By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal

Concordia College Alabama only allowed one touchdown to Ave Maria University, but it wasn’t enough to give the Hornets their first win of the season.

The Concordia Hornets (0-6) fell 11-0 to the Ave Maria Gyrenes (3-2) Saturday in Ave Marie, Florida, after penalties and miscues left the Hornets scoreless. Concordia nearly equaled the Gyrenes in time of possession and passing yards.

The deciding statistic, however, was penalties. The Hornets tallied 13 penalties for a total of 140 yards.

“We’re doing some things where we’re giving them a second chance,” said Concordia head coach Stanley Conner. “You can’t give them stuff like that. Simple stuff, like jumping offsides.”

The score was tied 0-0 for almost the entire first half until Ave Maria quarterback Bob Orban connected with Joseph Ferraro for a 13-yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead. Concordia blocked the extra point.

Concordia’s defense was the team’s strength Saturday, intercepting two passes and limiting the Gyrenes to 2-of-14 on third down conversions.

Ave Maria kicker Brandon Leon added a field goal early in the second half to extend the lead to 9-0. The Gyrenes added a safety with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when a Hornets’ snap on a punt went over the punter’s head and he was forced to kick it out of the back of the end zone.

“We’re still playing good in spurts, but so goes the O-line and the quarterback, so goes the offense,” Conner said. “We missed on a lot of plays.”

Concordia’s next game is against Tiffin University on Oct. 17. The Hornets have a bye this week, and Conner is looking forward to it.

“Hopefully this week, we’ll be able to catch up,” Conner said. “We’ve got an off week, but we are going to practice. We’re going to go back to the basic fundamentals so that they understand what we’re trying to get done.”