HAMILTON, ON – There will be a new Yates Cup champion in 2016.
 
On Saturday evening in Hamilton, the Gryphons lost 17-11 in an OUA football Quarterfinal matchup at Ron Joyce Stadium versus the No. 4-ranked team in the country in the McMaster Marauders. The Marauders advance to the OUA Semifinals where they will face Laurier next Saturday in Waterloo, while the defending Yates Cup champion Gryphons officially have their 2016 season come to an end.
 
Gryphons third year quarterback James Roberts came within one play of completing what would have been one of the most memorable drives in school history. Trailing by six points with :59 seconds remaining in the final quarter, Roberts and company took over at their own 30-yard line. The task at hand was a difficult one:  drive 80-yards for a game-winning touchdown with no timeouts at your disposal against the country's No. 3-ranked defence. And the Gryphons nearly pulled it off.
 
















Roberts led an impressive drive that saw the Gryphons cover 68 yards in 6 plays to move the ball all the way down to the McMaster 12-yard line. Included on the drive were back-to-back first down receptions by rookie receiver Jordan Terrio; a 3rd and short conversion from fourth year running back Johnny Augustine; and an electrifying 28-yard completion from Roberts to rookie Kian Schaffer-Baker which took the Gryphons down to the McMaster 12-yard line with :08 seconds remaining. On the seventh play of the drive, Roberts would fire a pass over the middle intended for Schaffer-Baker, only to see it intercepted on the goaline by Marauders senior free safety Keldyn Ahlsted on what was the final play of the game. During the regular season, McMaster led the country with 17 interceptions. Their team's 18th interception of the season saved their season and abruptly put an end to what was a sensational late-game drive by the Gryphons.
 
One player who was dearly missed by the Gryphons during the game's final drive was fifth year receiver A'dre Fraser. The former OUA All-Star receiver was forced to leave the game with around five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter due to a lower body injury. Fraser, who was helped off the field and unable to put any weight on his foot, made sure to make an impact on the game prior to his departure in what was the final appearance of his impressive Gryphon career. Fraser accounted for what was the only touchdown of the first half, from either team, by connecting with Roberts for a 32-yard TD pass. After hauling in the quick-hitter, Fraser would race down the sideline and into the endzone to give Guelph a 7-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Fraser finished the game with a team-high 7 receptions and 93-yards. Fraser also got plenty of help on his touchdown reception as Gryphons left tackle Jaylan Guthrie was able to make a terrific down-field block, taking out three McMaster defensive backs simultaneously to help spring Fraser for the score. The Gryphons would end the opening half with an impressive 48-yard field goal from Gabe Ferraro to take a 10-3 lead to the locker room at halftime.
 
From a defensive perspective on Saturday, the Gryphons put together arguably their best performance of the entire season. From start to finish, the Gryphon 'D' came up big time and time again against a McMaster offence that is loaded with star players. McMaster's bruising fifth year running back Chris Pezetta, who ran for a season-high 143 yards the last time these two teams met, was held to just 43 yards on 14 carries. Marauders star QB Asher Hastings, who last year set a CIS/U Sports record with 31 TD passes during the regular season, was held in check throughout the game. Through the first three quarters of play, McMaster was only able to muster six points as the Gryphons took a 10-6 lead to the fourth. Defensive tackle Corey Flude recorded a sack and a fumble recovery while third year linebacker Luke Korol had a game-high 9.5 tackles. For the first three and a half quarters, the Marauders had no answer for the Gryphon defence. Midway through the fourth, they would finally get their break through.
 
















An 11 play, 75-yard drive by the Marauders would be capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Asher Hastings to Dan Petermann. After the extra point, the Marauders led 14-11 with 7:20 remaining. With under three minutes to go, McMaster had a chance to put the game away, but once again, the Gryphon defence came up huge and were able to prevent the Marauders from finding the endzone, instead forcing them to settle for a 23-yard field goal to keep it a one-score game.
 
With 1:22 left in the final quarter, the Gryphon offence committed a turnover on downs, giving McMaster the ball at their own 39-yard line. The Marauders just needed to keep the ball on the ground and run out the clock to secure the victory. That's easier said than done versus the Gryphon defence. The Gryphons were able to force a quick two-and-out, giving the ball back to Roberts and company with :59 seconds remaining, setting up what as a dramatic final drive of the game.
 
Not only did Saturday's game signal perhaps the best defensive effort from the Gryphons this season, it also signalled the team's most composed performance of the year. The Gryphons committed just one penalty for 10 yards in the game, compared to 12 penalties for 70 yards from McMaster, while Roberts was able to avoid throwing any interceptions against a ball-hawking Marauder defence until finally being picked off on the game's final play.

After the game, Gryphons head coach Kevin MacNeill praised his team's effort, "Our guys today did everything we asked them to do and left it all out on the field. I can't say enough about how proud I am of how hard this group has worked.
 
"We were forced to deal with a lot of adversity this year, from changes in coaching to injuries, and our players really pulled together. Our fifth year guys can leave knowing they've made this one of the top programs in the country."