Even the presence of The Tragically Hip couldn’t inspire the Gaels football team in their Saturday afternoon game against the Guelph Gryphons. Hip members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair made the ceremonial kickoff—possibly an omen foreshadowing the significance that kicking would play throughout the game. After another game marred by mistakes, the only thing “tragic” is that the team has now begun its season 0-2 for the first time in two years.
Guelph 27, Queen’s 26
Big plays for Guelph during Saturday’s game accounted for nearly all of the Gryphon points, and Gael penalties stifled Queen’s en route to a 27-26 loss. Queen’s put up 13 of their points in the first quarter, but the offense had little to show afterwards. One hundred and eighty three total passing yards for the game is a particularly poor showing for a team that lived and died by the air assault for the past two seasons. Quarterback Ryan Sheahan started the game and stayed in until midway through the third quarter. He finished the day 11 of 25 for 132 yards with 2 interceptions. For the second game in a row Sheahan’s first pass was intercepted. Sheahan’s counterpart, Ali Clarkson, didn’t fare much better. He was 5 of 14 for 51 yards for the rest of the game. He also had one interception.
Coach Pat Sheahan’s words after the Windsor game last week once again applied to the play of his pivots.
“It’s a learning curve for the quarterbacks,” he said. “I know our quarterbacking is better than what it showed today. I think that when they see [those] mistakes on film they’re probably not going to believe that it’s them [making those mistakes].” Fourth-year running back Bryan Crawford was a bright spot for the Gaels. After Windsor shut down the running game in week one, Crawford racked up 118 yards on 13 carries highlighted by a 51 yard run to the endzone for Queen’s first score of the day.
Overall, Queen’s gathered 187 yards on the ground. Iain Fleming led all receivers with 4 catches for 68 yards, and Robb Bagg also had 4 catches for 64 yards.
The defence had a decent outing, holding the Gryphon offence to just 51 yards on the ground, but surrendered big plays through the air. Guelph’s touchdowns came on 45- and 73-yard touchdown passes and a 19-yard pass following an 86-yard missed field goal return. Apart from these big plays, the defense was solid for much of the game
Guelph’s offence struggled to move the ball.
The defensive effort was led by fourth year linebacker Philippe Champagne. Nick Corneil had two interceptions and Michael Patone had one, which he returned for a touchdown.
The Queen’s pass rush was also a strength for the second straight game, as the Gaels collected four sacks and put constant pressure on the Gryphon quarterbacks.
Queen’s return game won them the battle of field position as Chris Rogan returned one kick for 69 yards, and a punt for 31. The story of the game was missed opportunities. Queen’s found themselves with the ball deep in Guelph territory twice in the first quarter and came away with only a single on a missed field goal.
The game’s turning point occurred with under three minutes to play in the first half. Queen’s forced Guelph to turn the ball over on downs deep in Gryphon territory, but missed the ensuing field goal which was returned 86 yards for a score. Guelph would build on that momentum after halftime, outscoring Queen’s 18-3 in the second half. The Gaels collected three objectionable conduct calls in the fourth quarter— uncharacteristic for a team that has taken pride in its discipline these last few years. Overall, Queen’s gave up 155 yards on 15 penalties.
Queen’s decision to try a field goal in the dying stages of the game was also controversial.
“Four things can happen on a field goal attempt, and three are bad” former Gael coach Doug Hargreaves said. Even if Queen’s had not converted on the third down, Guelph’s offence had not consistently moved the ball and they would have started deep inside their own territory. Instead, a wide kick was returned all the way to the Queen’s 19-yard line which set the Gryphons up nicely for the deciding score.
Both Windsor and Guelph were teams Queen’s beat handily last season, and while the team has yet to win a game, only three points separate them from a 2-0 start. The Gaels travel to Ottawa next Saturday, and hope to rediscover their place on the winning side of the margin.
–With files from queensfootball.com
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.