HAMILTON, Ont. – A single point was all that separated the Guelph Gryphons and the McMaster Marauders on Sunday afternoon in Hamilton in what was the opening game of the 2018 OUA football regular season for both teams. Despite leading for nearly three and a half quarters at Ron Joyce Stadium, the Gryphons would ultimately go home empty handed after McMaster was able to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from second-year quarterback Jackson White to rookie receiver Michael Bazzo. With both defences dominating throughout the day, the Gryphons were unable to generate anything late, with a 56-yard winning field goal attempt from Guelph's All-Canadian kicker, Gabe Ferraro, falling short in the final moments.
"Our defence played really well today and gave us a great chance to win the game. We just had a few too many execution errors on the day," said Gryphon head coach
Todd Galloway. Helping lead the way defensively for the Gryphons was fifth-year middle linebacker Luke Korol, who finished the day with a team-high 11 tackles to go along with a pass breakup. Korol and company faced a tough challenge with McMaster boasting one of the top running backs in the conference in fourth-year man Jordan Lyons. The Gryphon defence held the talented-Marauder back to a modest 78-yards rushing on 13 carries. Overall on the day, Guelph racked up 173 yards rushing, compared to 111 for the Marauders. The Gryphons' rushing duties were split between third-year running back
Jamal Hooker (Regina, SK) and rookie
Kwame Osei (Montreal, QC) who combined for 111 yards on the day.
Osei was just one of the incoming Gryphon rookies to shine on the day, with first-year defensive back
Brendan Murphy also making an impact.
The 6-1, 200 lbs freshman out of Chateauguay, Quebec impressed during training camp, earning a starting spot at the defensive halfback position. At 12:41 of the opening quarter, Murphy would record the first interception of his U SPORTS career, picking off an errant Jackson White pass and returning it 32-yards to the McMaster 22-yard line.
The Gryphons would capitalize on the turnover, with fourth-year quarterback
Theo Landers scoring the Gryphons' only touchdown on the day with a 1-yard QB sneak to give the Gryphs an early 10-0 lead.
Theo Landers pass attempt vs McMaster
Landers, a Nutritional and Nutraceutical Sciences student from Maple Ridge, B.C., finished the day as the Gryphons' leading rusher (59-yards on 11 carries) but struggled through the air, finishing 13 of 21 for 81 yards (0 TD, 0 INT).
After the promising start in the opening quarter, the Gryphons would muster just five points over the final three quarters. McMaster, who trailed 11-0 in the 2nd quarter, would chip away at the deficit with a trio of field goals from kicker Adam Preocanin. Late in the 3rd quarter, a 34-yard field goal from
Gabe Ferraro pushed the U of G lead back to 15-9, setting the stage for the Marauders' go-ahead touchdown in the final quarter.
The Gryphons (0-1) will now return home for a Labour Day Monday clash with the York Lions (0-1). Both teams will be looking for their first win of 2018 after the Lions dropped a 42-21 decision at home versus Queen's. Kickoff for the September 3rd matchup between Guelph and York is set for 1pm at Alumni Stadium with
tickets now available online.
