AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria football team opened the 2017 season with a 36-21 win at Cincinnati Christian. The win is the first for head coach Joe Patterson at Ave Maria.
 
Cincinnati Christian scored first to take a 7-0 lead but the Gyrene defense got AMU on the board in the next series with a safety. It took a couple series for the Ave Maria offense to settle in before a 10-yard touchdown pass from Randy Schroeder to Brian Byrd gave AMU an early 9-7 lead.
 
Brandon Butry extended that lead later in the first quarter with a 43-yard field goal, his first of two successful field goal attempts on the day.
 
Early in the second quarter, an Ave Maria fumble set CCU up at the one-yard line. The Eagles capitalized two plays later to take a 14-12 lead. Midway through the second, Butry nailed a 40-yard field goal to retake the lead for AMU, 15-12.
 
Schroeder and Byrd connected for another touchdown late in the second quarter after the offense was set up at the nine-yard line by an Ayshad Thornton fumble recovery. The Gyrenes went in to the locker room at halftime with a 22-14 lead and with the momentum after they blocked a CCU field goal attempt as time expired.
 
The Gyrenes got the scoring started in the third quarter when John Preyer intercepted a CCU pass and returned it 48-yards for a touchdown. Later in the third, CCU returned an interception for a touchdown to make the score 29-21 in favor of AMU.
 
To start the fourth quarter, Ramsey Bennett put the game out of reach when he scooped up a blocked field goal and returned it 54-yards for a score. A Butry point-after made it 36-21.
 
Schroeder finished 19-for-35 for 188 yards and two touchdown passes. He threw one interception. Byrd caught both touchdown passes and finished with five receptions for 126 yards. Joshua Steward led the Gyrene ground game with seven attempts for 25 yards.
 
Shamori St. Kitts finished with eight total tackles, three unassisted and five assists. Shar'Quez Hamilton and Kyle Nelson each tallied two total tackles.
 
Butry was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and made all four point-after-attempts on the afternoon.
 
Ave Maria totaled 192 yards of total offense and allowed 226 yards on defense. The Gyrene defense forced three turnovers, two interceptions and one fumble recovery, and blocked two field goals.
 
Ave Maria returns to action next week when they host Unions at 11 a.m.