Quinlan’s 455 yards in 3 quarters leads McMaster to big win

The Varsity Blues football team fell 50-14 to the No. 5 McMaster Marauder on Thursday, October 6 at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.

The Marauders scored three third-quarter touchdowns to put the game out of reach and hand the Blues their fourth loss of 2011. Toronto is now 2-4, while the Marauders improve to 4-1 on the season.

Fifth-year Blues quarterback and Toronto native Andrew Gillis was 18-of-32 for 207 yards, two majors and three interceptions. Marauders quarterback Kyle Quinlan, who returned to the gridiron after a three-week suspension, threw for 455 yards and five touchdowns on the night.

Veteran receiver Michael Prempeh of Toronto led the Blues with 86 yards on seven catches, in addition to four kick returns for 123 yards. Sophomore and London, Ont., native Alex Pierzchalski had six receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. U of T struggled on the ground with a combined 69 yards rushing, compared to the Marauders 204.

Mississauga, Ont., native Wilkerson DeSouza once again led the Blues defensive unit. The fourth-year linebacker totalled five tackles, while four other players had four in the loss.

McMaster got out to an early 10-0 lead after a 17-yard field goal by Marauders kicker Tyler Crapigna and a Chris Pezetta two-yard rushing touchdown. The home team held a 10-0 lead after the first 15 minutes of action.

Toronto got on the board on their first series of the second quarter after an unconventional series of events. An Andrew Lomasney field goal attempt was blocked by the Marauders, but recovered by U of T offensive lineman Aaron Wheaton on the one-yard line. Pierzchalski then capped off the 12-play, 77-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown reception from Gillis.

The Marauders responded on the ensuing drive as Quinlan connected a 30-yard pass with receiver Brad Fochesato for the major.

Not to be outdone, Gillis drove the visiting squad right back down into Marauders territory and, with the help of a McMaster 15-yard penalty, found third-year receiver Paul de Pass in the end zone for a 28-yard strike to close the gap to three (14-17).

Quinlan answered back, escaping coverage and connecting with Matthew Peressi on a three-yard major. That and a safety would give the Marauders a 26-14 lead at halftime.

McMaster put the game out of reach in the third quarter with three touchdown receptions of 16, 38 and 72 yards and held a 47-14 lead heading into the final frame. A 38-yard fourth-quarter field goal would round out the scoring.

The Varsity Blues return to action on Saturday, October 15 as they host the No. 2 Western Mustangs at Varsity Centre. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The game will be streamed live on SSN Canada through varsityblues.ca.

Toronto Sports Info

Kyle Quinlan (South Woodslee, Ont.) made a statement in his return to the McMaster lineup Thursday night throwing for 455 yards and five touchdowns on 23 of 32 passing in only three quarters of work in the #5 Marauders 50-14 defeat of the Toronto Varsity Blues.

Quinlan moved into a tie for fourth spot on the all-time McMaster career passing touchdowns list with 36 matching McMaster offensive coordinator Jon Behie’s career total. He also took sole possession of fourth spot in career passing yards with a total of 4561. Quinlan also moved to fifth all