SAVANNAH, Tenn. -- Carroll College won its first NAIA national football championship Saturday with a 28-7 victory over two-time defending champion Georgetown (Ky.)

Robb Latrielle completed 21 of 30 passes for 264 yards and three first-half touchdowns in being named the game's outstanding offensive player.

"His is a dream come true for me,'' said Latrielle, a junior. "Today was the biggest game and a highlight of my career. Our team played well as a whole. This win came from our team playing well together.''

The Saints lost in the semifinals the past two years to the Tigers, who had won 53 of their previous 55 games.

"It wasn't a revenge thing. We respect them, but we knew we could play with them,'' Latrielle said.

Latrielle took over as quarterback when redshirt freshman Tyler Emmert suffered a separated shoulder on the first drive of a quarterfinal victory over Southern Oregon. Latrielle threw for 271 yards and two TDs in the Saints' semifinal victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Sioux Falls, S.D., and he was just as impressive against Georgetown.

"We knew their quarterback out there today was good, but he stepped up and made plays in a way I wasn't sure he could,'' Georgetown coach Bill Cronin said.

Latrielle helped the tenth-ranked Saints (12-2) gain 258 first-half yards against a defense that had been allowing an average of 224 a game. The third-ranked Tigers (12-2) gave up 20 points just once all season and had never trailed at halftime until the 21-7 deficit against Carroll.

Throwing to five different receivers, Latrielle completed 14 of his first 19 passes for 182 yards. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Zack Zawacki with 5:10 left in the first quarter and connected with Casey Fitzsimmons for a 13-yard score with 14:18 left in the second quarter. He hit Mark Gallik on a 16-yard scoring pass with 7:02 mark left in the half.

Fitzsimmons, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior, provided serious matchup problems for the Tigers. He set up his touchdown with a 44-yard catch and run to the Tigers 15. He finished with seven catches for 105 yards, while Gallik had six for 104.

On the drive capped by Gallik's TD catch, Latrielle converted a pair of key third-down passes, including a 28-yarder to Gallik on third-and-15.

The Saints ate up more than six minutes of the fourth quarter with a 76-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard run by Heath Wall with 4:29 remaining. Wall gained 89 yards on 21 carries while D.J. Dearcorn rushed 17 times for 50 yards.

Emmert got in the game for the final two plays, taking a knee twice as the clock ran down.

"This victory is attributed to hard work,'' said Carroll coach Mike Van Diest. "I knew our players had to play their best game and execute with precision. We're thrilled to be bringing a national championship back to Montana.''

Georgetown gave up 417 total yards, while gaining only 198 as its 12-game winning streak came to an end. The Tigers' only touchdown came with 49 seconds left in the first quarter, on a 35-yard pass from Neil Warren to Cody Brown.

Warren, who had averaged 224 yards passing per game with 22 TD passes this season, completed just 4 of 16 passes and finished with 38 yards. He also ran for 77 yards, but was sacked four times.

Cory Perzinski led Carroll's defense with 10 tackles and a sack. Junior defensive backs Matt Peterson and Brett Bermingham each had an interception.

Georgetown cornerback Ian Ruth was named the defensive player of the game with 11 tackles, including two for a loss. Teammate Sean Cronin had 11 tackles and a sack.

Carroll punted just twice while Georgetown punted five times and was successful on just two of 10 third-down conversions.

The Tigers were in the title game for the fourth straight year, and were seeking to become the first team since 1974-76 to win three titles in a row.

'If you told me four years ago that I would play on a team that would go to the national championship game four times, and win twice I would have thought that was amazing,'' Georgetown linebacker Shan Housekeeper said. "But today doesn't feel so good. They took it to us.''