AMU Wins 2nd Football Game Ever
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Published on Sunday, 29 September 2013 13:16
The Ave Maria University Gyrenes scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat Warner University 27-3 Saturday at Lake Wales, FL. The win was the second ever for the AMU football program, now in its third season, and was the first for Head Coach Marty Quinn who took over after last season.
The explosive second half began when Tyrell Everett returned the opening kickoff 85 yars for a touchdown. But defense was key to the Gyrenes victory.
"Defensively the guys had a great day," Quinn said. "They held Warner to 49 yards rushing and to three points, which I think is the fewest in our program's history. They also had three sacks and forced a couple of turnovers which was a big focus for us in practice the past couple weeks."
The Gyrenes went up 7-0 in the first half on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Uecker to Karim Bryant. Warner capitalized on an AMU turnover soon after that led to a field goal to make the score 7-3 at the half.
Quinn's offense stayed largely on the ground in the second half as the Gyrenes tried to run as much time off the clock as possible.
“We definitely needed to improve our rushing and we did that today," Quinn said.
Scott Jones and Dashawn Smith scored rushing touchdowns as the Gyrenes racked up 287 yards on the ground on 53 plays.Almost half the rushing total came from Jones, who had 135 yards on the day.
The Gyrene defense allowed 226 total yards. Tanner Bowling finished with a team-high six solo tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble.
Everett had a big game on special teams and defense with an interception in addition to his 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that opened the second half.
Uecker finished 13-of-27 for 142 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Ten different receivers caught a pass on Saturday. Bryant finished with one catch and a touchdown. Rashad Kelley and Dan Mervos each had three catches.
The Gyrenes return to the field on Oct. 5 when they travel to Selma, Ala. to take on Concordia (Ala.). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Scott Jones capped off a 12-play, 96-yard drive that spanned over five minutes with a three-yard run to push the Ave Maria lead to 17, 20-3, with 1:02 left in the third quarter.
After an Everett interception gave the Blue and Green good field position, Dashawn Smith finished off an 11-play, 50 yard drive with a one yard touchdown run to give the Gyrenes a 27-3 lead.
The Gyrenes finished with a net of 287 yards on the ground on 53 rushes. Jones led the rushing attack with 134 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Smith finished with 54yards on seven carries and a touchdown.
"Our rushing game was much improved with Jones and Smith each getting a touchdown," said Quinn. "We definitely needed to improve our rushing and we did that today. A good rushing game will help us take time off the clock, keep our defense off the field and rested and keep the scores low."
The Gyrene defense allowed 226 total yards and just 49 on the ground in the win. Tanner Bowling finished with a team-high six solo tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble.
Everett had a big game on special teams and defense with an interception and an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Uecker finished 13-of-27 for 142 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Ten different receivers caught a pass on Saturday. Bryant finished with one catch and a touchdown. Rashad Kelley and Dan Mervos each had three catches.
"Everett and Bryant both come from Booker T. Washington High School, the top high school football program in the country, and they each scored touchdowns and made some big plays for us to day," added Quinn. "It's good for our program to get guys from the best high schools and they played at a much higher level than freshman today."
The Gyrenes first win came just over a year ago, in September, 2012, in a game dedicated to the memory of former player Clayton Burroughs who had died just a month before in a car accident.
The Gyrenes return to the field Oct. 5 when they travel to Selma, Ala. to take on Concordia (Ala.). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. They play their first regular-season home game on campus Oct. 12.
