WATERLOO, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors combined to score 34-points in the 4th quarter alone in what was a wild, back-and-forth affair on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 30) at Warrior Field. When the dust finally settled, it was the Waterloo Warriors (2-3) coming away with a 30-23 victory over the Gryphons (3-3).
The Warriors held a slim lead for each of the first three quarters of play, but the Gryphons would receive a spark in the 4th quarter thanks to their electric, first-year quarterback,
Marshall McCray. The 19-year-old rookie took over the Gryphons starting quarterback duties early in the 4th quarter, after fellow freshman QB and reigning U SPORTS Offensive Player of the Week,
Tristan Aboud, was forced to leave the game due to injury.
Marshall McCray wasted no time making his impact felt, leading the Gryphons to a go-ahead score, thanks to a 32-yard pass to first-year receiver
Willem Arseneau, giving the Gryphons a 15-14 lead with just over 8 minutes remaining in the game.
McCray, who arrived at the University of Guelph in 2023 after a standout high school career at Notre Dame College School in Welland, would add to the Gryphon lead with just under 4 minutes to go, with the dual-threat QB getting it done with his feet, running it in from 16-yards out to put Guelph up 22-14.
The touchdown run from McCray marked his U SPORTS-leading 7th rushing touchdown of the season. The Gryphons would add a rouge with 2:18 to play, extending the Guelph lead to 23-14.
But the Warriors would battle back over the final two minutes of play. The Gryphon defence shut down Waterloo quarterback, Nick Orr, for the majority of the day, with the Warriors QB finishing the game with just five completions (5-for-15, 103 yards, 1 TD). But Orr's biggest completion of the day would come with 2 minutes remaining, as he found Warriors receiver James Basalyga behind the Gryphon secondary for a 68-yard completion down to the Guelph 7-yard line. Waterloo's third-year running back, Anthony Miller, would punch it in from there, trimming the deficit to just two, with Guelph still leading 23-21.
On the ensuing Guelph possession,
Marshall McCray would elude a trio of Waterloo tacklers in the backfield, before running for 1st down yardage. But at the end of the play, the Warriors were able to force a McCray fumble, with Waterloo recovering on their own 50-yard line with 1:41 to go. From there, the Warriors would move the ball down the field and into field goal range, with running back Anthony Miller doing the heavy lifting for the Warriors, picking up a trio of 1st down runs.
Miller finished the day with 229 yards rushing on 29 carries. Waterloo kicker Cole Crossett would split the uprights in the dying seconds from 23-yards out to give Waterloo a 24-23 lead, with 0.1 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, the Gryphons would lateral out of desperation, leading to a scoop-and-score from Waterloo's Caelen Fraser on the game's final play, making the final score Waterloo 30, Guelph 23. The win marked the Gryphons first loss to the Warriors since the 2005 season.
Gryphon running back,
Donavin Milloy, eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season, with the sophomore from Hamilton finishing the day with 16 carries for 158 yards, highlighted by a 76-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. Gryphon rookie quarterback,
Tristan Aboud, finished the day 9-of-17, 88 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT prior to leaving the game early in the 4th quarter due to injury.
Marshall McCray was 2-of-3 passing, for 42 yards and 1 TD in relief, with the human kinetics major also adding 72-yards rushing on 9 attempts on the ground.
The Gryphons (3-3) will now head into their Bye Week, and will return to action on Saturday, October 14 when they host the Queen's Gaels (2-3) at the University of Guelph's Alumni Stadium.
