AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football team were overwhelmed in the middle quarters on Saturday afternoon, and suffered a 52-7 defeat at the hands of No. 25 Campbellsville University at Gyrene Field. The visiting Tigers scored 45 of their 52 points in the second and third quarters to stay unbeaten and set up a battle with also undefeated Georgetown next weekend.

After the teams traded punts on the first five possessions of the game, Campbellsville took the lead thanks to great field position. Starting on the AMU 30-yard line, the Tigers needed five plays to get in the endzone, capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Brown to Keanu Young.

Beginning in the middle of the second quarter, Campbellsville scored on five consecutive positions, scoring four touchdowns and kicking one field goal. That stretch also included a defensive score for the Tigers. In the second quarter, a Brown touchdown pass to Jordan Duff and a Wade Holtsclaw 2-yard run gave Campbellsville a 21-0 lead at the break.

The Tigers scored 31 points in the third quarter, and led 52-0 entering the final frame. Brown threw touchdown passes to Young and Cruise Coulter, and Holtsclaw added his second scoring run of the afternoon. On defense, BJ Pelt picked off his sixth pass of the season, and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. 

Ave Maria got on the board in the closing moments of the contest, thanks to a late fumble forced by Ilan Jorge and recovered at the Campbellsville 15-yard line. On the Gyrenes' final offensive play of the day, Matthew Houghtaling found a leaping Traylyn Jackson in the end zone for a touchdown to provide the final 52-7 score.

Cameron Bradley was Ave Maria's leading rusher in the loss, running for 26 yards on four second half carries. Randy Schroeder threw for 111 yards, and Jackson led all receivers in the game with 99 yards through the air. Shamori St. Kitts led the Gyrene defense with five tackles, including a sack.

For Campbellsville, Brown was 24-for-40 for 323 yards and four touchdowns, while Holtsclaw ran for 31 yards and two scores. Garland Webb was the leading Tiger tackler, making 6.5 stops.

Ave Maria returns to the field next Saturday in another Mid-South Conference inter-divisional contest against Point University. Kickoff against the Skyhawks is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in West Point, Georgia.