It took everything they had for the Carroll College football team to win this one.

In their first offensive shootout of the season, the Saints’ John Camino rushed for 218 yards and four touchdowns, but the sophomore running back just couldn’t carry them far enough away from Saturday’s NAIA semifinal opponent, Lindenwood University (Mo.).

After rallying back from a 21-point deficit, the Lions (11-2) risked it all on a 2-point conversion attempt with 38 seconds left that would have likely sealed the game.

In the end, the No. 1 Saints (13-0) made a stop that crushed the upstart Lions’ hopes of reaching their first national title game, and propelled Carroll College to its sixth in seven years with a 38-37 win.

“Our coaches talked about it all week that it would be a battle of the offenses and that’s what it turned out to be,” Camino said. “But, our defense stepped up and Cody Lamb kept coming up with some huge plays.”

After connecting with junior receiver Rudy Fleming on a 4-yard touchdown pass, Lions’ senior quarterback Ben Kisner looked to him once again for the go-ahead score.

Kisner found purple instead.

Lamb, a junior free safety, broke from run coverage to trace Fleming’s every step. Kisner’s pass bounced off Lamb’s left shoulder and to the soggy field. Before the ball even touched ground, Carroll’s players and fans began to celebrate.

“I’m a nervous guy,” said Saints junior offensive guard Alex Pfannenstiel. “I was having a heart attack on the sideline, and I can’t watch. When I heard that roar on that 2-point conversion when Cody Lamb made the stop, it was the greatest feeling in the world.

“I didn’t know what to do, I was just running up and down the sidelines losing my mind.”

The Saints defense leapt onto Lamb as the screams of the crowd grew deafening. Moments later, Carroll junior receiver Kipp Curtis dove onto an attempted onside kick to put the game away.

For Lindenwood, it was a tough end to a spectacular year. After a season-opening loss to MidAmerica Nazarene, the Lions won 11 straight and looked to knock down Goliath.

The Saints continued their perfect run and 28-game win streak that began at the start of 2007. Now, they’ll face a team they know all too well: No. 2 Sioux Falls (S.D.)

The two teams met for the 2007 NAIA national championship in Savannah, Tenn., where the Saints came out of a rainy, mud-caked battle with a 17-9 win.

This year, the NAIA championship calls a new place home: Rome, Ga.

While all roads might lead to Rome, the Saints nearly turned the wrong direction on Saturday.

Carroll quickly built up a 10-0 lead, thanks to a 41-yard field goal by senior Zach Thiry and Camino’s first touchdown, a 7-yard run with 2:57 left in the first quarter.

The Lions began stalking Carroll from there.

Even after senior defensive end Greg Thompson pulled down Kisner for only his sixth sack allowed of the season, Lindenwood was able to convert on third-and-20 with a 22-yard laser to Fleming.

Two plays later, Carroll cornerback Mike Waldenberg was called for pass interference, putting the Lions in position to score at the start of the third quarter.

With 14:32 left on the clock, Kisner connected with Austin Bortle on an 8-yard touchdown pass to pull within three.

After senior receiver Brian Sloan fumbled the ensuing kickoff return — twice — Lindenwood kicker Halley Ferrell was able to recover the ball on the Saints’ own 44-yard line.

With 11:03 left on the clock, Ferrell kicked a field goal to tie the game at 10-10 and the Saints quickly realized that even their top-notch defense that had allowed an average of just 11.7 points and 256.6 yards per game wouldn’t be able to hold back the roaring Lions.

“We knew we would have to match their (offense) and we did that, barely,” said Saints senior receiver Travis Browne. “But, we got the win and we’re headed to Georgia so I’m happy.”

Camino led the way and only picked up steam as the game went on.

He ran for two more touchdowns, 7- and 6-yard scores, before the end of the half and finished the first two quarters with 107 yards on just 10 carries. The Saints rolled into the half confidently with a 24-10 lead.

A lot of that fell through when Nate Orlando returned the Saints’ kickoff to start the third quarter 64 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to seven after using just 12 seconds on the board.

The Saints ran the ball back on the next nine of 10 plays to usher junior running back Gabe Le into the end zone on a 1-yard push, making it 31-17 with 9:44 left in the third quarter.

Le finished with 69 yards on 21 carries.

Lamb broke up the tit-for-tat scoring when he intercepted a Kisner pass on the next drive. Saints set up on the Lindenwood 40, giving them plenty of time to give Camino one more touchdown and the Saints a 38-17 lead.

Facing a 3-4 defense and being led by freshman quarterback Matt Ritter in his first start of the season, the Saints relied heavily on their experienced offensive line.

“They told us today, ‘Hey, we’re going to saddle up behind you guys and we’re going to run the ball down the field. You’re going to win the football game or you’re going to lose it for us,’ ” Pfannenstiel said. “That’s a great feeling to have.”

Ritter finished with 13 completions on 17 pass attempts for 115 yards.

Kisner, who finished 25-of-43 for 223 yards, took over in the fourth quarter and capitalized on a bad call by Carroll’s offense.

Kisner completed a 29-yard fade pass to Marcel Thompson before Orlando scored on a 26-yard reverse to make it 38-31 with 12:55 left.

Carroll drove 54 yards, thanks in part to a 29-yard run by Camino, and settled on the Lions’ 5-yard line with four downs to go.

They reached the 1-yard line, but on third down, Camino was stuffed.

While everyone waited, the call came out to go for it on fourth down.

After seeing the Lions’ defense, Saints head coach Mike Van Diest raced down the sideline to call a time out, but Carroll hiked the ball and Camino was pummelled once again for the loss.

Lindenwood used the momentum to march 99 yards for their final score.

“Our offense came down that last drive and should’ve put it away and we didn’t,” Van Diest said. “But everybody hung in there. “I’m really proud of this team. It could’ve gone the other way.”

A field goal likely would have given the Saints a clear win, but the touchdown would’ve put it away.

Lindenwood coach Patrick Ross was thinking much the same when he decided on the 2-point conversion.

“I just felt, ‘Lets win it,’ ” Ross said. “You don’t come into Carroll’s place and get lucky and beat them. You’ve earned that, so we figured we would just try to win it on that play. Take some pressure off our defense.”

The decision led to the most exciting finish the Saints have seen all year.

“I think it will be one (of the games) that will stick out in my mind,” Camino said. “We played a great team today and they gave us everything they had. It was an amazing feeling to come out with the win.”

Lindenwood 0 10 14 13 — 37

Carroll 10 14 14 0 — 38

First Quarter

CC — FG Zach Thiry 41, 11:33

CC — John Camino 3 run (Connor Janhunen kick), 2:57

Second Quarter

LU — Austin Bortle 8 pass from Ben Kisner (Halley Ferrell kick), 14:32

LU — FG Ferrell 24, 11:03

CC — Camino 7 run (Janhunen kick), 6:06

CC — Camino 6 run (Janhunen kick), 0:55

Third Quarter

LU — Nate Orlando 64 return off kickoff by Thiry (Ferrell kick), 14:48

CC — Gabe Le 1 run (Janhunen kick), 9:44

CC — Camino 1 run (Janhunen kick), 5:20

LU — Marcel Thompson 29 pass from Kisner (Ferrell), 3:41

Fourth Quarter

LU — Orlando 26 run (Ferrell kick), 12:55

LU — Rudy Fleming 4 pass from Kisner (2-point conversion fails), 0:38.

LU CC

First Downs 21 25

Rushes-yds 26-131 56-305

Passing yds 223 115

Comp-Att-Int 25-43-1 13-17-0

Sacks by 0-0 1-8

Punts-avg 4-35 2-41

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1

Penalties 2-22 4-50

Time of poss. 21:47 30:38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing — LU, Dario Camacho 18-88, Orlando 3-31, Bortle 1-21, Matt Bramow 1-3, Mike Bunton 1-1, Kisner 2-(-9). CC, Camino 28-218, Le 21-69, Travis Browne 2-11, Matt Ritter 4-7, TEAM 1-0.

Passing — LU, Kisner 25-43-1-3 223. CC, Ritter 13-17-0-0 115.

Receiving — LU, Thompson 6-73, Fleming 5-41, Bramow 4-34, Brent Hodgkiss 4-30, Brian Williams 2-20, Bortle 2-11, Bunton 1-10, Terry Martin 1-4. CC, Browne 4-41, Marshall McEwen 3-37, Kipp Curtis 2-22, Brian Sloan 2-13, Le 2-2.

Missed Field Goals — none.