ARCATA, Calif. – A downpour of boos showered Ja'Quan Gardner and his San Diego Fleet teammates as they took the field in San Antonio, Texas, for their Alliance of American Football season opener, but the Humboldt State product was all smiles.

Gardner, who scored the franchise's first touchdowns Sunday night in a 24-12 win over the Atlanta Legends, knows each game is another opportunity to prove he belongs in professional football.

"It's not the end goal, but a stepping stone," said Gardner two weeks ago following the Fleet's season opener. "I'm getting an opportunity to showcase myself with this Alliance league. If I get my shot to prove it, I'm going to show that I can play the game of football."

The Ceres, Calif., native got his big break after a combine at Whittier College just after being released by the San Francisco 49ers. Days later he got the call from his agent that the Fleet was interested in adding the 5-7 running back from Humboldt State to its roster. Though his time with the 49ers was short, Gardner made the most of his chance and was excited to continue chasing his dream in San Diego.

"The experience was great," said Gardner. "I got a little taste of what it's like to be at the highest level. I knew what it was going into it, being signed the last week of the preseason. So I kind of knew, I was just hoping that maybe I'd get a couple carries. But that didn't happen. I knew it was going to happen, but I was hoping that signing with the 49ers would open things up for the AAF. That's what we were hoping for and it happened. I was excited to get started with this new league."

The AAF might not be the NFL, but Gardner acknowledges the talent level is there and others are hungry for their big break too.

"It's a lot of talent," explained Gardner. "These are top-of-the-line guys, but maybe they didn't get the right opportunity, right shot at this level. This league definitely has all the talent. Definitely going to be a competitive league, I'm just excited I get to be a part of it."

Gardner had friends and family in attendance during his second professional game and put on a show. He carried the ball 15 times for 104 yards and two scores. The Green and Gold faithful including teammates, coaches and community members have continued to show the same support for Gardner as they did cheering him on in Redwood Bowl during a historic four-year run.

"I got a lot of love and support from a lot of old teammates, high school coaches, high school teammates, teammates from Humboldt, and coaches from Humboldt," said Gardner. "It makes me reflect and say, 'Okay, I made it. Now it's time to work harder.' I just want to thank them for the support. I'm thankful for every year that I had there, it was a blessing. Definitely a great time for me and my family. I'm just thankful for that opportunity that I had, and I'm just going to keep moving forward."