Box Score HAMILTON (November 9, 2012) No. 1 McMaster rolled to its second straight Yates Cup OUA championship knocking of the No. 5 Guelph 30-13 at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday.
The win extends the reigning Vanier Cup champions' winning streak to a CIS-record 20 consecutive conference and playoff contests, breaking the previous mark of 19 straight victories set by the Laval Rouge et Or in the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.
McMaster linebacker Shane Beaton, of Brampton, Ont., took the Dalt White Trophy as MVP of the Yates Cup game, claiming 10 solo tackles, including three tackles for a loss, and one pass breakup.
McMaster used a 21 point outburst in the first half to propel them to their sixth Yates Cup title in school history.
The Marauder defence repeatedly succeeded in pinning the Gryphons deep in their end in the first half, forcing the Gryphons to concede three safety touches rather than punt deep in their own zone.
"I thought our defence played tremendously well when they were backed up," said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek. "They did a great job forcing field goals and creating turnovers, so out 21-3 lead (in the second quarter) was a product of finishing on defence, but not finishing in the score zone."
Kyle Quinlan of South Woodslee, Ont., tossed two touchdowns in the win including a 21 yard strike to Tyler Loveday of Kitchener, Ont., early in the second quarter to take a 19-3 lead – one the Marauders wouldn’t relinquish.
Quinlan was 16 of 20 for 265-yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Quinlan added 70 yards on 11 rushes. Michael Dicroc of Hamilton was his top receiving target pulling down seven catches for 114-yards.
For the Gryphons, quarterback Jazz Lindsey of Markham, Ont. scored Guelph’s lone touchdown before the half on a one-yard run in a third-and-goal situation. That happened with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter. He finished 29 of 47 with 319-yards.
McMaster will host the CIS semi-final Mitchell Bowl on Saturday, November 17 against the No. 3 Calgary Dinos who defeated the Regina Rams 35-14 in the Canada West's Hardy Bowl Championship on Saturday. Kickoff is at 4:00pm, and the game will be televised on TSN. Tickets for the Mitchell Bowl go on sale at online at www.marauders.ca at 9:00am on Sunday morning (Nov. 11).
NOTES: McMaster hasn’t lost dating back to September 10 vs. the Western Mustangs in week two of the 2011 season… The win gives McMaster its sixth Yates Cup title in club history, all coming from 2000 to date…In their only previous meeting this year, McMaster downed Guelph 50-9 in the first week of the regular season, accounting for Guelph's only other defeat of the 2012 campaign…Announced attendance for the 105th Yates Cup was 5,427... Canadian indie rock band, Yukon Blonde was the halftime performers.
