Helena matchup follows bye week
HELENA, Mont. - Coming off their first bye week of the season, the Carroll College football team will look to start an early-season winning streak as they host Dickinson State on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium at 1 p.m.
The Fighting Saints (1-1) will look to bounce back from a 24-24 loss at now-ranked No. 3 Montana Tech two weeks ago in Butte, a game in which two costly mistakes cost Carroll a shot at the win. A punt that ricocheted off a jammer, followed by a fumble on the next play from scrimmage proved to be the difference.
One loss to a Top-10 team in nonconference play in no way derails the season, however, and the Saints have turned their attention toward the Blue Hawks of Dickinson State (1-2).
Gold Standard game honors Van Diest era
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Saturday's game will be the Gold Standard game, an homage to the Mike Van Diest-led Fighting Saints from '99-'18 who established a standard of excellence now synonymous with the institution. Carroll won 203 games, 12-straight Frontier titles, 35 postseason games, and an incredible six NAIA National Championships in eight visits with Van Diest at the helm. Thanks to a donation from Mike Paffhausen - State Farm, the Fighting Saints will don gold helmets, a nod to an era of unmatched success at any level.
Rankings and poll movement
The NAIA released the first regular-season edition of the weekly coaches' poll on Monday. Following their 1-1 start, the Saints slid back four spots from their preseason rank, checking in at No. 15 in the nation. Four other Frontier teams appear in the poll: No. 3 Montana Tech, No. 4 College of Idaho, No. 21 Montana Western, and No. 23 Dakota State. This week's opponent, Dickinson State, began the year in the receiving votes portion of the poll, but has fallen out after a 1-2 start to the year.
Series history and Montana ties
Carroll will look to continue its dominance in the all-time series with Dickinson State this weekend. The Saints have won 15-straight over the Blue Hawks, including a 35-7 rout last year in North Dakota. Going back to 2009, points have been difficult to come by for the Blue Hawks, as Carroll has limited DSU to just 36 total points in the timespan. Of Dickinson State's four wins in the series, three came in the first four all-time meetings ('68, '69, '71). The Saints have won every meeting between the two teams in Nelson Stadium, and aim to continue the trend on Saturday.
No out-of-state team in the nation features as many players from Montana as Dickinson State. The Blue Hawks have 54 players from the Treasure State on their roster. DSU has two quarterbacks on the roster from right here in the Helena area in East Helena product Jack Taylor and Capital High's Hudsen Grovom.
Quarterback connections and local matchup
With Grovom listed as the Dickinson State starter, this weekend's battle against the Blue Hawks will be a crosstown matchup for the two quarterbacks. Kaden Huot and Grovom squared off as Bruins and Bengals once prior, in 2021. Huot and the Helena High boys got the win, as the now-Saint threw for 253 yards and three scores to give the Bengals a 21-7 win.
Defensive takeaways and Huot's history vs. DSU
The Carroll defense has been opportunistic over the first two games. The Saints enter the weekend with five takeaways on the season, including a pair of interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Carroll finished with 18 total takeaways in 12 games last season.
Last year's 35-7 win over DSU was the breakthrough performance for quarterback Kaden Huot. He shined in the dominant team win, posting a highly efficient line of 20-24 for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the air while adding 68 yards on 13 rushing attempts, as well his first career reception and touchdown.
Offensive styles and broadcast details
Saturday's battle in Helena will be a styles clash offensively. Carroll has struggled to get much going on the ground this season, entering the week with just 123 yards on 45 attempts. Dickinson State enters the week with 479 rush yards on 109 total attempts. Conversely, Kaden Huot has just one fewer completion (35) and just 36 fewer passing yards (457) than DSU does through three full games.
The nonconference battle is the Frontier Conference Game of the Week, and will be broadcast throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Montana on SWX affiliates. The game has also drawn national attention, and will be featured on the NAIA Network free of charge.
Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com this evening for a full recap of all the action, and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.
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