Slow start haunts Bishop Gorman football in loss to Mater Dei

The Bishop Gorman football team was hindered by slow starts in its initial two games of the season.

That was again the case on Friday night.

But this opponent wouldn’t let the Gaels ease back into the contest. This opponent did the opposite — it dominated Gorman in most facets of the game.

Gorman allowed Mater Dei of California to score touchdowns on its first two possessions and trailed from start to finish in a 31-15 defeat in Orange County, Calif.

Two weeks ago in Florida, Gorman scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to rally past St. Thomas Aquinas. But Mater Dei, the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, was too talented for Gorman to rally.

“We can’t keep starting slow against really, really good teams,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “That’s a really good team; hats off to them. They have a really talented group.”

Oregon commit Jordon Davison rushed for nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns for Mater Dei, which improved to 5-0 all-time against Gorman. 

The Gaels had won 27 straight games since losing to Mater Dei in 2022, including last season being voted last season as the national champions. A loss tonight means Gorman won’t repeat — and likely gives the title to Mater Dei.

The game, which was played in front of 8,000 fans and televised nationally, was billed as the de facto national championship game.

“We made too many mistakes and had too many penalties. That’s on me,” Browner said. “When you play against the best football team in the country you have to have more discipline.”

Gorman had just 152 yards of offense and surrendered six sacks, according to stats kept by the Los Angeles Times. 

Gorman trailed 31-7 before Maika Eugenio tossed a 5-yard touchdown to Brandon Gaea with two minutes to play. Earlier in the game, Eugenio connected with Anthony Hickman for the Gaels’ other points.

“You can’t start a drive with a penalty and expect to win,” Browner said.