The McMaster football team will not have a chair and a whip, but will be doing all it can to tame the York University Lions at the annual Homecoming clash on Saturday afternoon at Ron Joyce Stadium.
After a loss to Guelph last week, the Marauders will be trying to get back on the winning track, in front of a sold-out stadium, while York will be trying to start a winning streak as it is coming off a win at Waterloo.
After going winless in 2014, the Lions have already made progress by breaking into the win column in 2015. York made some waves in the off-season by recruiting several blue-chip players, including a quartet from Alberta that garnered some attention. The Lions are young but extremely athletic and the York defense showed it has some ballhawks by intercepting five passes in the team's loss to Guelph two weeks ago.
The Marauders enter the Homecoming contest with a few players nursing injuries and the final dress list won't likely be confirmed until just before game time. The prolific passing game that McMaster has displayed could see some records broken before the final gun on Saturday.
After the game, the
Mark Timpany Memorial Trophy will be presented to the Marauder player judged to be the MVP of the Homecoming game.
The 2015 Homecoming game is sold out, but McMaster Athletics And Recreation will be streaming the game via the internet on OUA.TV, with audio provided by TSN 1150, which is broadcasting the game on radio with Marshall Ferguson and Joey Cupido handling the call.
GAME NOTES- - LAST MATCH-UP: The 2014 season saw McMaster travel to York, and the Marauders returned to Hamilton with a 49-2 victory. In that game Asher Hastings got to play the second-half for the Marauders, in relief of 2014 starter Marshall Ferguson.
- LAST GAME: The Marauders (2-1) head into Homecoming after a 33-23 loss last week at Guelph. The loss to Guelph dropped the Marauders to No. 7 in the CIS top-ten. Meanwhile, York (1-3) travelled to Waterloo and got its first win of the season, defeating the Warriors 23-14.
- HISTORY: Since the OUA started in 1971, McMaster leads the head to head match-up with York, having won 31 games and losing 12. McMaster and York have met twice in the post-season with the Marauders taking both contests in 2001 and 2002.
- VIDEO STARS: McMaster Football has already appeared twice so far this season in the TSN Sportscentre Top-Ten, with Aaron Baker's phenomenal training camp catches making the grade and Mitch O'Connor's quick kick vs. Ottawa that Danny Vandervoort caught for a TD also making the list.
- BROTHERLY LOVE: The Amankwaa brothers will line up on opposite sides of this Homecoming clash. Marauder senior running back Kingsley will see his younger brother Jesse run for the Lions. A promising freshman running back, Jesse was York's leading rusher in last week's win at Waterloo. Family bragging rights will be at stake.
- HOMECOMING: McMaster celebrates its 79th Homecoming and this week the raucous stadium atmosphere will be pro-maroon, after last week's Guelph homecoming that saw the crowd make life tough on the Marauders. Part of the Homecoming festivities saw four former Marauder athletes, one builder, and one championship team inducted into the McMaster Athletic Hall of Fame.
- RECORD WATCH: With his next touchdown catch Danny Vandervoort will become the career leader in TD receptions for McMaster Football. He currently has 19 career touchdown catches to sit beside Vaughn Swart (2000-05) and Matt Peressini (2007-11) who share the McMaster record of 19 TD catches in a career.
- RECORD WATCH II: Asher Hastings tossed three touchdown passes versus Guelph to give him 15 for his Marauder career. Hastings has moved into the top-ten of the Marauder record book for career TD passes, and his 13 scoring tosses so far in 2015 puts him on the single season leader list for scoring tosses, and he is on pace to shatter the McMaster single season record for scoring strikes of 21 held by Marshall Ferguson and set in 2013.
- RECORD WATCH III: Danny Vandervoort and Josh Vandeweerd have both also moved into the Marauder top-ten for career catches with 92 and 90 career receptions respectively.
