HELENA – MidAmerica Nazarene wants to make a statement when it rolls into Nelson Stadium on Saturday.

The No. 8 Pioneers (10-1) made an early exit in the first round of last year’s NAIA national playoffs, and now have the opportunity to prove they have some staying power in a quarterfinal matchup with  No. 2 Carroll College (12-0).

“Last year we definitely felt like we were upset in the first round,” said MidAmerica head coach Jonathan Quinn, speaking about the Pioneers’ 20-14 loss to Langston. “Going into the playoffs this year, I reminded (the team) of how it felt last year after that game.”

Facing the five-time NAIA national champions, who are coming off a runner-up season in 2008, the Pioneers are looking forward to the matchup.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Quinn said. “We’re going into a perennial national contender. These guys didn’t get there by chance.

“When I found out we were playing Carroll, I was excited because I want to see what a national championship caliber team is like up close.”

The Pioneers are about to find out.

Carroll just rolled past Dickinson State in its first postseason game, beating the Blue Hawks 59-7.

After stopping Dickinson’s ground game, Carroll is back to stopping the pass.

The Pioneers have lit up the skies with the eighth best pass offense in the NAIA, spreading the ball out while gaining 301.9 yards per game through the air.

“We’ve gotta play like we’re playing Eastern Oregon and (Montana) Western, we’ve gotta play like we’re playing Rocky (Mountain College),” Van Diest said. “But, overall, this team has more skill across the board than any of those three teams because of that tight end. They’ve got two or three great wide receivers, and you throw that big tight end in the mix, too, it’s a lot different game.”

Van Diest is talking about 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore Juan Redmon, a likely All-American who is averaging 3.1 catches and 42.5 yards per game.

He’s a big target for starting quarterback Tyler Herl, who is completing roughly 62 percent of his passes for 254.7 yards per game. He also has 35 touchdowns on the season, three of them to leading receiver Jared Elmore in last week’s 40-24 win over McPherson.

In all, the Pioneers have five receivers with at least two catches per contest, while their running backs are also expected to add to the aerial game.

“They have the best screen game to their backs that I’ve seen in I don’t know how many years of football,” Van Diest said.

Ashford Johnson has run his way to the No. 1 spot in the backfield and is averaging 75.8 yards on 14 carries per game.

He’ll be staring at one of the top defensive lines in the country led by senior nose tackle Mason Siddick. He has 48 total tackles, 9.5 for a loss and five sacks. Senior defensive ends Mike Ogrin and Garrett Thompson have a team-high six sacks apiece while junior tackle Travis Schmidt adds 34 tackles.

“Their defense, those guys play extremely well,” Quinn said. “I told my guys every yard counts. Every single yard.”

Linebackers Thomas Dolan and Mac Gordon back up the line with more than 150 tackles between them.

Junior cornerback Mike Waldenberg and senior free safety Cody Lamb lead the DBs with 54 and 53 tackles, respectively.

The Saints offense, meanwhile, might be the best it’s been since former quarterback Tyler Emmert led them to four straight NAIA titles.

Junior quarterback Gary Wagner is completing roughly 66 percent of his passes for 215 yards per game, much of that going to junior tight end Bubba Bartlett (6.3 receptions, 73.3 yards per game).

Sophomore receiver Corey Peterson leads the team with eight touchdowns while averaging 2.7 catches and 48.3 yards per game.

Quinn knows the key to Carroll’s offense, however, is in the offensive line and the running game.

“Offensively, their running backs are like bowling balls, they just run you over,” he said.

Junior John Camino took over as the rushing leader after a 90-yard, four-touchdown performance last week. He’s averaging 69.5 yards per game, about three more than senior Gabe Le. Freshman Chance Demarais completes the trifecta, and leads the team in yards per carry (7.5) and touchdowns (nine).