AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football team completed their 2020 season with a rare Thursday night game, falling 24-13 to the Fire of Southeastern University at Gyrene Field. The Gyrenes started fast in their season finale, but could not sustain the output despite a vastly better showing against the Fire - Southeastern won the first meeting between the teams, 34-0, in Lakeland on September 12.

The game got off to a great start for the Gyrenes. After forcing a three-and-out on Southeastern's first drive, Ave Maria drove 59 yards in eight plays, with only the last play going for more than 12 yards. The final play of the drive saw Will Tate scamper in from 15 yards out, providing AMU with a 7-0 lead just over five minutes into the contest. 

AMU's defense continued to stand out in the first quarter, forcing two more punts from the Fire. With just over two minutes to play in the frame, a 37-yard pass from Tate to Kevon O'Connor set the Gyrenes up inside the ten-yard line. Three plays later, Derek McCormick connected on an 18-yard field goal to extend Ave Maria's lead to 10-0 on the first play of the second quarter.

After the teams traded punts, the Fire put together a long drive to get on the board. An 11-play, 84 yard drive ended with a 18-yard field goal from Drew Holder, cutting AMU's lead to 10-3. Southeastern then tied the game on their next drive, thanks to a 56-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Jones to Connor Curry. Ave Maria was able to take the lead back before halftime, heading to the break with a 13-10 lead following a 39-yard field goal from McCormick.

Southeastern controlled the action in the second half, holding the Gyrenes to four drives that ended in a blocked field goal, two turnovers on downs, and a fumble. The Fire took the lead for good on their first drive of the half, finishing a 74-yard drive on a touchdown pass of 26 yards from Jones to Eugene Witherspoon. The Fire lead expanded to eleven with 13:29 remaining in the contest on a 2-yard touchdown run from Bryan Bell. AMU's final comeback hope vanished with just over two minutes to go, when the driving Gyrenes lost a fumble inside the SEU ten.

Tate was responsible for a majority of Ave Maria's offense on the night, throwing for 226 yards and running for another 43. The fourth-year quarterback spread his targets around, as Jackson Mauricette, Kevon O'Connor, and Christian Jourdain combined for 13 catches and 187 yards. Defensively, Brady Stockard led the way for the Gyrenes with eight total tackles, which included two tackles for loss. Devyn McCormick also averaged 47 yards per punt on his three attempts on Thursday night.

Ave Maria ends the 2020 football season with three wins, picking up victories over Florida Memorial, Webber, and Warner. Three of AMU's four losses this season came to teams that finished 2019 in the top 15 in the nation, with the other coming as the team's first game after a layoff of more than a month. The foundation laid during the 2020 season will serve the program well as they move into spring practice and the 2021 season.