Gaels fall flat in Homecoming game

The Gaels were unable to go toe to toe with the talented Gee-Gees on Saturday.
The Gaels were unable to go toe to toe with the talented Gee-Gees on Saturday.

The Golden Gaels football team was hoping to give the huge Homecoming crowd something to cheer about against Ottawa on Saturday, but came up well short. Renditions of the Oil Thigh were in short supply as Queen’s fell 33-18 to the Gee-Gees, bringing them to 1-3 on the season and jeopardizing their playoff aspirations.

The first points of the game were not recorded until midway through the first quarter when Ottawa chipped through a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

The Gaels responded well. Linebacker Mike Patone, who had a stand out game with eight tackles and a sack, stripped the ball from the Gee-Gees’ star quarterback Josh Sacobie and rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown, giving Queen’s its only lead of the game, 7-3.

Ottawa added another field goal to narrow the Queen’s lead, but it looked like the Gaels would be able to carry the lead into halftime. With less than a minute remaining, Queen’s had possession and were driving. However, quarterback Ali Clarkson, who had come into the game to replace rookie starter Danny Brannagan, was intercepted by Ottawa’s Cheeler Lindor, who returned the ball 71 yards for a touchdown.

This play marked a turning-point, as the Gaels entered the half down 13-7 and the Gee-Gees never looked back. Queen’s added a 35-yard field goal—the longest of kicker Ryan Elger’s career—to trim the lead, but then Ottawa scored the next 20 points, cementing the win.

The Gaels’ passing game was dismal for most of the contest. Brannagan had moved the ball very little by the time he was relieved late in the second quarter, and Clarkson was no better as his replacement, finishing five for 10 for 27 yards with the crucial interception by Lindor.

Brannagan managed decent numbers when he returned near the end of the game, amassing almost all of his 134 passing yards. However, the vast majority of his yardage came on the final two drives of the game, when Ottawa had begun to pull its starters and play a more prevent-oriented defence.

Alex Vanags, who has been a stand out player in the receiving corps and who finished with four catches for 23 yards, hadn’t caught a ball by this point in the game. Brad Smith was open numerous times, but was repeatedly overthrown. Receiver Scott Valberg also dropped what appeared to be a sure touchdown.

The Gaels coaching staff traditionally waits until sometime during the week to name a starting quarterback, but Brannagan’s late-game performance may give him an edge in the ongoing competition for the starter’s role.

After Smith’s touchdown, the Gaels did execute an onside kick perfectly, recovering the ball and giving them one last chance to put up points. They came close when receiver Rob Bagg made a spectacular one-handed catch on the final play of the game, but was ruled out of bounds in the end zone.

The bright spot in the Gaels offence was running back Mike Giffin. He has emerged as the team’s go-to weapon on the ground, and he tallied 87 yards on 14 carries despite apparently injuring his shoulder in the second half and spending some time on the sidelines. The Queen’s rushing game managed 155 yards alongside just 161 yards through the air.

The Queen’s defence was solid if not spectacular. It took Ottawa 41 minutes and five seconds to score an offensive touchdown, but after that the Gaels seemed to run out of gas. Along with Patone’s impressive performance, defensive backs Kirby Calvert and Ryan Bechmanis provided a physical presence, registering a combined 19 solo tackles. D.J. Mulholland and Neil Puffer joined Patone with a sack each.

The student side of the stadium had emptied by the fourth quarter, and large parts of the alumni side had also departed. The players and coaches were visibly upset with the result and several players declined to comment after the game.

“I don’t really have much to say,” said safety Kirby Calvert. “I’m disappointed right now.”

When asked how he was feeling after the game, head coach Pat Sheahan said “I’ve been better.”

The road to the playoffs does not get any easier for the Gaels. On Saturday, they travel to Hamilton to face the 2-2 McMaster Marauders at 2 p.m. at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Although McMaster has lost several key players from past years, including record-setting running back Jesse Lumsden, they remain a team that can beat anyone in Ontario on any given Saturday.

Queen’s now sits in eighth place out of 10 teams in the OUA, ahead of Guelph and the University of Toronto, who are both winless.

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