HELENA, Mont. – Three first-half turnovers haunted Southern Oregon in a 26-14 Frontier Conference loss to Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday at Nelson Stadium.

The Raiders (1-3) fumbled away the first drive of the game, and two of their next five possessions ended the same way in Carroll territory as they went into halftime down 13-0.

Senior linebacker Jake Regino had an interception and 16 tackles, becoming the first SOU player in the Frontier era with 15 or more in back-to-back outings. He and the defense kept the Raiders in the game for most of the afternoon and were on the verge of getting the ball back late down 20-14. But on 4th-and-1 with two minutes left, Carroll's Baxter Tuggle got loose up the middle for a 41-yard touchdown run that sealed the outcome.

The Saints, who were three spots out of this week's NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll, went to 3-1 to remain a game behind first-place College of Idaho.

SOU put pressure on them with its first drive of the third quarter, which ended in freshman Gunner Yates' 29-yard dash up the middle and into the end zone. Yates netted a season-high 86 yards on 15 carries, and his was SOU's longest TD run since Sept. 1, 2018.

Quarterback Jack Prka put the Saints up by two scores again with a keeper TD that capped an 80-yard drive, making it 20-7 at the end of the third quarter.

Cesar Ruiz's field-goal attempt sailed wide after the Raiders marched to the goal line and a penalty pushed them back on their ensuing drive. But the defense came through with a stop, and quarterback Blake Asciutto went on to take them 70 yards over five minutes – finishing the drive on a nine-yard TD strike to Bryce Goggin with 3:05 to play.

The Raiders needed one more stop to stay alive. Tuggle made sure they didn't get it.

He netted 70 yards on nine carries, and Duncan Kraft had 92 on 13. Prka, a sophomore, completed 18-of-25 passes for 137 yards.

Asciutto finished his day with 263 passing yards on 22-of-44 accuracy. Christian Graney caught six passes for 79 yards, and in the process moved into the top-10 on SOU's all-time receptions list by bringing his career total to 140. Goggin collected four receptions for 50 yards; the TD was his first of the year.

Regino's tackle total was the eight-highest in SOU single-game history, and he compiled 13 in the first half. He had 1 ½ for losses, and Noah Turnbull added eight tackles and a half-sack. Among Taye Courtney's five tackles were two for losses.

SOU posted a 341-308 advantage in total yardage, but the Saints won the possession battle by keeping the Raider defense on the field for 35 minutes.

Carroll has won five consecutive home games and 12 of its last 14 in Helena dating back to 2019.

The Raiders are on the road again next week to face Eastern Oregon, which stands at 0-5 overall and 0-4 in the Frontier after losing 41-0 at College of Idaho on Saturday.