The Gryphon football team was defeated 43-35 on Thursday (Oct. 7) night in Hamilton at Ron Joyce Stadium by the No. 9 McMaster Marauders.  The Marauders were able to escape with the victory, effectively quelling an uprising that saw Guelph claw its way back into the game from a 33-point deficit.

After being down 40-15 after three quarters of play the Gryphons outscored the Marauders 20-3 in the fourth to get back into the game but it was too little to late as the Marauders secured the win and a playoff spot with a 5-2 record, while the Gryphons fall to 3-3 and continue to battle for a spot in the post season. 
 

Guelph started the season 3-0, but has since dropped three straight, with their last win coming on September 18 over the Queens Gaels (21-15) at home. 
 

Gryphon quarterback Chris Rossetti (Mississauga) was effective on the day going 16-for-24 for 221 yards and three scores as well as 65 yards scrambling. Rossetti threw the touchdown strikes to Dillon Dimitroff (Burlington, Ont.), Kevin Campbell (Pickeringg, Ont.) and Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) while running back Steve Legace scored a 23-yard touchdown. 
 

One of the most exciting plays of the day was from Gardner who scored the only points for the Gyrphons in the first half. Midway through the second quarter he returned a missed field goal 130 yards for a touchdown. 
 

McMaster quarterback Kyle Quinlan (South Woodslee, Ont.) and running back Joey Nemet (Burlington, Ont.) combined for 545-yards of offence. Quinlan threw for 365-yards on 19 of 31 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Nemet rushed the ball for 180 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns adding a touchdown reception. 
 

Overall, the Marauders had a total of 619 yards in the game compared to just 349 for the Gryphons.   Both teams tallied 16 penalties, with 143 yards against Guelph and 104 against the Marauders. 
 

The Marauders opened the scoring early with a three-yard touchdown run by Nemet. Four minutes later Nemet struck again rushing the ball 49-yards to the Guelph one yard line and then found the end zone on the next play for his second major of the game.
 

McMaster would score once more in the quarter when Quinlan completed a 72-yard touchdown pass to Mike DiCroce (Hamilton, Ont.) to score his first touchdown since returning from injury. The McMaster defence held the Gryphons scoreless in the first quarter giving them an early 21-0 advantage.
 

Guelph found the scoreboard midway through the second when Gardner returned the field goal attempt 130-yards for a touchdown matching the OUA return record. McMaster's only points in the quarter came from a Guelph safety, and a 33-yard field goal from Crapigna to give them a 26-7 lead at halftime. 
 

McMaster built their lead to 26 points early in the third quarter when Quinlan connected on a 20-yard pass to Nemet. Two minutes later Nemet found himself in the end zone again, following a 66-yard rush, with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Marauders a commanding 40-7 lead.  
 

As the game progressed the Gryphons continued to adjust on offence, and began to cut into McMaster's hefty lead. With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Guelph quarterback Chris Rosetti (Mississauga, Ont.) threw a 17-yard pass to Gardner and then connected with Dillon Dimitroff (Burlington, Ont.) for the two-point conversion. 
 

Down 40-15, Guelph scored again early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown reception from Dimitroff reducing the McMaster lead to nineteen points.  
 

The Marauders would only score three points in the final quarter on a Tyler Crapigna (Ottawa, Ont.) field goal and the Gryphons would find the end zone twice more. 
 

Guelph got within eight points when Rossetti connected with Kevin Campbell (Pickering, Ont.) on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:24 left in the game.  
 

McMaster ran down the clock, but was forced to punt with 14 seconds left. On the ensuing play the Guelph specials team attempted to block the Crapigna punt, but ended up knocking him down, and out of the game, with a serious injury. The referees choose to call the game with three seconds remaining on the clock.
 

The Gryphons return home next weekend on Saturday, October 16 to host the Windsor Lancers at Alumni Stadium.  Kick off is at 1:00 p.m.

{With Files from McMaster Sports Information}
 

Scoring Summary

Quarter #1

McMaster - TD Nemet, Joey 3 run (Crapigna, Tyler convert) 2:55

McMaster - TD Nemet, Joey 1 run (Crapigna, Tyler convert) 7:57

McMaster - TD DiCroce, Michae 72 pass from Quinlan, Kyle (Crapigna, Tyler convert) 9:45

Quarter #2

(M Fortino convert) 8:16

McMaster - Safety (Team conceded) 11:37

McMaster - FG Crapigna, Tyler 33 14:02

Quarter #3

McMaster - TD Nemet, Joey 20 pass from Quinlan, Kyle (Crapigna, Tyler convert) 4:36

McMaster - TD Nemet, Joey 1 run (Crapigna, Tyler convert) 6:38

Guelph - TD J Gardner 17 pass from C Rossetti 13:12

Quarter #4

Guelph - TD D Dimitroff 7 pass from C Rossetti 3:24

Guelph - TD S Lagace 23 run (M Fortino convert) 9:05

McMaster - FG Crapigna, Tyler 34 11:16

Guelph - TD K Campbell 20 pass from C Rossetti (M Fortino convert) 13:36