GRAYSON, Ky.- The Ave Maria University football team came up one point short on Saturday afternoon, falling 20-19 to the Knights of Kentucky Christian University on the road. The big play proved to be Ave Maria's downfall against the Knights, as all three of Kentucky Christian's touchdowns were from 30 yards out or longer.
The first of those touchdowns came on the first drive of the game, as the Knights capped off a seven-play, 75 yard drive with a 31 yard touchdown pass from Justin White to Corey Garcia. Ave Maria had an immediate answer, though, rattling off a mammoth 12-play drive that spanned 83 yards. Roman Newkirk cashed in at the end of the drive, hauling in a 21-yard pass from Will Tate. AMU's extra point attempt was blocked, keeping the KCU lead at 7-6.
Neither team would score a touchdown again until the fourth quarter, with the only points in the second or third quarters coming via an AMU field goal. That was the finisher of another long Ave Maria scoring drive, with this one lasting eight plays and 66 yards. Brendan Clark convered his kick from 31 yards out, giving the Gyrenes a 9-7 edge that would indeed hold until the first play of the fourth quarter.
After a scoreless third, Ave Maria went up two scores on the first play of the fourth, which saw Tate find Willie Jackson for a one-yard score, giving the Gyrenes a 16-7 lead. However, it took just over a minute for KCU to cut the lead back to two, as a  a 50-yard strike from White to Kody Washington made it 16-14 Gyrenes.
Ave Maria made it a five-point lead with 10:19 to go on Clark's second field goal of the afternoon, this one a season-long of 39 yards. After the teams traded punts, KCU got the ball back with 6:46 to play on their own 26-yard line. Four plays later, White hit Washington for a 54-yard touchdown to give the Knights the lead, 20-19.
The Gyrenes went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Kentucky Christian converted twice on third down in the final three minutes to seal the win on their home field.
Joshua Marion was the feature back for the Gyrenes offensively, and made the most of the opportunity. The freshman ran the ball 25 times for 104 yards, logging more than four yards per carry. Tate completed 15 of his 27 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Joshua Jenkins again led AMU in receiving yards with 61, but Roman Newkirk was the most targeted passcatcher, logging five receptions for 60 yards.
Defensively, freshman linebacker Carson Murray had a standout performance, getting in on 12 tackles with three solo stops. Dominic Morgan followed with nine total tackles, including a pair of unassisted stops.
AMU now returns home for a date with a nationally-ranked opponent next Saturday. The Eagles of Reinhardt University entered the weekend as the No. 6 team in the nation, giving Ave Maria a major test entering their second home game of the season. Opening kickoff from Gyrene Field in Ave Maria is set for 7:00 p.m.
