AVE MARIA, Fla. - The Night Hawk defense held Ave Maria scoreless over the final two quarters and blocked two punts, but the Night Hawks came up short in a 16-7 road loss Saturday night at Gyrene Field.
Thomas held Ave Maria to 210 total yards and just 3.4 yards per play. Three of Ave Maria's four red zone trips ended in field goals. Thomas was down 16-0 at halftime, then gave Ave Maria nothing after the break.
The third quarter belonged to the Night Hawks. On the first play of the second half, Ave Maria's Reggie McBride was dropped for a 2-yard loss and the ball came loose, with Thomas recovering at the Ave Maria 45 just six seconds into the half. The offense could not cash in, but Wyatt Waddell flipped the field with a 53-yard punt for a touchback, pinning Ave Maria at its own 20.
The defense kept the pressure on. Derick Lewis and Mustapha Kromah combined on a tackle for loss, Joe Miracle III added another, and Sekhi Ashley and Cameron Thomas Sr. stopped a third-and-14 short of the sticks. Ave Maria's punt was blocked, and Thomas took over at the Ave Maria 34.
The Night Hawks turned that stop into their best drive of the night, a seven-play, 34-yard march that took 3:40. Tymir Jones opened with runs of 3 and 4 yards, Roshaun Dudley converted a third-and-3 with a 5-yard carry, and Gray Jennings broke loose for 13 yards to the Ave Maria 9. On third-and-goal from the 6, Jennings found tight end Everett Byrd for the touchdown with 5:52 left. The score was the first touchdown pass of Jennings' career as a Night Hawk and the first collegiate touchdown for Byrd, who led all receivers with three catches for 34 yards. Garrett Stevenson's extra point made it 16-7.
The defense closed out the quarter just as strongly. Ave Maria ran nine plays and used 5:39 on its next possession but never crossed midfield. Miracle stopped Isaiah Thomas for no gain on third-and-4 at the Ave Maria 47, and the ensuing punt was blocked. Kromah returned it 21 yards to the Ave Maria 30 with 10 seconds left. Ave Maria did not cross midfield at any point in the third quarter.
Thomas opened the fourth quarter in scoring range. Tre Woodson ripped off a 7-yard run to the Ave Maria 14 on second-and-1, but a fumble on the next snap ended the threat, with Ave Maria's Nathaniel Peterson recovering at the 20. The defense answered right away. Miracle and Kendall Hinton stopped McBride on third-and-3, and Ave Maria punted to the Thomas 10.
The Night Hawks went back to work. Dudley opened the drive with a 10-yard run, a personal foul on Ave Maria moved the ball to the Thomas 29, and Jennings hit Byrd for 12 yards to move the chains. The drive stalled when Ave Maria intercepted a pass at its own 44 with 9:01 left.
The defense held again. Thomas Sr. stopped Isaiah Thomas after a 12-yard run, Terrell Seward dropped Howard for a 2-yard loss, and Miracle pressured Howard on third-and-11. Ave Maria punted for a touchback, and Thomas took over at its own 20 with 5:57 to play.
Jennings ran for 7 yards, Jones added gains of 3 and 4, and Jennings connected with Byrd for 16 yards on third-and-8 to reach the Thomas 48. A fumble on the next snap gave Ave Maria the ball at the Thomas 34 with 2:42 left.
The Night Hawks defense made its biggest stand of the night. Seward and Wilbert Olivera-Munoz stopped Howard after a 5-yard gain, Thomas Sr. and Brandon Lyons held him to no gain, and Zakari Henderson stopped him after 4 yards on third down. Thomas used its timeouts to save clock. On fourth-and-1 at the Thomas 25, Henderson and Robert Allen stuffed Howard for a 1-yard loss, giving the ball back to Thomas with 1:41 left.
A horse collar penalty on Ave Maria moved the Night Hawks to their own 41, but Jade Tenry sacked Jennings two plays later and recovered the fumble at the Thomas 33 with 1:21 to go. Ave Maria ran out the clock. In the fourth quarter, the Thomas defense held Ave Maria to 42 yards on four possessions.
Miracle paced a defense that finished with 74 tackles, recording 10 stops. Kromah and Henderson added seven tackles each, while Ashley had an interception and six tackles. Seward and Thomas Sr. each finished with six stops. Ave Maria went 7-for-16 on third down.
Waddell gave Thomas a field-position edge all night, averaging 48.8 yards on four punts with a long of 59 and two kicks downed inside the 20. Jones led the rushing attack with 44 yards on 15 carries.
Thomas hits the road again next Saturday, Oct. 24, for a Sun Conference matchup at Florida Memorial. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Fla.
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