carroll football

Saints, Cougars tout offense in title game

With so much talk about defense in what is likely to be a close game between the top-ranked Carroll College football team and the University of Sioux Falls, one major subject has slipped through the cracks - offense.

Both the reigning national champion Saints and the Cougars - who face off in a rematch of the 2007 title game today at 10 a.m. MST - have built their offenses around the ability to put themselves in good field position and find a way to the end zone.

Facing off against two of the best defenses in the nation - the Cougars rank No. 1 in scoring, total and rush defense while the Saints rank in the top 11 the same three categories - both offenses will be struggling to find the holes that they can take advantage of. Story

Koeppen named Player of the Year

Carroll College's senior linebacker Owen Koeppen doesn't hold a single record or lead a statistical category in the NAIA. Instead, he's been the anchor of the Saints defense that has won one national title in his years with the program and has led them to their second-straight championship game when they face the University of Sioux Falls today at 10 a.m. MST.

He has received AFCA All-American status for two consecutive seasons and was named by Victory Sports Network as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. After this weekend, he can add one more title to his resume: NAIA Player of the Year. Story

Purple crush

This small Southern city of roughly 36,000 citizens has never seen so much purple.

From the school colors of the nearby private preparatory academy, Darlington, with its unique shade, to the streets filled with Carroll College and University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) fans donning their favorite outfits, the past few days have simply been a purple craze. Story

‘The Woman Who Saved Football’

Football is more than just a sport in this city. It's a piece of history that lives in the hearts of the townspeople and embues the very streets and buildings.

It was a young man from Rome who nearly brought the sport to an end when his own life was cut short on the playing field. On Oct. 30, 1897, Vonalbade Gammon, a star fullback for the University of Georgia, took a snap and dashed against the defensive line from the University of Virginia. Story

Championship air

When the engines roared and the the Boeing 757 pushed passengers into the back of their seats, the kickoff of the Carroll College Saints championship trip truly began.

Senior linebacker Brandon Day began clapping, hooting and hollering as the plane picked up speed to the end of the runway.

The crowd joined in, growing louder and clapping faster as the long wait finally came to an end. Carroll was airborne.

Nearly six hours after the charter flight was expected to take off on Wednesday, the Saints, their fans and a handful of University of Montana supporters were on their way to the 2008 NAIA national championship in Rome, Ga., where Carroll College will face off with the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) Saturday in a rematch of the 2007 title game. Story

Team ready and waiting

The Carroll College football team was ready, but Rome would have to wait.

The No. 1 Saints - who are set to take on No. 2 University of Sioux Falls at 12 EST Saturday - suffered a near 6-hour delay when their initial chartered flight to the 2008 NAIA national championship football game in Rome, Ga., was grounded by weather conditions on Wednesday.

A severe ice storm hit the southern states where the first plane was located making it impossible to take off. Story

Impact players

If defense wins championships, then Saturday's NAIA national title game between Carroll College and the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) could be the perfect example of championship stopping power.

Sioux Falls ranks No. 1 in defensive statistics - including scoring, total and rushing defense - while the Saints bring an experienced and power-packed squad that also ranks in the top 11 in each of the categories. Story

Saints heading south

The No. 1 Saints had their last football practice of the year in the friendly but bitterly cold confines of Nelson Stadium.

Carroll will head out of Helena Regional Airport this morning on their way to the NAIA national championship in Rome, Ga., where they'll face off with the second-ranked University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) Cougars on Saturday.

With the temperatures stuck below zero and a slight wind drawing tears in everyone's eyes, the Saints skipped across the frozen tundra of their home field covered from head to toe in sweat gear, hoping to stretch their legs out one more time before sticking to their seats for take off. Story

Koeppen named Player of the Year

Carroll's Owen Koeppen garnered VSN's Defensive NAIA Player of the Year. University of Sioux Falls' Chad Cavender was named Offensive Player of the Year.

Koeppen had a dominating season at linebacker for the Carroll College Saints. He was named the defensive MVP of the national championship game and was also the Frontier Conference MVP.

Koeppen totaled 119 tackles and with 13 tackles for a loss. He also had eight sacks, forced four fumbles and intercepted one pass. Koeppen helped to lead the Saints defense to the NAIA lead in scoring defense at just 5.4 points per game. The Saints gave up just nine touchdowns all season, only two of them rushing TDs. Story

Saints championship bound

It took everything they had for the Carroll College football team to win this one.

In their first offensive shootout of the season, the Saints’ John Camino rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, but the sophomore running back just couldn’t carry them far enough away from Saturday’s NAIA semifinal opponent, Lindenwood University (Mo.).

After rallying back from a 21-point deficit, the Lions (11-2) risked it all on a 2-point conversion attempt with 38 seconds left that would have likely sealed the game.

In the end, the No. 1 Saints (13-0) made a stop that crushed the upstart Lions’ hopes of reaching their first national title game, and propelled Carroll College to its sixth in seven years with a 38-37 win. Story