Over the first three quarters of Saturday's massive contest at Warrior Field, the McMaster Marauders were able to keep the high-flying Waterloo offense at bay. But in the final 15 minutes, the Warriors reminded the entire OUA just how explosive they could be.
Waterloo scored 25 straight points – 22 in the final quarter – and the Warriors took another step closer to their first playoff appearance in 15 years with a 34-16 victory over the Marauders on senior day at Warrior Field. The win vaults Waterloo into a four-team logjam at 4-3, while the loss drops McMaster into the same spot with an identical 4-3 record.
The Warriors were once again led by their dynamic pass-catch duo of Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) and Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/): Ford, the second-year pivot, completed 27 of 35 passes for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding 99 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Ternowski inched his way closer to the record book by registering 12 catches for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns, giving him 12 on the season – one shy of the OUA all-time mark for receiving touchdowns in a season, held by former Laurier great Stefan Ptazek.
Fifth-year receiver Richmond Nketiah (Brampton/) hauled in 5 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in his final regular season home game, while Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) added 84 yards rushing and a 35-yard touchdown rumble in the fourth-quarter outbreak.
For the Marauders, Andreas Dueck completed 21 of 31 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown, while Levi Paul caught 6 passes for 105 yards. Tommy Neild added a touchdown reception in the third quarter, but the Waterloo defence held McMaster in check all afternoon – the Warriors outgained Mac 482 to 346 yards, and held the Marauders' vaunted ground game to just 102 yards rushing on the day.
After a first half that saw only one major scored – a 20-yard rainbow from Ford to Ternowski inside the right corner of the endzone – the Marauders came out in the second half and decided to take the ball first, foregoing the wind in the fourth quarter. It looked like the right call initially, as Dueck led McMaster down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive of the half to make it 11-9 Marauders. Then, after forcing a two-and-out, the Marauders got the ball back deep inside Waterloo territory, when punter Caleb Girard (Waterford/) mishandled the snap on the ensuing punt.
But Waterloo's defence battened down the hatches, and gave up only a field goal, before the offense marched down the field and earned three points of their own when Girard hit from 24 yards out into a stiff headwind. With the score 14-12 McMaster, Waterloo got the wind at their backs for the final quarter, and made the most out of it.
First, it was a five-yard hookup from Ford to Ternowski for the second time in the afternoon, capping off an 8-play, 74-yard drive that included a fake punt conversion on the direct snap to Mitch Kernick (Elmira/). Then, after Tyrese Brissett (Brampton/) and Devon Hinsperger (Waterloo/) teamed up on a second-down sack, and the Marauders failed in their own attempt at a fake punt, Ford hit Nketiah from 7 yards out to stretch the Waterloo lead to 27-14. And finally, following Gray's interception, Pellerin rumbled in from 35 yards to cap off the scoring for the hosts.
All told, the Waterloo offense scored 25 straight points in four consecutive drives, all while the Warriors defence denied McMaster even a single first-down conversion.
The defensive charge was headed by veteran linebacker Gray, who finished the day with a team-leading 6.5 tackles, a pass breakup, and his first career interception. The Warriors also finished with five sacks as a team, including one-and-a-half each from Brissett and Hinsperger. And finally, Joshua Brown (Etobicoke/) had three tackles for a loss and a forced fumble, as he asserted Waterloo's strength on the defensive line.
The Warriors will now look to clinch a playoff spot against another member of the 4-3 OUA logjam, as they visit the Guelph Gryphons to finish their regular season. Kickoff at Alumni Stadium in Guelph is slated for 1pm on Saturday, October 20.
