HELENA — After watching Carroll College claw back and add some drama late in the fourth quarter, Montana Tech's football team turned to its punter to close the door on the Saints' comeback bid.
Up by eight and facing fourth and 5 from Carroll's 43-yard line, the Orediggers ran a trick play that saw redshirt junior Andrew Almos line up for a punt but instead toss a 27-yard completion to backup quarterback Cade Wyant to put a memorable bow on No. 21 Tech's 30-22 victory over the Saints on Saturday night in the first night game at Nelson Stadium.
The Orediggers, coming off an upset over No. 3 Georgetown (Ky.) last Thursday, led 30-7 heading into the fourth quarter — thanks to a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Blake Thelen — and seemed to be cruising toward a second consecutive win.
But then Carroll scored on the ground twice — a 6-yard touchdown from Max Lehman with 10:55 remaining and then a 9-yard score from Xzavier Ford (21 rushes for 151 yards) followed by a two-point conversion pass from Jack Prka to Carson Ochoa — and suddenly Tech's comfortable lead had been trimmed to 30-22 with 4:41 left in the game.
Looking to put the game away, the Orediggers turned to senior running back Landers Smith, who was given the ball on seven straight handoffs on Tech's next drive and picked up a pair of first downs to keep the clock running.
But then Smith — who notched 30 carries for 123 yards and also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Thelen midway through the first quarter to give Tech a 9-0 lead — was halted on third and 5, setting up what the Saints assumed would be a punt and a last chance at a rally with less than two minutes remaining.
Instead, Almos, Tech's All-American punter, tossed a game-sealing first-down pass as the Orediggers kicked off a three-game road trek with a win.
Thelen's other touchdowns were a 67-yard score to Levi Torgerson with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter that put Tech up 16-7 after Prka scored a 2-yard touchdown run at the 2:25 mark, a goal-line quarterback sneak with 8:16 left in the second quarter to give Tech a 22-7 lead, and then a 4-yard scoring strike to Logan Kennedy with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter to put the Orediggers up 30-7.
Montana Tech continues its road stretch next Saturday at Eastern Oregon while Carroll hosts Rocky Mountain College.
