Ave Maria, Fla. – Kicking off Sun Conference play on Saturday evening, the 10th-ranked St. Thomas University Football Team's defense held its second-consecutive opponent to under 40 yards on the ground en route to a 46-13 victory at Ave Maria.
St. Thomas (5-0, 1-0 Sun Conference) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as
Jalen Daniels connected with
Michael Duran for a 76-yard touchdown on the first play of STU's opening drive to quickly make it 7-0.
Isaiah Lopez doubled the Bobcats' lead with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter off a 16-yard run to create a 14-0 score.
After a one-yard rush by
Isaiah Lopez opened the scoring in the second quarter with 13:56 remaining until halftime,
Camden Hartzell found
David Garcia for a nine-yard score to create a 28-0 score with 10:32 left in the first half. Ave Maria (2-3, 0-1 Sun Conference) got on the scoreboard off a 56-yard pass late in the quarter, while a Bobcats' field goal as time expired made it 31-7 at the break.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the host cut into the lead after a 23-yard pass made it 31-13 with 12:32 left to play. The Bobcats responded to the score with one of their own via a 19-yard pass from Hartzell to
Martaz Charles before a STU field goal and Jerome Mitchell blocked field goal taken back created the final score.
Hartzell went 14-27 for 241 and one score, with
Alfred Jordan catching five passes for 128 yards while Lopez rushed for 128 yards on 18 carries with two scores. On the defensive side,
Zach Marino and Kisley Wilson each recorded six tackles with Wilson logging on forced fumble.
Cornell Green boasted two sacks for 14-yards lost while
Jo'Van Freeney tallied one interception.
The Bobcats ended the contest with 577 total yards of offense, 357 passing and 220 rushing, versus 285 total yards from the host with 250 by air and 35 by ground. Each side lost one fumble while STU picked off the Gyrenes once.
The Bobcats return to AutoNation Field on Saturday, Oct. 10 against Warner University with kickoff slated for 12 pm.
