The rookie-laden Waterloo Warriors played their best game of the OUA football season on Saturday afternoon in Waterloo. Unfortunately, the visiting Queen's Gaels did, too.

The Gaels used some opportunistic turnovers and a balanced offense to defeat the Warriors 54-20 on a cool, wet Reunion weekend at Warrior Field.

The Gaels outgained the Warriors 478 yards to 273 yards, while getting 100-yard performances out of quarterback Nate Hobbs (274 yards passing), Jonah Pataki (133 yards rushing) and Chris Osei-Kusi (106 yards receiving). The win pushes the Gaels' record to 2-3, while Waterloo drops to 0-6 heading into their bye week.

Lucas McConnell (Waterford) was solid despite being under heavy pressure from the vaunted Queen's pass rush, as the third-year Warriors pivot went 16-39 with 216 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton) caught a touchdown pass for Waterloo, while fellow rookie Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford) scored his first career CIS touchdown on the ground.

The undisputed star of the afternoon, though, was Waterloo rookie linebacker Kurtis Gray (Waterloo). The Resurrection high school grad and true freshman was a force all afternoon, with 9.5 total tackles (9 solo), a sack of Hobbs, and four pass breakups in coverage.

Lucas Merlin (Burlington) also chipped in with a sack and a highlight-reel interception for the Warriors, while veteran linebacker Brandon Corelli (Sault Ste. Marie) added 6 solo tackles. Caleb Girard (Waterford) gave the Warriors a string kicking game all day as well, going 2-2 on field goal attempts and averaging 35.4 yards per punt on a gusty day.

The Warriors will now head to their much-needed bye week before resuming their season on October 15 against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Kickoff at Varsity Stadium in Toronto is slated for 1pm.