CALDWELL, Idaho - The No. 12-ranked Carroll football team battled for 60 minutes but came up just short in a 48-41 shootout on the road against No. 2 College of Idaho on Saturday afternoon at Simplot Stadium.
The only game across the NAIA landscape this week to feature a pair of ranked teams lived up to the hype, but unfortunately for the Fighting Saints (7-2, 4-1) they were on the wrong end of the high-scoring affair with the Yotes (9-0, 5-0). For the second straight season, the Frontier Conference - West Division championship was on the line in a matchup of unbeatens, and for the second straight season the Yotes would emerge victorious, securing the title and associated autobid to the upcoming NAIA Football Championship Series.
Saturday's clash in Caldwell featured two of the nation's best offenses putting on a show, as the schools combined for 912 yards of total offense and 90 total points. The Saints and Yotes went about the offensive showcase in differing fashions, with Carroll getting the majority of its yardage through the air and C of I putting up gaudy numbers on the ground.
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Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / SR) finished another impressive afternoon completing 19 of his 30 attempts for 304 yards and five touchdown passes for the second straight week, but the performance would be overshadowed by a historic afternoon from C of I quarterback Caden Young, who finished with an astonishing 292 rush yards while also going 14-21 for 155 yards and three scores.
The pair of quarterbacks led their respective offenses in the heavyweight bout, throwing punches and counter-punches all afternoon long.
Huot had a favorite target all day long, connecting with tight end Ty Wilkinson 10 times for a game-high 118 yards and a pair of scores. Wilkinson's two TD grabs moved him into No. 3 in the NAIA in touchdown receptions on the year and established a new single-season record for Carroll tight ends.
Connor Sullivan (Kalsipell, Mont. / SR) made several drive-extending grabs, finishing with four catches for 52 yards. Matching him with 52 yards was Treyton Graham (Dillon, Mont. / JR), all coming on one play, a third-quarter touchdown strike. Matt Golik (Lewistown, Mont. / R-JR) grabbed his second career touchdown reception, while Ethan Triplett (Belt, Mont. / R-SO) continued his strong run of play over recent weeks, finishing with three catches for 70 yards and a score.
Entering the week, College of Idaho was averaging 53 points per game and had yet to allow more than 28 points in a game. While the Yotes managed to come out on top, the Saints gave them all they could handle, refusing to quit until the final whistle blew.
Going back to the 2021 spring season, first quarters have always played out very tight, with no team entering the second with more than seven points. That trend continued on Saturday, as the Yotes found the only points of the opening quarter on a Rylie Byington rushing touchdown late in the frame following a shanked Carroll punt to set C of I up with a short field.
Carroll's response early in the second quarter featured some trickeration and a good mix of run and pass. A double-reverse pass from Huot to Triplett moved the Saints into the red zone, setting up the second-career touchdown reception by Golik, capping an eight-play, 75-yard drive to knot things up at 7-7.
Just a minute and a half later, Young broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run, putting C of I right back in front. Several Carroll penalties on the ensuing possession curtailed a promising drive, and the Yotes took advantage. Young hit Trezell Patterson for 27 yards right at the pylon, stretching the lead to 21-7 with just 2:39 remaining in the half.
The Saints defense forced a quick three-and-out coming out of the halftime break, and true freshman Michael Darling (Monroe, Wash.) provided a jolt of energy on the punt return. For the second year in a row, a Carroll return man found the end zone against the Yotes. Darling made a pair of gunners miss and then raced past everyone on the field, housing a 62-yard punt return to pull the Saints within seven, 21-14.
C of I responded with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive to extend the lead back to 14, but the Carroll offense matched it with a nine-play, 90-yard scoring drive of its own, finishing with a 17-yard Ethan Triplett receiving touchdown, his third straight game with a score.
Carroll tried a sneaky onside attempt following Triplett's TD, but the Yotes recovered in plus territory. Two plays later, Gage Norslien (Lewistown, Mont. / R-JR) provided what appeared to be Carroll's big break. The linebacker delivered a thunderous blow to a C of I receiver, forcing and recovering a fumble that gave the Saints the ball and an opportunity to tie things up with the third quarter winding down.
A third-down pass attempt by Huot following the takeaway was deflected at the line, keeping it from reaching Golik in the flat near first-down yardage, and the Saints were forced to punt away, unable to capitalize on the turnover.
What appeared to be Carroll's big break turned into a momentum shifter for the Yotes, as on the very next play Young burst through the line and raced 73 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the game, extending the lead back to 14 points at 35-21.
From that point forward, neither team found a way to slow down the opposition. Both offenses marched up and down the field, scoring on every possession of the fourth quarter. Carroll's scores included Graham's 52-yard TD grab, as well as a pair of Wilkinson touchdown receptions (29 yards, 22 yards), but two more C of I scores in between each kept the Saints just out of reach and eventually ran them out of time as the Yotes capped the 48-41 win.
Penalties plagued the Saints for the first time all season. Entering the week, they were a top-six team in the NAIA in fewest penalties accrued, but eight infractions on Saturday played a big role in the eight-point loss.
The Carroll defense did all it could but simply could not contain the nation's No. 2 rushing attack, allowing a season-high 398 yards on the ground.
Eli Aby (Laurel, Mont. / R-SR) led the Saints with 12 tackles on the day (three solo, nine assisted), while both Norslien and Kolbe Coey (Hayden, Idaho / R-FR) added nine.
While the loss will close the door on any potential jump in the NAIA NSC poll and chance at a top seed for the Football Championship Series, the Saints are still very much in contention for a postseason spot. They will now turn all their attention toward a de facto playoff game next weekend, heading to La Grande, Ore. for a tilt with Eastern Oregon in the season finale. Should Carroll handle business on the road, it will have a very strong case for one of the seven at-large positions available in the 20-team NAIA FCS.
