GAME NOTES vs. CARTHAGE

WAUKESHA, Wis. - This weekend, Carroll's football team will host Carthage College in a rivalry game that has been dubbed 'The Battle For The Old Musket'. The winner of the contest will receive a Civil War musket, which has been awarded to the winning team since 1964 when the musket was originally designed by fraternities from both campuses.

Saturday's game will be the 44th installment of 'The Battle For The Old Musket,' and the 47th meeting on the gridiron between these two teams, as the first three meetings came before 'The Old Musket' was instituted. Carthage (2-7, 2-6 CCIW) leads the all-time series 30-16, which includes a narrow 30-27 victory in Kenosha last season. Prior to last year's game, Carroll (4-5, 3-5 CCIW) had won the previous two meetings by an average of 27 points per game.

"I don't think there's anything better in college football than a rivalry game. Our players are very aware of the tradition and history behind The Old Musket," Carroll Head Football Coach Mike Budziszewski said. "Being the only two Wisconsin schools in the CCIW, this is a natural rivalry, and it adds a different level of intensity during the week, which I think fans will see during the game."

Saturday's game will also serve as Carroll's annual Senior Day celebration, honoring this year's 37 seniors. This group has won 21 games during the past four seasons, making them the winningest senior class for the Pioneers since rejoining the CCIW.

"The team is playing for those guys that have put four years into this program and helped build it to where it is today. It's about coming together as a family, which is something that's pretty powerful in football," Budziszewski said. "Our process never changes. During the season, we prepare the same every week and our players trust the process that we've created."

Carthage began the season by losing their first six games, including the first three by a combined score of 147-0, which saw them play two top-15 teams in Division-III including #1 North Central (IL). Since that time, the Firebirds have strung together a couple of wins and enter Saturday's game with a 2-6 conference record, which is just one game behind Carroll in the CCIW standings.

"Carthage is playing better football," Budziszewski said. "They took their lumps early in the season, but now they're getting into a little bit of a rhythm, which should make for a great game on Saturday."

The Firebirds enter the game having won two of their last three games, but are coming off a 31-21 loss to Augustana (IL). Carthage is averaging 12.6 points per game on the year, while gaining an average of 282 yards of total offense per game. They are also averaging 118 rushing yards and 164 passing yards per contest.

Bryce Frank leads the Firebirds with 69.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the CCIW, while his teammate Mark Hunter is 16th with 37.9 yards per game. Quarterback Bryce Lowe is sixth in the league with an average of 161.2 yards per game, in addition to throwing nine touchdowns on the year.

The Pioneers will counter that with a defense that has allowed 149 rushing yards per game. Carroll also has relentlessly gotten after the quarterback all season, ranking fourth in the league in sacks with 19, which is just five shy of the league leader.

"Carthage has been running the ball pretty well and they have a couple backs that contribute, while their quarterback does a lot for their offense," Budziszewski said. "We've done a really good job at stopping the run this season, so hopefully that will continue."

The Pioneers are averaging 24.3 points per game, while Carthage is yielding an average of 39.7 ppg. Carroll has gained 279.9 yards of total offense per game, while averaging 132 rushing yards per contest. Quarterback Charlie King has also been efficient after earning the starting job mid-way through the season, completing 60 percent of his passes and tossing six touchdowns and just one interception, which would set a single season school record for fewest interceptions with a minimum 75 pass attempts.

"We dedicated ourselves to improving our run game prior to the season, and we have done that," Budziszewski said. "Charlie also has come on really strong towards the end of the year."

Another aspect of this year's team that Budziszewski has been impressed with is their mental fortitude, especially on a team that has been ravaged by injuries.

"Our players understand that the next man up philosophy is a real thing, and those guys that had to step into some bigger roles than they had anticipated have been playing well and keep improving each week. That is a testament to the job we've done recruiting and developing our student-athletes," Budziszewski said. "It makes me happy as a Head Coach to see a lot of different guys get on the field and contribute to our success."

Saturday's game will kickoff at Noon from Schneider Stadium in Waukesha, Wis.