With major playoff implications on the line for McMaster, the Maroon and Grey stepped up and crushed the Waterloo Warriors, 66-3.

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The stakes were high, with a loss almost guaranteeing a tough quarterfinal playoff game on the road against a CIS-ranked opponent. Mac responded with the most points and largest margin of victory of the Stefan Ptaszek era.

McMaster was given the opportunity to showcase what they are made of and prove why they have one of the best defensive backfields in the country.

McMaster has led the OUA in interceptions for the past three seasons and the Homecoming picked up on that trend. Keldyn Ahlsted led the way with interceptions, snagging three and grabbing the OUA Defensive Player of the Week honours.

More notably was the emergence of a Marauder ground game. Coming into the Waterloo game, McMaster ranked second-last for rushing yards per game. Kasean Davis-Reynolds cured the five-game touchdown dry spell.

“I had a big feeling of relief,” said Davis-Reynolds. “It was due time that we put up a great performance as team.”

Looking ahead to the Oct. 12 matchup against the Laurier Golden Hawks, McMaster will need to continue their dominance. In Laurier’s past two games, they have held a 10-0 on the No. 1 ranked Western Mustangs before losing 45-24 and suffered a narrow overtime loss at Queen’s Homecoming. Their latest loss puts them at 1-6 and confirms that they will miss OUA playoffs for the first time since 2002. However, McMaster is not taking the Golden Hawks lightly.

“Laurier has a great program with a lot of guys that can make plays so to know that we have just as many guys ready to make plays at any point of the game definitely boosts the confidence of myself as a player and for us as a team,” said Davis-Reynolds.

Mac will be heeding the Ptaszek adage: “The only game that really matters is the next one.” Now that the team looks to have ironed out the kinks, the squad can look to climb up the OUA standings. Currently, they sit at 3-3 – good for sixth in the OUA.

The Maroon and Grey will be battling for playoff position against the Windsor Lancers and Ottawa Gee-Gees, both of whom are 4-3.

Looking back to last season, winning three consecutive games in a row was not at all a concern for the McMaster football club.

The Marauders face an uphill battle, attempting to climb out of the OUA basement. The road to the playoffs should not be a difficult one, as their next three opponents collectively own a record of two wins and 14 losses.

The Homecoming game this weekend against the 1-4 Waterloo Warriors is the first in a series of three must-win games for the Marauders. The next three weeks will determine where Mac will sit in the playoff tree.

The squad knows how important the win is not just for their spot in the standings, but for their fans as well. A convincing win on Homecoming weekend could give confidence to a fan base that is skeptical about the quality of the 2013 Maroon and Grey platoon.

“The homecoming weekend game has always had a lot of attention and you never want to fail on a day like that because of the support and the meaning behind the weekend,” said fifth-year wide receiver Mike DiCroce of the importance of the upcoming weekend.

“Its very important to us to be ready and to show up that day to make everyone who is associated to the program proud,” DiCroce added.

The veteran has solidified himself as a positive contributor, not only with his on-field performance, but also with his immense focus and understanding of what it takes to pull out a win.

“Coming off the Guelph game we didn’t play consistent football. Having a bad play, drive or quarter is not acceptable when hoping to compete for an OUA title,” said DiCroce of the devastating loss to the Gryphons on Sept. 21.

“All around we just need to be better and keep moving forward not back.”

Assistant Coach Jon Behie understands what it takes to rebuild this team and to help the Marauders complete a comeback.

"Our main focus has to be to get better every day.  To try to rationalize our losses or look too far ahead makes no sense,” Behie said.

“If we take care of the little things on a day to day basis, then the big picture stuff will become much easier down the road.”

At this point, the Marauders can only afford to look forward.

"The next three games present a great opportunity for us to gain some momentum heading in to the playoffs,” Behie said.

“Of course, also at stake is a potential home playoff game.”

McMaster has been marred by injuries to a handful of key players, and they will not be expected to return against the Warriors. However, the coaching staff expects the players to get some reps in before a potential Yates Cup run.

“We are expecting some of our injured players back and are eager to work them back in to the lineup some time before the playoff run," Behie said of the hopes for a healthy roster come this weekend and in the weeks to come.

Although the next three opponents the Marauders are scheduled to face hold the bottom three spots in the OUA rankings, the football club is still putting in the necessary preparations in the hopes of setting themselves apart and climbing the standings.

The Homecoming contest kicks off Oct. 5 at 1:00 p.m. at Ron Joyce Stadium.

Although the game against the York Lions on Sept. 15 was not exactly a blowout for the Marauders, does not mean that the squad should not look optimistically towards the hope of a potential playoff spot.

Being tied in the rankings with York, McMaster had a lot to prove this past weekend. The Marauders would have to try to prove themselves without two of their top talents.

With both Matt Sewell and Joey Cupido not dressing for Saturday’s game once again for the Marauders, it was important for the team to prioritize in order to pull out a win.

After a crushing loss against the visiting Western Mustangs over a week ago the Marauders knew what they had to do to bounce back this week.

“We really wanted to focus on establishing the run game really early,” said Danny Vandervoort, who had a break-out game for the maroon contingent, scoring three touchdowns in Saturday’s game.

For the first time all season, McMaster was able to put up respectable numbers on the ground. Kasean Davis-Reynolds ran for 123 yards while Jimmy Hill chipped in 47 yards.

The squad viewed this game as a regrouping opportunity after being man-handled by the Western Mustangs.

“We really wanted to bounce back after last week, we took a big hit and we just wanted to get the ball rolling,” Vandervoort said.

“We knew York was a good team and wanted to show everyone that we were a top-10 team once again.”

Following the Yates Cup rematch against the University of Guelph Gryphons, Mac will get a much-needed bye week where they can take the time to improve the future of their season.

Mac’s good fortune does not stop there.

Not only is a solid strategizing period ahead for the team, but also their next three opponents hold the bottom three spots in the OUA rankings.

The road to the playoffs is looking pretty favorable for the Marauders at the moment.

McMaster also has every reason to be optimistic as the development of their players on a weekly basis continues to soar.

QB Marshall Ferguson is ranked third in the OUA and is averaging close to 350 yards and three touch downs per game.

With the hopes of a healthy roster and continued player improvement, the Gryphons contest set for this Sat Sept. 21 will be the ultimate test for the Marauders.

Alexandra Reilly

Assistant Sports Editor

An undefeated record was what we saw this time last season so to experience two brutal loses in a row is not something that any Marauders fan will get used to.

Especially not since the last couple of years have been the team’s best record in school history.

Saturday proved to be pretty close to rock bottom for the team as they lost to their rivals, the Western Mustangs, with a score of 58-15.

“We definitely need to take things a little more seriously,” said defensive star Aram Eisho about the team’s efforts.

“This is my first time losing two in a row and we definitely have a lot of work to do to get ready for next week,” he added.

Ron Joyce Stadium was sold out for the game on Saturday and it was safe to say the Vanier Cup calibre squad stunned the 5,003 fans in attendance.

This season is not going to be as easy as the last.

Crowd support, which wavered through the afternoon’s defeat, was something the team noticed.

“We definitely need the crowd in it the whole way through,” Eisho said.

“It’s never going to be easy but if we can just have them cheering us on while were having ups and downs it would really help,” he added.

The crowd’s lack-of-involvement wasn’t the only thing that proved to be against McMaster on Saturday afternoon. Nick Shortill, Alan Dicks, Mike DiCroce and Marshall Ferguson all went down with injuries that day.

The defense was hit the hardest as Shortill went down with what appeared to be a knee injury and left the game.

The team was also lost without some of their key starters on Saturday: left tackle Matt Sewell, defensive back Joey Cupido and safety Mike Daly all did not dress in maroon for the Western game.

With a 1-2 regular season so far, the remainder of the team’s season hangs in the balance.

“We are going to look at some of our core mistakes and coach it up and we have to find a way to put the pieces back together and get ready for York University,” head coach Stefan Ptaszek said.

“We’ll do all of those things and try and get this back to 2-2 and we’ll go from there,” Ptaszek added.

Up next are the low scoring York Lions, but the ultimate test will be when McMaster faces the currently 2-0 Guelph Gryphons on the road.

The York game kicks off this Saturday Sept. 14 at 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on Hamilton’s Cable 14 and CHML 900 Live.

The 2013 home opener marked the end of an era. McMaster is moving on from the age of Kyle Quinlan and stepping into a period of uncertainty. OUA football is expected to be a dogfight for the top of the table, and the Marauders had lost their leader.

But with Marshall Ferguson under centre for the first time since 2011, the team largely did not miss a beat. They put up six touchdowns on route to a 51-24 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The visitors were dramatically over matched on defense and special teams and you could hear the Maroon crowd’s sympathy as the game wore on.

The game was not without it’s growing pains. Mac’s first two offensive series featured two offsides and two fumbled snaps. The Maroon and Grey would right the ship and show a much more confident offense, driving down the field with little resistance.

Yet, in the final minutes of the first half, the Gee-Gees were all over the reigning Yates Cup champs, squandering a 21-0 lead. Ottawa QB Aaron Colbon was ripping off yards and escaping tackles and the Mac offense could not sustain a drive.

“It was a very short training camp. With ten days to prep, we were pretty sure Ottawa was going to be able to do some things out there and play with us for spurts – which they did in that second quarter,” said head coach Stefan Ptaszek.

After the first thirty minutes, the Marauders only led 21-16 and the Maroon appeared shell-shocked.

Cue Ferguson. The fourth-year political science major shook off any jitters and did the damn thing. He waited for plays to develop, picked apart a paltry Gee-Gee zone, and put the ball on the money when in the red zone. To many, all was good but Ferguson had a different take on week one’s performance.

“It feels sloppy right now, to be honest. I’m excited to watch the film and iron out the kinks, because I feel like when left 30-plus points on the board. I wanted to put on a show for all the people that came out,” said Ferguson.

The Kingston, Ont. Native finished with a stat-line that gave fans something to talk about: 28-40 for 352 yards, two passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns.

Mac dominated the second-half behind Ferguson’s lead, scoring 30 points in the half with 20 in the final frame.

The other star of the day was receiver Daniel Vandervoort, who had is breakout game in the first game of his career.

“It felt great to be out there. I worked hard in practice and worked my way into a starting spot, and I’m not looking back now,” said the freshman.

Vandervoort snagged the first touchdown of the 2013 campaign off a six-yard pass, and also contributed the highlight of the game with a 42-yard catch which included half a dozen dodged tackles.

Ptaszek, Ferguson and Vandervoort sent the same message: a win is a win, but it’s time to move on to the next one. The Marauders will head to Richmond Stadium on Sept. 2 to take on the Queen’s Gaels.

Both teams are 1-0 after week one and it could be the most competitive OUA game McMaster has played in two years.

NOTES:

-       Scott Martin was deemed player of the game, finishing with 12 tackles.

-       Attendance was 3,026

-       Jimmy Hill scored a touchdown in his return from a broken ring finger and a lacerated kidney

-       McMaster took it’s OUA winning streak to 20 games

-       This was Ferguson’s first start since October 1, 2011

 

McMaster’s award-winning coaching staff could be getting a little more help.

As reported first by The Waterloo Record, former Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries is close to joining the Marauders as a special-teams co-ordinator.

After a 3-5 record in the 2012 season, the Golden Hawk athletic department dismissed Jeffries despite a 40-year service to the football program.

Jeffries tie to McMaster is CIS Coach of the Year Stefan Ptaszek, who worked together in 2005 to bring the Laurier Golden Hawks a Vanier Cup.

The 66-year old is taking his first post outside of the Laurier community.

While Jeffries will serve most of his time with the special-teams unit, he’s expected to bolster Mac’s recruiting game – specifically in the Waterloo area. Widely regarded as one of the most loved coaches in the world of Canadian football, Jeffries takes an already strong staff to another level.

Waterloo sources have confirmed the move, but there has been no word from the Hamilton side. The Silhouette will post updates as received.

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor

 

By defeating the Queen’s Gaels 40-13 at Ron Joyce Stadium last weekend, the McMaster Marauders not only clinched the program’s first trip to the Yates Cup since 2004, but gave the team’s senior players an opportunity to play at least one more football game sporting the maroon and grey.

Stand out linebacker Ryan Chmielewski, who leads the team in tackles, is one of nine seniors faced with this reality of OUA football in November: each game could be the last.

McMaster’s veterans seem not only able to cope with this reality, but seem to draw inspiration from it.

“We need to play like it is not our last game. I think all of us expect to play three more games,” said Chmielewski. “We expect to win.”

This attitude translated into results, evident by the play of McMaster’s defensive unit, which features six seniors, during the semi final game.

The Marauders “D” neutralized a powerful Gaels offense by containing the nation’s leading rusher Ryan Granberg and paralyzing the passing game.

Queen’s quarterback Ryan Mitchell threw six interceptions, including four to cornerback Joey Cupido and the Marauders converted the turnovers into enough points to put the game’s outcome out of the question early on.

A similar performance would go a long way towards a victory on Saturday at Western’s TD Waterhouse Stadium, where they will contend for the 104th Yates Cup.

Standing in their way are the defending champion Mustangs, who have had a dominant season of their own. Although both teams finished with identical records of 7-1, it is Western who got the better of the head-to-head matchup defeating the Marauders by a score of 48-21 in the second week of the season.

Western had the element of surprise on their side in week two as rookie running back Tyler Varga, who ended up leading the CIS with 15 touchdowns, had played in only one CIS game, making it very difficult to gauge his ability to impact a game.

“It was tough to put into context how tough Varga was. We walked into the hornets’ nest and found out first hand how good they were,” said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek.

This time around, the Marauders know what to expect from Varga, the 18-year old phenom.

“They are the premier rushing team in the nation and can flat out run the football. That is going to be a huge challenge for us. [Stopping the run is] not a weakness of our defense, but our strength is certainly in the back end which they won’t attack too often,” said Ptaszek.

The Marauder secondary has intercepted opposing quarterbacks 25 times in 9 games, which would certainly suggest that Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall will continue with his run-heavy strategy. In their semi-final victory over Windsor, the Mustangs had more turnovers (7) than pass completions (6).

To answer, McMaster will need to see disciplined and ferocious play from the front seven. In the eyes of coach Ptaszek, the leadership on the defensive line will be an integral part of any success.

“We need the fifth-years on our defensive line to have the best games of their entire career. We need Roberto Filice and Mackenzie Dent to have the game of their lives to help contain that run game,” said the coach.

On the offensive side of the ball, Marauder quarterback Kyle Quinlan must continue to move the ball with the same efficiency that helped McMaster lead the CIS with an average of 530.5 total yards per game this season.

Held to only 21 points in the first meeting between these conference juggernauts, the McMaster offense has grown into the most formidable unit in the country.

However, it is not the 50-yard bombs or 30-yard rushes that will be the deciding factor in this game.

“Taking care of the football and turnovers will have a huge impact. Both [McMaster and Western] are high powered offenses, so keeping the other offense on the sideline by sustaining drives and ending with touchdowns instead of field goals will decide the winner of this game,” said Ptaszek, adding “it’s going come down to the subtle differences".

Comparable in essentially every categorical comparison, there is a looming intangible factor that may play a roll in the outcome of this game. A key difference between McMaster and Western is the playoff experience.

Coach Ptaszek does not have one player on his roster with Yates Cup experience, compared to a Western team that returns a many of its key players from their 2010 championship team.

“Our opponents are defending champions and have won two of the last three. They have way more experience in this big game, that is an advantage we will have to address" said Ptaszek of the challenge presented to his team.

Western advanced after a 33-27 victory over Windsor. Varga ran for 209 yards and a touchdown. Mustang starting quarterback Donnie Marshall, who has been out since an Oct. 10 win over York with a severe ankle sprain, did not play. It’s still unclear whether he will play vs. McMaster.

The Yates Cup, which kicks off at 1 p.m., will not only produce a provincial champion, but a legitimate national championship contender as well. The winner will play the AUS Champion in the Uteck Bowl for a right to play in the Vanier Cup Nov. 28 in Vancouver.

Brandon Meawasige

Assistant Sports Editor

 

The McMaster Marauders are one game away from the Yates Cup, thanks to a six game winning streak that has Mac ranked third in the CIS top ten .

On Saturday, Mac will host the Queen’s university Golden Gaels at Ron Joyce Stadium for the OUA semifinal game. The contest kicks off at 4:30 pm and will be broadcast on The Score.

Quarterback Kyle Quinlan and the McMaster offense, nine weeks removed from their 26- 2 victory over the Gaels in the season’s first game, lead the country in yards per game with an average of 530.5.

Saturday will surely have a different look than the first time these two teams played; Gael’s running back Ryan Granberg, who carried the ball nine times for 27 yards in that game, finished the season as the nations leading with 1068 yards, averaging 152.6 each game, also chipping in the winning touchdown against Laurier in the OUA quarterfinal game.

In addition,

The Gaels boast the stingiest brand of defense in the OUA allowing a conference low 308.9 yards per game with 14 interceptions and 19 quarterback sacks.

Quite the suitor for McMaster’s offensive unit ranked #1 in Canada, moving the ball for 530.5 yards per game, over 300 of them coming through the air.

Both teams come into the contest on six game winning streaks, poised for a chance to hoist the Yates Cup, which the Gaels got a chance to do in 2009 and McMaster has not been able to do since 2003.

A true clash of the titans, Saturday’s game will feature many key matchups including Michael Dicroce, the nation’s top receiver lining up across from a Gaels secondary who shut down a juggernaut Laurier receiving core last week,

Ryan Granberg will also have a tough test facing a stout McMaster run defense that has conceded only two 100 yard rushing performances this entire season.

It will be interesting to see the winner of each match up this game will offer.

By the time the final whistle blows,

a variety of strategic moves from the coaching staff of each team and highlight real plays by the many OUA all-stars on both sides will ultimately determine who will play in the Yates Cup championship game. ‘

The winner of this game will face the winner of Windsor and Western which will also be broadcast on The Score at 1 pm.

Benjamin Deans

Queen’s Journal

 

The Gaels’ season isn’t the only thing on the line at Saturday’s OUA semi-final at McMaster. Given the Gaels’ 26-2 home opener loss to the Marauders, there’s a good deal of pride at stake as well.

“We got embarrassed at home in front of a big crowd, so we need to rectify that,” CIS-leading running back Ryan Granberg said. “We want a little revenge.”

The Gaels beat the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 14-10 at Richardson Stadium in the OUA quarter-final last Saturday, Oct. 29.

The game will be the Gaels’ first OUA semifinal since 2009. They also faced the Marauders in the semi-final that season, pounding them 32-6 en route to winning the Vanier Cup.

Following the 2009 playoffs blowout, the Gaels traveled to McMaster for the school’s 2010 home opener. With their championship players lost to graduation, the Gaels lost 18-23.

The two teams faced off again in the first round of the 2010 playoffs and the Marauders ended the Gaels’ season with a 40-19 defeat in Hamilton.

The game that still stings is that Queen’s 2011 home opener. In quarterback Billy McPhee’s first start, an offence straight out of training camp failed to score a touchdown, but was missing leading receiver Giovanni Aprile. The loss seemed to forecast another disappointing season for the Gaels.

Two weeks later, they turned it around.

Head coach Pat Sheahan focused the offence on Granberg. The defence stopped allowing points and started catching interceptions. The team started winning and hasn’t stopped for seven straight games.

But the Marauders have some stories of their own.

Two weeks after his 349-yard performance at Queen’s, McMaster quarterback Kyle Quinlan was suspended from his team for three games after a fight at campus bar.

He returned as good as ever and leads the CIS in passing yards per game.

The Marauders will be coming off two weeks of rest on Saturday. They finished the regular season second in the OUA with a 7-1 record the Gaels were third with 6-2 and earned a bye week.

The Gaels have struggled with injuries late in the season.

McPhee was on the sidelines last weekend with an undisclosed injury.

Backup Ryan Mitchell wasn’t at McPhee’s level, but was good enough to lead the Gaels to a win over the Golden Hawks.