The Gaels football squad wasn’t pleased to break a five-year old team record in their Labour Day season opener against the defending OUA champion Laurier Golden Hawks. The team was shut out for the first time since the 2000 season, falling 45-0.
“We’re very disappointed, and I’ve got to take full responsibility for what happened,” said head coach Pat Sheahan. “We were not ready to play.”
The Queen’s defence played hard, forcing Laurier into several long scoring drives, but the offence was unable to capitalize on any of its opportunities. Despite some flashes of what it may be capable of, the offensive unit stalled repeatedly.
“We didn’t really cash in on any of our offensive opportunities,” Sheahan said.
Quarterback Ali Clarkson narrowly missed receiver Brad Smith on what could have been two very long es. On both occasions, Smith had a step on the Laurier defensive backs but was unable to catch up to the throws. Clarkson also barely missed Rob Bagg on a similar play in the third quarter.
Promising rookie quarterback Danny Brannagan replaced Clarkson for the fourth quarter and completed 10 of 16 es for 110 yards in a strong showing. Clarkson had managed five of 10 attempts for 56 yards and one interception, as well as carrying the ball four times for 40 yards.
While it appeared that Clarkson would be the entrenched starter, the players’ respective performances raise questions as to who will fill the starter’s role as the season wears on.
“Those decisions tend to make themselves,” Sheahan said of the quarterback question. “If you play well, it behooves the coaching staff to put you on the field. [Clarkson] didn’t have his best outing, so what he needs to do is rebound in the next game.”
Without an obvious star quarterback, the Gaels’ famous -heavy offence of the Tommy Denison era may be fading. That shifts a great deal of focus to fourth-year running back Chris Rogan, who ran the ball eight times for 39 yards against Laurier, including some impressive first-down carries.
“We have the potential to be more balanced,” Sheahan said. “The dictates of the [Laurier] game pushed us in one direction, but our goal by the end of the season is to be a balanced offence.”
The Gaels’ defence had trouble against the run, giving up 267 yards rushing. Laurier’s star pivot, Ryan Pyear, had a reasonable 212 yards ing, and was very efficient, completing nearly 74 per cent of his es. Queen’s defensive back Kirby Calvert was a standout in the Gaels’ secondary, breaking up multiple dangerous es.
Queen’s faces the York Lions next after a short week of practice. The two teams have a history of close games.
“York’s athletic—they’re fast and scrappy,” Sheahan said. “They always give us a tough game. They’re a team that’s evolving.”
The Gaels’ preparation will focus on two aspects of York’s play: The Lions’ formidable running game—led by all-star back Andre Durie—and their defence’s unwillingness to give up big plays.
“Andre Durie is always a concern, but I think it will be a real treat for the fans in Kingston to watch him play,” Sheahan said. “They also play a lot of four-deep coverage, which don’t tend to give you a lot of shots up the field.”
The Gaels will have to be patient and take their opportunities underneath to move the ball against the York defence, Sheahan said. Sheahan and his players are eager to atone for the lopsided loss to Laurier and improve as a team. While they are looking to begin this quest against York, it remains a season-long goal, Sheahan said.
“With a team like ours, the goal is to get better every week,” said Sheahan. “We’re just looking to play a whole lot better.”
Sheahan said his players are grateful for the of the 7,500 fans who attended the Laurier game. He said such makes a great difference to them, and that they will continue to work to earn it.
“We feel really bad,” he said. “We had a great crowd, especially students, and I want the appeal to be to them to keep coming out.”
Sheahan’s confidence in his team has not wavered, he added.
“We’ll give [the fans] something to cheer about before the season’s out,” he said.
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