BILLINGS — Trailing 34-31 with less than 30 seconds to play, Nathan Dick hit Carter Garsjo for a 13-yard touchdown to give No. 16 Rocky Mountain College a 37-34 lead. The Battlin' Bears held off the Fighting Saints 39-34 to maintain their standing atop the Frontier Conference.
Carroll went into the locker room with a 10-9 lead, but Rocky marched down the field and Nathan Dick hit Lucas Overton for a 13-yard touchdown, his second of the game, giving the Bears a 16-10 lead. After a quick Carroll punt Rocky had a chance to add on to its lead, but Dick was intercepted by Zach Spiroff, who returned it for a touchdown to put Carroll back on top 17-16.
The Saints rode that momentum and scored again with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass form Jack Prka to Logan Gilliard to push the lead to 24-16.
Again, though, Rocky struck back. A 7-yard touchdown run by Daniel McGrew and a successful two-point conversion knotted things up at 24 before a Stephen Powell field goal gave Carroll a 27-24 lead with 9:26 remaining. Rocky's offense had little issue moving the ball in the fourth quarter, as Dick found Overton for their third scoring connection to give Rocky a 31-27 lead with 7:28 to play.
Rocky had Carroll backed up to 3rd and 41 on its ensuing drive, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Saints new life. They took advantage when Prka hit Camron Rothie for a big gain down to the Rocky 1-yard line. Duncan Kraft punched it in on the following play to put Carroll ahead 34-31.
A punt by Rocky with under four minutes to play put the pressure on its defense, but it stood up to the task and got the Bears' offense back on the field with just under two minutes left. Dick orchestrated the game-winning drive, punctuated by his fourth touchdown pass of the game.
No. 16 Rocky (6-1, 6-1 Frontier Conference) will visit Montana Tech on Oct. 30 looking to avenge a 31-29 home loss earlier in the year. Carroll (3-4, 3-4) will visit Eastern Oregon the same day.
