Marshall Ferguson

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Ferguson has been great with the football for the majority of the season, doing a solid job at finding his receivers in the endzone and steering the ship for the Marauders team. In his first year as a starter, he has managed to show that he can throw the football just as good as Quinlan did for the past two years. Earlier in the season, Assistant Coach Behie said “he knows our O better than anyone and is ready to jump into the role.” He has jumped into the role famously, and is ranked third in the OUA for completed passes.

Danny Vandervoort

I stepped outside of the University of Guelph athletic centre, and immediately was immersed in a sea of red, black and yellow tights, crop tops, hair bands, sweaters and body paint. As I walked towards Alumni field, it hit me; I was no longer in Marauder territory anymore, and I no longer felt welcome.

People were shouting out cheers as loud as they could outside of the stadium, and the line-up to actually get in was incredibly long. This wasn`t just your typical homecoming weekend; it was homecoming weekend at the University of Guelph, and everyone was ready to get wild.

I was not alone, however, in my anxiety while watching the Marauders play in intense- and somewhat Hollywood sports movie-like conditions. There were many other Marauder fans in attendance for the full-capacity game - multiple buses worth of students.

They wore their maroon and grey loud and proud, and suffered a great deal of chirping and heckling from the rowdy Gryphon crowd. I remember seeing four Marauder fans in front of me, while everyone else was clearly cheering for the home team.

All of a sudden, one drunk guy started to boo, and the entire crowd joined in. Then chants of “fuck McMaster” broke out, and the four Marauder students laughed uncomfortably, but all in all, took the beat-up quite well.

“Go back to your shitty city,” shouted another Guelph fan, which is all in good fun, but always a little bit offensive for the proud Hamiltonian, or proud McMaster student. As the cheers got worse, the weather got worse, and as the weather got worse, the attendance got worse.

It began to be a lot easier to tell who actually gave a damn about the Gryphons football team, and who just wanted to dress up and get drunk. About 40-50 percent of the crowd left at half-time. Yeah, the weather was pretty awful, there were periods of heavy rain, and it had poured pretty much all morning, but come on, it was homecoming, the game was extremely close, and some people just threw in the towel at possibly the worst time to go find a party.

I compared the cheers during the game to our cheers here at Mac, and some of them were the same. One of the cheers went “Mac are pussies” and it confused me, because I thought it made absolutely no sense.

They also do the cheer “one, we are from Mac, two, a little bit louder, three, I still can’t hear you, four, more, more, more, more...one…” except they substitute “we are from Mac” with “we are Gryphons”. Yeah, I thought it didn’t sound right either. But a lot of their cheers were different than ours.

I don’t know if it’s because the Maroons lead the majority of the cheers at the Ron Joyce stadium, but we never really get too inappropriate and offensive here at Mac.

I don’t know if that is a reflection of the modesty we have here, or the fantastic people that choose to come to this school, but I’d say it is a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome being surrounded by 12,000 drunk students for the first half, and it was awesome being awarded free wings for being the loudest section at the game and the Gryphon experience for me was fun, and interesting, but it was also pretty over-rated.

I don’t know if the awful weather set it up that way, but I felt as though I had huge expectations going into it, and was pretty let down by the whole thing. Part of the let- down also stemmed from the fact that if you wanted to go downtown at night, you had to leave really early, because there were line-ups at every bar that were an hour long by 10:00 p.m.

If you wanted to go anywhere, you had to walk, or take the bus (which sometimes would not come) because the cab system there is seriously flawed and hardly convenient.

I know that Mac’s homecoming this year will be different than the Guelph homecoming. I don’t expect there to be 12,000 people in the stands, shouting profanities at everyone. I also don’t expect there to be any major issue with taking a cab anywhere at night. It will be an experience of school pride, and when it comes to university homecoming weekends, nobody does it better than us.

When the Marauders walked into Alumni stadium in Guelph on Sept. 21, they were up against some major challenges, even before kickoff.

One of the setbacks was the absence of RB Jimmy Hill, and OL Matt Sewell, who were forced to watch from the sideline due to a neck and knee injury respectively. Another, more visible setback, was the awful weather conditions that consisted of heavy rain for the majority of the day. To top it off, a home crowd, which consisted of roughly 12,000 Guelph supporters, the majority of them wearing red, black and yellow, were behind the opposing Gryphon team in horrible homecoming conditions.

For assistant head coach Jon Behie, though, the crowd was not the issue.

“As much as it was homecoming and we like to try and win another team’s homecoming, it was just a regular season game at the end of it,” said Behie.

But this game was not just like any normal regular season game. Some might say that this game was a must-win for the Marauders, a team with a record of 2-2.

“It was a big regular season game that we obviously wanted to win,” added Behie.

For the road ahead, Behie remains optimistic, and feels as though the Marauders can still pull off some big wins later on in the season.

“You know it’s better to lose games in September than it is in late October - November, so we need to make sure that we’re in the right frame of mind to know that we can still finish 5-3 and get a home playoff game, and once you’re in the playoffs anything can happen.”

At this point, in order to get to where the coaches would like the team to be, the Marauders are going to have to play close to flawless football. In other words, they are going to have to play the way they did the last two years.

They cannot afford to be making costly mistakes, like what happened in the third quarter in the game against Guelph. The Marauders tossed up several key turnovers and interceptions to the Gryphons team, essentially handing the home team the victory.

Third quarter aside, the remaining three quarters of football for the Marauders showed shades of the recent Vanier Cup finalists.

“I think if we take out the third quarter, and some of our mental mistakes in the third quarter, we’d probably come out on top” said Behie.

“Obviously that’s with maroon-coloured lenses on and trying to look at the positives, but I thought we played a pretty good game and I was proud of the guys for coming back and having a chance to tie it up late.”

And what a comeback it was. With just minutes left in the game, the Marauders managed to chip away at the Gryphon lead, when Tyler Crapigna scored a whopping 43-yard field goal to make the score 24-16. With time running against them, the Marauders looked to tie the game with under a minute of play left.

With 17 seconds left in the game, Marshall Ferguson’s pass to Tyler Loveday resulted in a touchdown. 24-22 Gryphons.

The Marauders were looking to score a two-point conversion to push the game into over-time, but the pass was knocked down, and Guelph ended up coming out on the other end victorious with a 24-22 final.

All was not lost for the Maroon and Grey. There were a lot of positives that could be taken from it that the coaches were happy with

“We got a couple of huge stops on defense that forced them into punting, which gave us a chance, and if we could find a way to match that intensity throughout the course of the entire game, instead of just late in the fourth then I think we will be okay down the stretch run,” said Behie.

The defense did well in the fourth quarter, with multiple tackles to keep the Gryphons from scoring.

Behie was also sure to give a shout out to the offense, specifically the wide receivers, that have been doing an exceptional job thus far.

“Our receivers have played well all season, their catching everything, especially in the conditions that we had.”

As for the things that the team needs to work on, Behie could not have stressed consistency enough.

“Our core stuff is something that we’re planning on polishing up a little bit and that’s the stuff that we really need to get real good at… that consistency, that is championship football that we had the last couple years that we seem to be lacking now,” said Behie.

The championship calibre football team from the last two seasons is still here. It can still come out at any time; Behie knows that all it will take, is everybody to be on their A game, and playing to the best of their abilities

“When we’re at our highest, when we’re all on the same page and playing well, we’re very, very good,” Behie said.

The Marauders will look to be on that level soon, before the book is closed until next season.

The 2013 Marauder football recruits made a strong statement last Sunday playing with a team fresh off their second consecutive trip to the Vanier Cup finals.

After a major win in the first game of the season over the Gee-Gees that saw the Marauders win with a score of 51-24, the coaches and players alike could not be more excited about the depth and talent of this year’s team.

On offense, recruits Danny Vandervoort and Nick Firlit are expected to provide a major impact for the Marauders. Vandervoort, a wide receiver from Barrie, was extremely impressive against the Gee-Gees, where he managed to score a touchdown in his first game wearing the maroon and grey.

“Danny plays fast and has great hands. He was definitely one of the top recruits in the province at the receiver position,” said assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, Jon Behie. “He had a great training camp and we are really excited to see him this year.”

Vandervoort’s outstanding first game was one that also saw the rookie have six receptions for 89 yards. His debut in the maroon and grey uniform was one that was much anticipated by the Bear Creek Secondary School graduate, who always wanted to become a Marauder.

“There really was only one school that I wanted to go to, and it was McMaster” said the 6’2 Vandervoort.

Although the game was indicative of Vandervoort’s athleticism and desire, as a rookie, he knows that his spot is up for grabs, and that he wants to keep his position in the line-up for as long as possible, “My goal is just maintaining my spot… and fighting week by week to maintain my spot,” said Vandervoort.

Vandervoort is also joined up front by Nick Firlit, an offensive lineman out of Burlington, Ont. Firlit has a lot of potential that the coaches were looking for as the former captain of his high school team, the M.M Robinson Rams, and his [Ontario Football Conference] team, the Burlington Stampeders.

“(Nick) was one of the most sought after Offensive Linemen in Ontario, if not the whole country” said recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach Frank Gesztesi. “We were thrilled when he decided to become a Marauder. He will make an impact sooner than later.”

Firlit also brings a lot of experience to the table, as he has represented Team Ontario West in the Canada Cup two years ago, and has been named a Halton Tier 1 all-star.

Another recruit on offense expected to make a difference this year are Tyler Filson, who will play backup quarterback to fellow Kingston, Ont. native, and Frontenac graduate Marshall Ferguson.

Filson came in late to the game against the Gee-Gees and completed his first pass as a Marauder to teammate Max Cameron.  On defense, recruits Mark Mackie, Fabion Foote and Jerelle Vaughan are expected help the team early on this season.

Mackie, a Defensive Tackle from London, won MVP last year for his high school team, the Saunders Sabres, and is a recipient of the Dr. Jim Allen Award, which is awarded to London’s top high school linemen. He also won the Ontario Varsity Football League Provincial Championship last summer with the London Jr. Mustangs.

“He is lightning-quick off the ball, he uses his hands well, he should make a splash early” said recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach, Frank Gesztesi.

Mackie is also joined by Fabion Foote, a defensive tackle from Toronto and a graduate of Thistletown High School. He was named one of the top athletes of Etobicoke this year.

Recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach Frank says that “[Foote] has a motor that does not stop, he is quick off the ball and aggressive, and he should challenge early.”

Other recruits on defense include Jerelle Vaughan, a Kitchener, Ont. native and an OFC Championship winner with the undefeated Varsity Predators last year.

When asked about his feelings before the game, Vandervoort said, “not too nervous, because we were really prepared, and Coach P. [sic] says if you’re nervous, then you’re not prepared.”

Looks like the Marauders are more than prepared.

Alexandra Reilly

Assistant Sports Editor

McMaster’s 2013 Vanier Cup loss to the Laval Rouge et Or proved to be not just a scoreboard loss for the squad; rather, it symbolized so much more. It marked the end of an era for the McMaster football program. After taking his last knee in the maroon uniform, #12 played his last game as a Marauder and finished his five-year leadership role with the McMaster Football Program. After five years behind the high-powered Marauder, McMaster will face their first season without their superstar Quarterback.

With Quinlan bowing out for the first time in five years, Marshall Ferguson will now take over as the leader of the squad for the 2013-14 Season. In his three seasons as the back up, this Kingston native will quickly become an important figure for the Marauder football family.

Not only has Ferguson proven to be an effective member of the Marauder football organization but also has major skill to back him up as he has thrown for over 1,600 yards total in his time with the Marauders. Ferguson also proved his skill after he was asked to attend the annual East-West Bowl this year.

During this year’s off-season, Ferguson was able to attend training camp with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders where he was able to gain valuable skill and knowledge from Calgary’s offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson. With a more skilled playbook in his hands and a once-in-a-life-time experience at CFL training camp, Ferguson will come into the start of the season stronger than ever, with a Vanier Cup caliber team to back him up.

After sitting down with the Marauders own #67 Bryce Hudson I was able to gain some valuable insight into the upcoming season without Quinlan and his thoughts about his new leader Marshall Ferguson.

“Marsh is a great guy and an excellent leader,” Hudson enthused. “He has a full understanding of our offence and is definitely the guy that we need after losing Kyle Quinlan.”

Not only does Ferguson possess a fighting personality but he proved himself to the world when he was given the grueling duty of stepping in for a suspended Kyle Quinlan during the 2011-12 season.

“He clearly held the ability to start two years ago when he lead us to a 3-0 record versus Guelph, Windsor and Waterloo while Kyle was out,” said Hudson. “Since then, he has only gotten more practice reps, more game snaps and the ability to experience the CFL, as he attended the Calgary Stampeder's training camp,” he added.

Although Quinlan will not be gearing for this 2013-14 football season, Quinlan’s valuable CIS experience will prove to a useful tool in the molding of this year’s squad. Opting for a coaching role this year at McMaster, Quinlan will use his valuable knowledge of the game to once again lead the Marauders. Since Ferguson has spent the better part of his football career at McMaster being led by Quinlan, it will only guarantee him success to have his long-time leader remain near by.

Now that the torch has finally been passed down to #2 in maroon, Ferguson will soon begin to deal with the pressures of leading an entire squad, a pressure that a now-coach Quinlan is all too familiar with.

The team is looking forward to their new beginning under the leadership of a new hardworking Marauder. Although all good things must come to an end, this end is now the start of a new beginning for the boys in maroon and for our former Quarterback and school hero Kyle Quinlan.

The 105th Yates Cup will be played on Nov. 10, 2012 at Ron Joyce Stadium between the defending champion McMaster Marauders and the Cinderella story Guelph Gryphons, a matchup that was decided by an exciting day of semi final action in the OUA.

In the first of two games on Saturday Nov. 3, the Gryphons sent the visiting Queen’s Gaels packing in a nail-biting 42-39 overtime victory. Freshman quarterback Jazz Lindsey continued to impress, marching his team up the field with his team down two scores in the fourth quarter. Guelph’s defense, which has been impressive all season, was able to hold the Gael’s attack to a field goal in overtime- setting up a game-winning Lindsey touchdown pass.

By the time that game had concluded, the second semi-final between McMaster and the Western Mustangs was already underway. The first half was a struggle for the Maroon and Grey, who were down by a score of 18-17 as the clock ticked down in the third quarter.

For the first time this season Mac was down in the second half and with their backs to the goal line. Kyle Quinlan took control of the game hitting a familiar target for the biggest play of the season. It was almost as if time had stopped for a moment when McMaster’s Michael DiCroce ran into the endzone, completing a 103 yard reception from a Quinlan pass.

Last year, an eerily similar play yielded an eerily similar result for Mac. During the 104th Yates Cup, with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, Quinlan threw one of the most memorable passes in program history: a 102 yard touchdown connection with none other than Michael DiCroce.  Mac won that game.

And it was that connection once again that would propel the Marauders to victory.

From that point, there would be no stopping the Marauders who won the game by a score of 42-28. DiCroce, in his first game of the season after suffering a broken foot during training camp, earned player of the game honors for his four receptions, 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Quinlan contributed a usually strong performance despite the slow start and running back Tanner Forsyth added two scores on the ground.

Ron Joyce was electric and even the fireworks from atop Heddon Hall could not drown out the noisy demonstration of just how much football means to this school. Winning has become a custom at McMaster, as this team has not lost a single football game since Sept. 10, 2011.

With their semi final win on Saturday the Marauders tied a CIS record for the most consecutive victories with 19, previously set by the Laval Rouge et Or in 2004-05.

The only thing standing between McMaster, that record and a second straight Yates Cup is the Guelph Gryphons. The last time these two teams played was the first game of the 2012 regular season. McMaster won 50-9.

After a convincing victory against the York Lions by a score of 54-14, the McMaster Marauders inched one step closer to a perfect season. Last year, winning the national championship, Mac finished 7-1 in the regular season and this year’s perfect result so far is, in fact, an improvement.

Approaching this weekend’s homecoming game, Mac has a chance to improve on their result from last year. The injury trouble experienced by this team has been notable; regardless, the Marauders have responded with spectacular play, making the injuries simply a bump in the road.

“Regardless of our injuries issues, we try to push and get better every week. The quest for the Yates cup is not one you can succeed at every week if you don’t try and get better. Instead of focusing on who isn’t there, we try to focus on developing on who is there,” said Head Coach Stefan Ptaszek of his team’s resilience so far this season.

Mac’s injuries have been less notable this season due to the sizeable contribution from players like running back Kaesean Davis. “The big thing with the injuries to Chris Pezzetta and Jimmy hill has been he development of Kasean Davis. Everyone sees the great open field funning, but its pass protection and the things that are harder to spot which make this kid special. He can pick up a linebacker blitzing full speed, even with his limited experience. He has been a joy to watch,” said Ptaszek.

It is not just the offence that needs help either. The defence has experienced its fair share of challenges as the usually dominant secondary has had some bumps and bruises. According to Ptaszek, “Our secondary is a little dinged up and you are seeing the emergence of our younger players filling in the roles. Some of these young kids can play. We are getting great play from a very good rookie class.”

It may be the veterans, it may be the rookies, but something about this team is different and unique, even from last years history-making squad. Obviously, a 6-0 team is one with a plethora of solid players. But only 12 men can be put on the field at once. Maybe McMaster has something else in its arsenal.

“At the end of the process, to earn first place and have home advantage during the playoffs. We are definitely aware of this and we need to win one of the next two games to guarantee that. Hopefully a sold out crowd at Ron Joyce will help us do that,” said Ptaszek of his upcoming weekend.

“We want to continue to grow that culture, loyalty and develop that fan base not only now but throughout the playoffs. Having home field advantage, including a possible national semi-final on campus is important. That 13th man is going to be a big help as the competition gets tighter and the margins for error get smaller,” he continued.

The support of Mac fans has been electric this year. Something about defending a national championship has translated into a campus wide appreciation for football that didn’t even exist a year ago.

Ptaszek is thankful for this, and commented, “Playing our tougher opponents at home has been amazing. Getting to play our tougher opponents at home was great, and the fans were a big part of that.”

This weekend, McMaster will look to live up to the expectations of the team and the coach: a sold out stadium of cheering and passionate fans.  At the same time, those crazed fans are excited for what they have come to expect - a sizeable win at Ron Joyce.

The game itself will kick-off at Ron Joyce on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. and with a victory, the Marauders will clinch home advantage in the playoffs, a luxury they did not have last season, and we all know how that one ended.

Babic and Quinlan have become one of the most feared WR-QB combo in the CIS.

Ryan Granberg has made a name for himself in the CIS for being difficult to contain.

After leading the conference in rushing last season, the Queen’s running back has started strong through three games and continued to play well on Sept. 22 at Ron Joyce.

Facing a stingy Mac defence seemed to affect Granberg’s production.

He rushed for 110 yards on 20 carries, which is just short of his season per-game average of 118 yards.
Granberg, though, was unable to break a big run that would swing the momentum in Queen’s favor.

The first half belonged completely to McMaster thanks in large part to a tremendous performance from a back of their own.

Continuing his break on to the scene this year, second-year back Kaesean Davis carried the ball 17 times for 134 yards and two scores.

Davis did manage to break a big run of his own, running at one point for a 36-yard gain.

The defence was also spectacular, allowing no more than one field goal until well into the second half.
In the end, McMaster came out on top with a score of 33-20, which depicts a much closer game than what actually took place.

At one point, the Marauders had the Gaels pinned 33-3.

A series of penalties though, including a block in the back that brought back a 100-yard kick return by Mac, hindered any progress that could have been.

McMaster was flagged 17 times for 87 yards, a total which erased first down plays on several drives and helped Queen’s get back into the football game.

Otherwise, Mac did not turn over the ball. Kyle Quinlan, who has yet to throw an interception this season, completed 25 of 36 for 340 yards and two touchdowns.

Gael’s starter Billy McPhee had an excellent game as well, throwing for 320 yards and a touchdown.

From the start, McMaster had a firm control of the game, never relinquishing a lead to the visiting team from Kingston, which entered the weekend right on par with the Marauders atop the OUA standings.

Now, the 4-0 Maroon and Grey must look ahead to their next game against the powerhouse Western Mustangs (3-1), who were Mac’s opponent in last year’s Yates Cup.

Through four games last season, Mac was 3-1: their only loss came against Western.

The weekend featured back-to-back games for McMaster. First, Mac took on the University of Guelph Gryphons at home, and then headed on the road to Oshawa to take on the UOIT Ridgebacks.

The Marauders returned to the win column after defeating Guelph 3-1. The scoring began with Gersi Xhuti netting his third goal of the season from inside the box in the 26th minute.

The Marauder lead would stand for only eight minutes, as the Gryphons would beat the Mac defense to tie the game up. The goal was spurred by a long Guelph throw and would eventually find the back of the net after hectic action deep in McMaster’s own end.

Mac’s offense broke loose after the Gryphons’ first goal, scoring two goals in the next four minutes of play. The Gryphons defense was unable to control the Maroon attack, as Paterson Farrell broke the 1-1 tie in the 37th minute. The team’s leading goal scorer would knock home the eventual game winner after a free kick from McMaster caused chaos in front of the Guelph net.

The game would be put out of reach after defenseman Robert Schlosser found teammate Andrew Pastoric on a cross in the 40th minute. Pastoric’s goal was the first of his career and put the nail in the Gryphon’s coffin.

On Sunday, the Marauders boarded the team bus heading to Durham Region to take on the Ridgebacks. This match would net more promising results, as McMaster shut out UOIT 1-0.

McMaster displayed determination on Sunday, dominating the seventh-place UOIT team. Andrew Pastoric would score his second goal of the 2012 campaign in the third minute of the game to give the Marauders their second win in a row.

At the final whistle, McMaster led the shot totals 13-2 and showed discipline in their win, earning no cards from the referee. Second-year goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo earned his first clean sheet of the year, continuing his strong season.

On Friday, Coach Dino Perri and his squad will take his team to St. Catherines and play the winless Brock Badgers. Mac currently sits at second place in the OUA East and will aim to catch the leading York Lions.

With 26 seconds left in the first half of the Marauders 2012 season debut against the Guelph Gryphons, Kyle Quinlan jumped over a sideline advertisement after one of his several first down runs on the day. What would normally be a highlight reel play sealed with a glare at the record-setting opening day crowd, has become the show that Marauder fans and the OUA have come to expect from Saturdays at Ron Joyce.

Rushing the ball ten other times for a total of 109 yards, the nation’s best passer asserted both McMaster’s and his own poise to defend the title of national champions - a task made to be imperative for the Maroon and Grey.

Even the national anthem was drowned out by the buzz in and around the stadium, which featured a large line waiting to enter until well through the first quarter. No pressure at all.

However, with a target on their back and the weight of an entire campus resting on their shoulder pads, the Marauders demonstrated what all the hype was about.

After giving up an early score to the visiting team, Mac settled down on both sides of the ball. Two and outs turned into efficient drives, which soon became an onslaught of Robert Babic receptions for six. The fourth year slot back from Oakville, Ont. who scored three touchdowns in last year’s regular season, caught the ball eight times for 165 yards and two scores on Saturday.

As a result, Babic received player of the game honors - an accolade for which several Marauders could have made a case. One of those players, linebacker Ben D’Aguilar, earned himself a spot as the OUA defensive player of the week recording five tackles and three sacks.

The final score of the game was 50-9 in favor of the #1 ranked Marauders whose next game comes against the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday September 8 in Waterloo, Ont.

What appears to be an easy start to the schedule for Mac will quickly escalate as only a week later the nationally ranked Queen’s Gaels will come to town.

All things considered, Saturday was an excellent start to what is surely to be the most closely followed season in program history. The national spotlight seems to bring out only the best of not only the football team, but also the entire community.

By the looks of it, the Marauders are at the forefront of the growing popularity of Canadian university football. With exciting performances on the field and competitive title races, maybe one day the Vanier Cup and Hec Creighton will share the same buzz as the same awards south of the border. It’s a good place to start.