AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University football team made it a happy Homecoming Saturday night at Gyrene Field, riding their star tailback and a dominant defensive performance to a 30-7 victory over the Warriors of Webber International University. The win moved AMU's winning streak over the Warriors to five, and marked the first meeting since 2017 to be decided by more than 20 points.

The Gyrenes never trailed in the victory, scoring on their first drive of the contest when Dayllon De Paula connected on a 26-yard field goal. AMU's second drive also yielded points, when Drew Lege hit Bryan Stiemke for a 51-yard touchdown, giving the Gyrenes a 10-0 lead.

That Stiemke touchdown would be Ave Maria's last offensive six until late in the fourth quarter, but those ten points would be all Ave Maria would need. The Gyrene defense played one of their most complete games of the season, holding Webber to just seven points and turning the Warriors over five times. 

AMU head coach Joe Patterson said the defensive effort from the Gyrenes started from the very top.

"The defense made play after play; the players executed with great energy," Patterson said. "It was such a complete defensive performance that the game ball went to (defensive coordinator Keith) Gilmore."

Ave Maria added two field goals before the halftime break, as De Paula connected from 38 and 37 yards to push Ave Maria's lead to 16-0.

With the AMU lead at just two scores, the Gyrenes got two big plays in the second half to make sure the Warriors could mount no comeback attempt. Webber's first drive of the second half ended when Nate Hyman intercepted a pass at the AMU 45, and returned it 55 yards for a score. Hyman accounted for one of Ave Maria's four interceptions on the night, with Shane O'Brien, Luis Nunez, and Devin Grind all getting in on the action, with Grind also recovering a fumble.

AMU's final score of the day capped off another sterling performance from Stiemke. Stiemke scored from 39 yards out with under two minutes to play, and the sophomore ended his evening with 247 yards on 39 carries, as well as 51 receiving yards. The junior became AMU's single-season rushing leader in the win, and passed 1,000 rushing yards for his career.

Patterson remarked postgame that anyone watching the Gyrenes will emerge impressed with the tailback.

"Bryan runs with such intensity," Patterson said. "He is fun to watch."

Lege threw for 192 yards in the victory, with Michael McGrath serving as his top target with three catches for 65 yards. Connor Jewel and Shane O'Brien were AMU's top tacklers in the victory, with both players ending the night with six stops.

Ave Maria still controls their own destiny for a share of the Sun Conference title, with a pair of nationally-ranked teams awaiting over the next two weeks. The first of those teams will be next Saturday in Miami Gardens, when the Gyrenes battle the Bobcats of St. Thomas University. Kickoff from Dade County is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.