HAMILTON (October 28, 2017) - The No. 7 McMaster Marauders outlasted the Queen's Gaels for a 12-9 OUA quarterfinal football win Saturday at Ron Joyce Stadium.

Jordan Lyons of Burlington, Ont. tied an OUA playoff record for carries, registering 39 and rushing for 319 yards. That mark was also the second most all-time in a playoff game in Canadian University football history.

McMaster put up all of their points in the opening half, and then relied on their defence to hold on for the victory, as Queen`s posted three field goals in the second half with multiple opportunities to strike.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:
McMaster`s Eric Blake (Hamilton) intercepted Queen`s quarterback Nate Hobbs of Mississauga, Ont., with 1:20 remaining in the game, essentially sealing the result. The Gaels, who had been hanging around with good field position in the fourth quarter, were driving down the field after getting the ball back on the 55-yard line. Four plays later, Blake picked off Hobbs at the 35-yard line and returned the ball six yards.  

That interception allowed McMaster to wind the clock down to three seconds left on the clock setting up Queen`s desperation pass which fell incomplete to end the game.

ONE FOR THE AGES:
Lyons' 319 rushing yards and 39 carry performance ranks as one of the best single-game performances in Canadian university football's history. His 39 carries ties Dillon Campbell (Laurier) for most carries in an OUA playoff game (against McMaster in 2015). The 319 yards is the second-most yards rushed for in a playoff game, just eight yards short of Davie Mason (Ottawa), who posted 327 against Guelph in 2008. It also ranks as 11th all time (playoffs & regular season) in Canada.

McMaster alumnus, Jesse Lumsden holds the school record for most rushing yards in a single game, finishing with 344 vs. Waterloo back on Sept. 11, 2004. Lyons' performance was just 25 yards shy of that mark.

POINTS AT A PREMIUM:
Veteran receiver Dan Petermann of Stoney Creek, Ont., hauled in a 24-yard pass from Jackson White of Cambridge, Ont. to record the game's only touchdown, giving the Marauders a  7-0 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Burlington, Ont.'s Adam Preocanin chipped in a 12-yard field goal with the defence adding a safety to make the score 12-0 at the half.  

Queen`s Nick Liberatore of Dartmouth, NS., kicked three field goals (27, 30 and 33 yards) to round out the game's scoring at 12-9. He tallied two of his kicks in the third quarter.

Liberatore had a fourth field goal set up, which would have tied the game, but hit the left upright for a missed attempt.

BEND DON'T BREAK:
Queen`s stuck around the entire game, and looked at times like they would break the McMaster defence for a big play. Blake`s interception, along with a sack by veteran defensive end Mark Mackie of London, Ont., late in the game, snuffed out key late drives by the Gaels. Blake, playing in his second game of the season, also had five total tackles. Hassan Barry of Cambridge, Ont., led the team with six. Will Hudson of Oakville, Ont., and Jake Heathcote of Hamilton both had two pass break ups, with four others contributing one.

NUMBERS GAME:
Queen`s Hobbs finished the game with a game high 227 yards passing, completing 18 of 47 attempts while his McMaster counterpart was 12 for 26 for 154 yards and a touchdown strike to Petermann. Both quarterbacks had an interception.

Petermann posted the game's only touchdown, tallying 62 yards, with 51 coming in the opening half.  Chris Osei-Kus of Brampton, Ont., was the game's top receiver, hauling in 105 yards in the loss.

Queen`s Jake Puskas of Thunder Bay, Ont., had 10 carries for 49 yards.

LOOK SMART WITH FRIENDS:
Lyons 319 yards were a career high for the second year running back. His previous high came earlier this year when he collected 176 yards against the York Lions back on September 30. Lyons surpassed his career high total late in the second quarter against Queen's, putting up 197 yards in the first half alone.  He also earned his career high total in an unusual way. Sitting at 165 yards, Lyons would pick up 12 yards for his career high, but ended up fumbling the ball in the process.

UP NEXT:
McMaster travels to Waterloo, into hostile territory, to battle the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA semi-final matchup. McMaster is aiming to upset the No. 5 Golden Hawks in a rematch of last week's final game of the regular season, which saw Laurier drop McMaster 40-15. With a second look, the Marauders look to rebound and punch their ticket into the 110th Yates Cup. set for November 11th.

QUOTABLE:
McMaster Linebacker Eric Blake
On his crucial fourth-quarter interception

"Our offence couldn't really get it going in the fourth quarter, so it fell to our group to step up and make a play, and get that momentum coming back our way. Our coach put us in a great position to make a play, and we did the rest. It was my first of the season, and it felt great to get it in that moment."

McMaster Running back Jordan Lyons
Reflecting on his output Saturday
"I don't know if I've ever reached 300 yards in a game, even in high school. I didn't really know how many yards or carries I had. I was so much into the flow of the game. All I really cared about was getting the win today and keeping us playing for another week."

Praising the offensive line
"They did a hell of a job getting up on the linebackers today, and that did a lot to key up some of the big runs. They opened big holes for me, and I made the most of them."

Coach Greg Knox
Assessing the game as a whole
"We showed some grit and resilience that we didn't last week. The offence did an excellent job moving the ball in the first half. We're still having trouble putting the ball in the end zone, but when the group needed to perform today, they came through."

On Blake and his interception
"We ask him to do a lot, and he responded well today. He always gives his best, so it was great to see him make a play like that when it counted."

Defensive End Mark Mackie
On watching the dramatic third-down call in the fourth quarter
"I'm jumping up and down, yelling "first down, first down," doing anything I can do to influence the action on the field. It all means so much more, because it's not just potentially the end of your season, but it could be the end of your career. My heart is still pounding in my chest."

"We've always been a bend-don't-break kind of defence, and I think we matched up really well with them today. We had to limit the long drives, and on offence, we had to finish. We're a great team, and I think we proved it out there today. We like to ground-and-pound, and we're having a fun day when it's a scrappy game like that."

"The mentality is always "next man up." Eric's been around for a little while, but he hasn't really gained that game experience. But that was a massive play, and really changed the momentum of the game for us. Kudos to him, and we're going to need him going forward, but when you have injuries like us, you need that."

Watching Lyons rack up the yards
"We're jumping on that guy's back today. He showed up to play, and he led us today. It was an unbelievable performance. He was gritty all game, finding the holes. When you have a guy balling out like that, it gives your whole team energy. Not to mention, on a cold day like this, if the offence can hold the ball, it does a lot. Because as a defence, you're not remotely tired and you're licking your chops.

Facing Laurier again
"You want every game bad, but Laurier has had our number. It's going to come down to whether we can pull together and have a gritty performance. We've got to get ahead of it this week and build some momentum.They got us last week, but it's all about who comes to play on Saturday."