DeLAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football team grabbed an early lead at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand on Saturday night, but were worn down by their NCAA Division I opponent, the Stetson University Hatters. Stetson scored on seven of their last eight drives, and defeated the Gyrenes, 49-16.
Following the Gyrenes' first matchup with a Division I opponent since the 2019 season, head coach Joe Patterson said his team did not back down whatsoever to the Hatters.
"We scheduled this game because we love to challenge ourselves," Patterson said. "The score wasn't indicative of how our players rose to the challenge."
The first six minutes or so of the contest could not have gone much better for Ave Maria. The Gyrenes forced a four-and-out on Stetson's first drive, then were the beneficiary of a botched snap on another Stetson fourth down. On the next play, Will Tate found Joshua Jenkins for a 48-yard strike to the two-yard line. Tate ran it into the endzone on the next play, giving the Gyrenes a 6-0 lead with 8:58 to go in the first.
Stetson, though, would take control of the game from there, scoring the next 42 points on two touchdowns in the first, second, and third quarters. Hatter quarterback John Seter threw for two of those touchdowns en route to a 276-yard performance, while tailback Jalen Leary scored twice as part of his 190 yards on the ground.
In the fourth quarter, the Ave Maria offense put together a pair of scoring drives under the direction of Kristian Marks. The first drive started at the tail end of the third quarter, and saw Marks put together a drive of seven plays and 75 yards. Marks ran it in from one yard out, giving AMU their second touchdown of the night.
Ave Maria's final points came on a mammoth drive that spanned 15 plays, 70 yards, and more than eight minutes. Brendan Clark finished off the drive with a career-long 39-yard field goal, which concluded the day's scoring.
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day for Ave Maria came from sophomore Roman Newkirk, who did a little of everything for the Gyrenes. The wide receiver caught four passes for 33 yards, but his biggest contributions came on special teams. He averaged more than 30 yards per kick returns (6 returns for 181 yards), handled the team's punting duties and placed three punts inside the 20-yard line, and completed a pass for a first down on a fake punt.
Offensively, Joshua Jenkins posted his second consecutive 100-yard performance, catching five balls for 105 yards. As a team, the Gyrenes threw for 218 yards, with Marks' 111 yards leading the way. Khalid Shakir was the team's leading rusher, carrying the ball nine times for 44 yards. Defensively, Dominic Morgan was AMU's leading tackler, as the junior was involved in nine stops, including six of the solo variety.
All in all, Patterson said his team walks into next weekend's home opener having shown flashes of the team the Gyrenes know they can be.
"There were certainly moments tonight that pointed toward what this team is capable of."
After two weeks on the road, Ave Maria finally plays at Gyrene Field next Saturday, with the Point University Skyhawks in town. Kickoff in Ave Maria is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
