If the Waterloo Warriors were destined to have an off-week, it's better now than later.

The Warriors were held to a season-low 298 yards of total offense, as they dropped their regular season finale 31-14 to the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.

The loss sees the Warriors finish with a 4-4 record for the third straight season. But, for the second straight year, Waterloo has earned a playoff spot – the Warriors clinched their place in the postseason before hitting the field on Saturday, and they'll claim the fifth seed and a date with the fourth-seed Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarterfinals next week.

Meanwhile, the victory gave McMaster a 6-2 record and a first-round bye as the second seed. Marauders running backs Justice Allin and Jordan Lyons led the attack for the hosts on Saturday, as each piled up 100 yards rushing and a touchdown on the day. Meanwhile, Waterloo's Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) added 89 yards and two touchdowns, as the fourth-year back finished second in the OUA in rushing yards (977) and first in touchdowns (11).

Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) was held out of the endzone, completing 18 of 24 passes for 157 yards and an interception. Mac pivot Andreas Dueck went 21-31 with 224 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The Marauders jumped out to a quick start on both sides of the ball, as their defence forced a two-and-out before Blake Reason scampered in from three yards out. As the Marauders defence kept Waterloo off-balance, the offense hit its stride in the second quarter with 17 straight points. At the end of 30 minutes, the Warriors had only mustered a pair of first downs, as they trailed 24-0.

But Waterloo caught the Marauders off-guard with a pooch kickoff at the start of the second half, and Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) recovered the loose ball. But while the black and gold were able to move the ball more effectively on the ensuing drive, they were stymied on third-and-goal to come away scoreless.

Pellerin and the run game go on track as the third quarter continued, and the Warriors got on the board with a 10-yard rushing touchdown late in the third. But any hope of a comeback was dashed when Allin ripped off a 57-yard score early in the fourth, as the hosts went up 31-7. Pellerin's second touchdown of the day rounded out the scoring with just under seven minutes to play.   

The Warriors had some bright spots on a tough day, as Tyrell Ford (Niagara Falls/) and Daeshaun Jupiter-Deane (Pickering/) each came up with red zone interceptions, while Andy Melo (Georgetown/), Michael Reid (Sault Ste. Marie/), and Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) each registered five solo tackles. Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) caught three passes for 63 yards, while Gordon Lam's (Kitchener/) 6 catches gave him the OUA receptions title with 52 on the year.

The Warriors will now refocus and prepare for a trip to the nation's capital for a meeting with the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the Yates Cup quarterfinal game. It will be the first meeting between the teams since the final week of 2017, when Ottawa edged out a 40-30 victory. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm from Gee-Gees Field, and the game will be live on oua.tv.