The Ashland University Eagles game against Ohio Dominican at Jack Miller Stadium Oct. 9 started out as any AU fan would hope, with a touchdown pass by quarterback Austin Brenner to Garrett Turnball on the opening drive to make it 7-0.

Things were looking great for Ashland until 4:19 in the first when Brenner was tackled and didn’t get up.

Coaches, players, and fans quickly came to realize the star quarterback was seriously injured. The stadium went silent as the paramedics rushed the field and immediately put Austin’s left leg into an aircast. Brenner was lifted on the stretcher and his team gathered around him just before he was pushed off the field and taken away in the back of the squad.

His promising season with high expectations was finished.

Freshman Trent Maddox out of Delaware, Ohio took over for Brennan, but the Eagles ended up on the short end of a 34-24 final score.

Coach Lee Owens talked about losing his star quarterback during his weekly Tuesday press conference.

“We’re going to miss Austin, but no one person is ever bigger than a team. Now, this might be as close as it gets, we didn’t want to lose anyone but it’s the guy you want to lose the least.”

Coach Owens said he and the team are still hopeful for the rest of the season and expect to have success with Maddox in the QB position. Coach Owens said it’s now about finding new and different ways to get the ball in the end zone with Maddox’s skills.

Brenner took to Instagram the Sunday after the game with a post and picture of him lying in a hospital bed with his left leg bandaged up. The caption read:
“Last night I got tackled as I’ve been many times before… This time the result was an open fracture with a broken tibia and fibula. Just like that my season ended. It hurts my heart so bad that I won’t get to step on the field with my brothers again this year. It’s what brought me to tears last night.

“There’s a lot of things that I will never understand in this life and there’s even more that is out of my control. However, there is peace and satisfaction only found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“My life is not my own, and I thank God for the purpose and fulfillment there is in telling all about His free gift of salvation through Jesus. With or without football I’m content in the Lord because the only thing I get to leave this world with is my faith in Jesus.”