HELENA — After Carroll College rallied and created some drama in the final quarter, the Montana Tech football team turned to its punter to close the door on a Saints comeback attempt.

The Orediggers led by eight points and lined up at Carroll’s 43-yard line for fourth-and-5. They pulled off a trick play in which junior Andrew Almos, still in the jersey, stood ready to punt but instead threw a 27-yard pass to backup quarterback Cade Wyant, providing a memorable tribute to No. 21 Tech’s 30-22 victory over the Saints on Saturday night in Game 1 at Nelson Stadium.

The Orediggers, coming off a surprise win over No. 3 Georgetown (Ky.) last Thursday, led 30-7 early in the fourth quarter — thanks to a three-touchdown performance from quarterback Blake Thelen — and appeared to be on the way to a second straight victory.

But then Carroll scored twice on the ground — a 6-yard touchdown from Max Lehman with 10:55 left and then a 9-yard scoring run 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 commanding lead was cut to 30-22 with 4:41 left in the game.

To decide the game, the Orediggers turned to senior running back Landers Smith, who got the ball seven straight times on Tech’s next drive and picked up two first downs to keep the clock running.

But then Smith — who had 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 stopped on third-and-5, giving the Saints a run and one last chance at a rally with less than two minutes left.

Instead, Tech’s All-American punter Almos threw a game-winning first-down pass, giving the Orediggers a three-game road streak to start with a win.

Thelen’s other touchdowns were a 67-yard score to Levi Torgerson with 1:14 left in the first quarter to give Tech a 16–7 lead after Prka scored a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:25 left, 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 left in the third quarter to give the Orediggers a 30–7 lead.

Montana Tech continues its tour next Saturday in Eastern Oregon, while Carroll hosts Rocky Mountain College.