Queens Football’s historic season comes to an emotional end in the prairies.
On Nov. 15, the Men’s Football team travelled to the harsh cold conditions of Saskatoon to take on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the U Sports semi-final—more familiarly known as the Mitchell Bowl. Coming off an upset of Laurier in the Yates Cup, the Gaels faced another tough test against the nationally third-ranked Huskies.
READ MORE: Men’s football makes history, winning their 24th Yates Cup
The game had all the hallmarks of a gritty playoff matchup, with both teams feeling each other out in their first-ever meeting. That’s until the Huskies get the first punch with a 41-yard touchdown to take an early 7-1 lead. Subsequently, both teams traded multiple drives that couldn’t get out of their respective sides of the field.
Momentum, however, began to tilt as the second quarter unfolded.
The defensive standoff held through most of the second quarter until the Huskies broke it open with an 85-yard punt return at 3:30, extending their lead to 14–1. On the next drive, Saskatchewan’s defence forced a fumble deep in Queen’s territory, setting up another scoring chance. But just as the Huskies looked ready to pull further ahead, Keegan Vanek, ArtSci ’26, cut it off with an interception at the goal line. Queen’s pushed the ball back upfield, only to be stopped on third down at the Huskies’ 38-yard line.
Down by 13 at halftime, the Queen’s offence stormed onto the field and got right to work. Alex Vreeken Kin ’26, led the offence with five passes downfield, capped off with a 17-yard pass to Cedric Smith ArtSci ’26 for a touchdown and cutting the deficit to six. Trying to swing the momentum, the Queen’s defence delivered a huge stop after a big Huskies gain. But it came at a cost—Queen’s was pinned deep in its own end, leading to a safety. The Huskies would get the ball and push it into Queen’s side of the field, until Justin Pace ArtSci ’26, ends it with an interception on the Queen’s 17-yard line.
The fourth quarter started promisingly, as the Queens’ offence had the potential to tie the game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. They were abruptly stopped on the Saskatchewan 9-yard line, forcing a field goal and cutting the deficit to 16-11. The Huskies would add two more field goals and lock down the Gaels’ tries at a miraculous comeback, ending the historic Queens season.
Few would have expected the Gaels to make it this far, coming off a heavy loss to Windsor and facing the OUA’s top-ranked team in the Yates Cup. Their run ended in Saskatoon, but after several tough seasons, the Gaels proved they could compete at this level.
Tags
Football, Mitchell Bowl, U Sports, Yates Cup
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