A matinee in Carleton led to an offensive explosion for the Gaels.
The Gaels travelled to Ottawa in the early morning of Sept. 19 for a clash with the Carleton Ravens in OUA regular season play. The Ravens were looking for their first win of the season but had their hands full with a 3-0 Gaels team going into the matchup.
READ MORE: Queen’s Football takes on Carleton in afternoon affair
The Gaels would strike first on the scoreboard. After a defensive stop, the offence pushed down the field into the range of Gaels kicker Tyler Mullan, ArtSci ’27, for an early 3-0 lead.
Carleton would answer after an unnecessary roughness penalty took them into Gaels territory and a simple run would break through the Gaels defence, scoring the first touchdown of the game and securing a 7-3 lead for the Ravens.
After both offences were stymied, the Gaels would have the last possession of the first quarter, which ended in a familiar connection from Alex Vreeken, Kin ’27, to Logan Walton, ArtSci ’29, for a 42-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
The second quarter began with a long Carleton drive that featured two significant penalties on Queen’s defence, an unnecessary roughness and a defensive pass inference, that allowed the Ravens to achieved good field position within the Gaels territory. Despite the pressure by the Ravens, the Gaels defence was able to salvage the drive, as they forced a turnover, taking away surefire points.
Taking advantage of the takeaway, the Gaels offence was off the to the races, as Vreeken connected with Cederic Smith, ArtSci ’27, for a 46-yard pass.
Three plays later, Vreeken found Jayce Baldwin, ArtSci, ’29 near the sideline. He muscled his way 30-yards and willed his way into the endzone for a touchdown.
After a defensive stop forced a Ravens punt, the Gaels potent offence continued right out of the gates. Vreeken identified Walton down field for a 59-yard gain, leading to a field goal and a 20-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, with the Ravens pressing in the Gaels redzone, the defence would remain strong, forcing a field goal and giving the Gaels offence the ball with 55 seconds remaining in the half.
The Carleton defence appeared to stop the drive with a quick two-and-out, forcing the Gaels into a punting situation. However, the Ravens jumped offside on the ensuing punt, giving Queen’s a first down and keeping the drive alive.
The Gaels capitalized on the mistake, Vreeken completed two quick passes before connecting with Walton downfield for his second touchdown of the game, giving Queen’s a 27-10 lead at halftime.
The Gaels offence started with the ball and continued where they left off with an in-rhythm drive that saw them get into the redzone with ease. After a delay of game penalty by the Gaels and defensive pass interference on the Ravens, the Gaels would turn to second-string quarterback Ashton St. Germain, ArtSci ’29, to punch it in for a one-yard rushing touchdown and the 34-11 lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the Ravens. After a quick two and out by the Gaels, the Ravens took yet another penalty on a punt, this time for roughing the kicker. To top it off, the Gaels would force a fumble on the return, meaning the Gaels started their drive on Carleton’s 12-yard line.
Vreeken would find Smith deep in the endzone for a 41-11 lead. The Ravens would add a field goal to make it 41-14 going into the fourth quarter.
With the game all but out of reach, St. Germain would be at the helm of the offence for the quarter. He was able to push the offence down the field with multiple play-action passes, leading to a 40-yard highlight-reel throw by St. Germain to Smith for his second touchdown of the game.
The Gaels would add a punt block that would lead to a rushing touchdown by Jayden Gurzi-MacDonald, ArtSci ’29, which would extend the Gaels lead to 55-17, the final score of the game.
Queen’s continues to be a dominating force in the OUA and will look to continue their fortunes at Richardson Stadium on Sept. 26 against the 3-1 University of Ottawa GeeGees.
Tags
Carleton Ravens, OUA, Queen's football
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