University of Toronto Athletics

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team fell 28-12 to the Queen's Gaels in their 2026 season opener on Sunday night (Aug. 30) in front of a crowd of 3,829 at Varsity Stadium.

FROM COACH DA (Darrell Adams): "I'm proud of how the guys battled the entire game. Obviously, the first half was just a preview of what we were able to accomplish. We kind of ran out of steam in the second half. Some bodies started going down. We don't make excuses. We're going to get back to work tomorrow. We've got a short week to prepare for Ottawa. We're looking forward to watching these guys grow and gel and continue to have fun with our football family."

TORONTO STATS: Third-year quarterback Kaleb O'Donoghue completed 19-of-25 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, while adding 38 rushing yards on five carries. Rookie running back Omarion Martin rushed six times for 24 yards and caught two passes for six yards, including an 11-yard touchdown reception.

Elia Lini and Oskar McPhie led the Blues with a game-high seven tackles apiece, while Luca Pante recorded six tackles and two pass breakup.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Gaels opened the scoring early in the first quarter when fifth-year quarterback Alex Creeken connected with Jack Ashby-Jacobs for a 12-yard touchdown. After Queen's conceded a safety, Gaels kicker Tyler Mullan made a 29-yard field goal to give the visitors a 10-2 lead after 15 minutes.

The Blues conceded a safety early in the second quarter but came to life late in the frame. Martin capped a 13-play, 84-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception, pulling Toronto within three at 12-9 heading into halftime.

Queen's extended its lead on the opening drive of the third quarter when Jayce Baldwin rushed 22 yards into the end zone. Mullan added field goals from 32 and 33 yards to give the Gaels a 25-9 advantage through three quarters.

Both teams added field goals in a low-scoring fourth quarter. Toronto's Filippo Marcello connected on a 15-yard attempt with 1:15 remaining to round out the scoring.

UP NEXT: The Blues travel to Ottawa next Saturday, September 5 for a Week 2 showdown with the Gee-Gees (1-0). Kick off is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on OUA.tv