Saints turn out the lights on MSU-N’s season

(Created: Monday, November 20, 2006)

George Ferguson Havre Daily News sports editor gferguson@havredailynews.com

HELENA — Defense and the big play combined to define the two classic regular- season Frontier Conference battles between Carroll College and Montana State University-Northern. So it was fitting that Saturday’s firstround NAIA playoff showdown between the No. 4 Saints and No. 11 Lights would be directly affected by both. And both factors seemed to be on the side of the four-time defending national champion Saints, as they scored 14 points in the first five minutes of Saturday’s playoff game at Nelson Stadium in Helena en route to upending the Lights 20-7. The Saints, appearing in the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, took the opening kickoff and scored when embattled quarterback John Barnett threw a 30-yard touchdown strike to Bryce Doak with 10:35 remaining in the first quarter. Things got even worse for the Lights, who were making their first-ever trip to the playoffs, when hobbled quarterback Kyle Samson was picked off by Carroll’s Matt Thomas only two plays after Carroll took a 7-0 lead. Thomas jumped a short route and raced 35 yards untouched to the end zone, giving Carroll a 14-0 lead before fans had settled into their seats. “That start was huge for us,” Carroll senior linebacker Josh Schmidt said. “Especially John’s touchdown pass. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Northern, especially their defense. So putting 14 points on the board early like we did was big for our team’s confidence. We knew it would still be a battle, but that start really gave us a lot of momentum.” From that point on, both team’s settled in to what has become the norm in the budding Carroll/MSU-N rivalry. Both defenses tried to take control of the game. And after a gutsy response to a horrific start by MSU-N’s offense, the game turned into a war of attrition, that unlike in Havre three weeks ago, the Saints were up for. Northern and Samson responded to the 14-0 deficit by going on a 79-yard march that resulted in a 17-yard TD pass from Samson to Saxton Shearer that pulled the lights to within 14-7 as the first quarter drew to a close. And as expected, defense would dominate the rest of the way. The Lights’ defense, in particular. Defensive back Marc Samson gave MSU-N a break when he intercepted Barnett and took the pick to the fouryard- line late in the second quarter. But Carroll’s defense, as it has done all season, stood tall, and stopped the Lights three times inside the four. Then, MSU-N freshman kicker Luke Mckinley missed a short field goal, and the Lights got no points from Samson’s interception. “We made some mistakes today and a couple of breaks didn’t go our way and that hurt us,” MSU-N head coach Mark Samson said. “But give credit to them (Carroll), they are a great team and they made the plays today. “I am really proud of my team,” Samson added. “The kids played hard today. They played as hard as they could. We have nothing to be ashamed of right now.” Carroll head coach Mike Van Diest said that the goal-line stand and the overall play of his defense was critical in the Saints getting to the next round of the playoffs. “That goal-line stand before the half may have been the turning point in the game,” Van Diest said. “I think we only had one bad series on defense all day.” Trailing 14-7 at the half, Northern’s offense could do little with the Saints’ defense in the second half. By the end of the game, the Lights only gained 50 yards on the ground, and weren’t able to sustain many drives in the second half. “We take pride in shutting people down on defense,” Schmidt said. “I don’t think we did that in the first two games against them. But today, we played with a lot of heart. There was a lot of emotion and I think our defense really stepped it up a couple of notches.” MSU-N’s defense, brilliant all season long, fought valiantly, holding the Saints to two Marcus Miller field goals in the final 30 minutes. In three meetings this season, Northern’s defense only allowed the Saints two offensive touchdowns. “I am proud of all of our kids,” Mark Samson said. “Our defense played great again today. The whole team fought hard the entire game even though we were in a hole from the start and we were banged up. I mean we lost (Nick) Bodeman, Kyle (Samson) was hurting pretty badly, and we lost (Joe) Tusick to a possible knee injury. A lot of things just didn’t go our way today, but our kids never quit.” As well as MSU-N’s defense played, Carroll did get its running game going just enough to make a difference. The Saints dominated the time of possession, especially in the second half. Carroll rushed for 106 yards, almost 60 more than the Saints had in a 10-3 loss to the Lights four weeks ago in Havre. Consequently, Carroll held the ball for nine more minutes than the Lights did, making it even more difficult for the Lights to mount a second-half comeback. Ryan Grosulak led the way for Carroll with 60 yards. Kyle Samson, playing in his final game in a storied career at MSU-N, threw for 143 yards and a touchdown. Saxton Shearer and Don Saisbury led the Lights on the ground with 27 and 25 yards, respectively. With the win, the Saints (11-1) move on to the NAIA quarterfinals where they will host No. 9 St. Xavier of Illinois in Helena on Saturday. “This is a great win for us because of how good Northern is,” Schmidt said. “We have so much respect for them, and we know that if Kyle (Samson) wasn’t hurt, things maybe would have been a lot different today. But playing a great team like Northern in the first round is just what we needed, because it will really prepare us for the rest of the playoffs. “We have quite a few guys who hadn’t Really experienced the playoffs before,” he added. “And they all got great experience today against a great team.” Meanwhile, MSU-N’s season came to an end in Helena Saturday. The Lights finished the year 9-3 overall, a truly remarkable season. “We’re disappointed right now,” Mark Samson said. “But it has been a great year. Again, this team has nothing to be ashamed of. I am just really proud of this team and what they have done this season. “Now we just have to get healthy,” he added, “and get back to work for next season.”