. The Northern Lights travel to Mayville State (ND) next Saturday.