AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Football team opened their season at home for the first time since 2019 but ran into a tough Lindsey Wilson squad and fell 37-3. The Gyrene defense did a good job at slowing the Blue Raiders down, but the offense had trouble getting anything started.
The first quarter flew by as the two teams exchanged punts on their opening drives. On their second drive, Lindsey Wilson scored their first touchdown right as time expired in the opening frame, capping a nearly six-minute drive.
The Gyrenes received the ball to start the second quarter but were again forced to punt. The Blue Raiders found the end zone again for the second time in a row but were held to just six points instead of seven. On the PAT, Lindsey Wilson had trouble with the hold, allowing enough time for Rashad Orr to jump in front and block the kick. Orr returned the ball himself to midfield before being brought down to end the play. It was the first blocked PAT for Ave Maria since September 3, 2022, when Brunel Desinor blocked an extra point against Lawrence Tech. For Orr, it was the first block of his career.
The Gyrenes tried to capitalize on the momentum of the blocked PAT but instead were forced to punt after a three-and-out.
Lindsey Wilson tacked on a field goal near the end of the quarter and took a 16-0 lead into halftime.
Right of the gate in the second half, Lindsey Wilson returned the opening kickoff for another touchdown, taking a 23-0 lead. After an Ave Maria fumble, the Blue Raiders added another touchdown.
A couple of drives later, the Gyrene defense stepped once again, forcing a fumble of their own and halting a Lindsey Wilson drive. Again, it was Orr wrecking the havoc against the Blue Raiders, forcing and recovering the fumble himself. Like his block, both the forced fumble and recovery were the first of the sophomore's career.
Lindsey Wilson scored their final touchdown before the end of the quarter to take a 37-0 lead.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Gyrenes capped their lone scoring drive of the night. After being stopped on a 3
rd and 6, freshman Jake Matigian sailed his first collegiate field goal attempt through the uprights to put the Gyrenes on the board.
On the following possession, junior safety Brian Holmes climbed the ladder and picked off Lindsey Wilson, securing the first interception of his career. The Gyrene defense recorded two takeaways in the season opener between the fumble and the interception. In 2024, the Gyrene defense recorded the most takeaways since Coach Patterson' inaugural season at Ave Maria and the 2025 squad is already trying to keep pace with last year.
Neither team lit up the scoreboard in the final five minutes as the game ended.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 0-1. Saturday's contest was also a part of the Sun Conference/Mid-South Challenge, a scheduling agreement between the two leagues that each member playing two schools from the other conference. There were three games a part of the challenge on Saturday, including Ave Maria's game, and the Mid-South won all of them, taking a 4-0 lead over the Sun Conference.
Logan Howard led the offense, both through the air and on the ground. The junior went 7-for-12 for 83 yards through the air and rushed for 56 yards on 11 carries. Freshman Izaiah Henderson led the receiving corps with 47 yards while graduate student transfer Joey Audia had the most receptions with five.
Defensively, James Kingbury led the team with 10 tackles, seven of them being solo. Kingsbury also recorded the only sack of the game for the Gyrenes. Orr had the most tackles for a loss with two. As a unit, the Gyrenes held the Blue Raiders to just 88 rushing yards, after they put up nearly double against #10 Texas Wesleyan.
Ave Maria is on the road next week for their second game in the Sun Conference/Mid-South Challenge, taking a trip up to Lebanon, Tennessee, to take on the Cumberland Phoenix. It will be the Gyrenes first ever trip to the Volunteer State in program history.
