University of Toronto Athletics

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team fell 26-6 versus the No. 8 nationally ranked McMaster Marauders on Friday (Oct. 9) afternoon in Hamilton.

In the Battle of Lake Ontario, the Blues defence opened the game putting the Marauders under immense pressure. With sacks from fourth-year linebacker Elia Lini and third-year defensive back Oskar McPhie on back-to-back drives, and then a McPhie interception, the home side struggled to advance past midfield through the majority of the opening half. And while they would notch a field goal, the Blues responded with one of their own from 28-yards out via first-year kicker Filippo Marcello keeping the game even.

U of T were able to continue to stalemate the nationally ranked opponents until late in the second quarter. But McMaster took advantage of a number of Toronto missteps late in the half to quickly add two field goals and a touchdown in the last five minutes, jumping out to a 16-3 advantage.

The Blues showed a resurgence after the break starting the second half with an 11-play, 69-yard drive to setup another Marcello field goal. However, Toronto would run out of steam offensively as they were unable to replicate the success of the opening drive.

Despite the difficulty, the Blues defence were still able to make a number of big plays with fourth-year defensive back Devon Crenshaw, second-year defensive back Joseph Stechey, and fourth-year defensive lineman Elijah Trench all picking off the Marauders quarterback in the second half. Crenshaw would finish the day with a team-high 7.5 tackles, alongside his interception. In his return to the lineup, Lini tallied 6.5 tackles, including two tackles for loss and the first half sack. Fourth-year linebacker Ryan Stewart and McPhie both registered 5.5 total tackles, while McPhie added the sack, forced fumble, and interception.

A key piece to the long offensive drives for the Blues on the day, first-year running back Omarion Martin finished the game with 69 rushing yards on eight carries, averaging over nine yards per carry. Six different Blues recorded a reception with second-year receiver Dawson Sjoberg leading the team with four catches for 47 yards. Third-year quarterback Kaleb O'Donoghue finished the game going 15-for-26 with 131 passing yards and 12 rushing yards, along with an interception.

The Blues continue their rivalry games next facing off against the York Lions at Varsity Stadium for the 56^th annual Red and Blue Bowl. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 17. Tickets for the home finale are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets, while all the action is also streamed online via oua.tv. U of T students receive free admission to all Varsity Blues home games with a valid T-Card.