Three frustrating quarters for the Marauders raised the uncomfortable possibility that McMaster might drop its first game to York in over two decades Saturday.
The no. 5-ranked team in the nation trailed the winless Lions 9-6 when time expired on the third quarter, and had suffered a string of offensive misfires throughout the afternoon at York's Alumni Stadium.
But the Marauders found themselves in the red zone to open the fourth and quickly punched in their first touchdown of the game, opening the offensive floodgates.
Scoring three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth, including a pair from veteran running back Jordan Lyons, McMaster stamped out the spectre of an upset and improved to 3-1 with a 27-9 road win.
Playing in his second game of the season, Lyons was the offensive star for the Marauders, scampering for 94 yards on 17 carries and scoring two key touchdowns to help his team put Saturday's game on ice.
His yardage saw Lyons leapfrog Steve Malizia (1982-85) for seventh in McMaster's all-time career rushing yards list, now enjoying a career total of 1,986 yards. With his 17 carries, he also pulled into a tie with Kojo Aidoo (1999-2000) for sixth in career rushes.
Overcoming a difficult afternoon that included three turnovers, quarterback Andreas Dueck completed 23 of 37 passes for 219 yards, and found Tommy Nield for a 17-yard touchdown strike at 8:41 of the fourth quarter.
Adam Preocanin made good on both of his field goal attempts, hitting from 16 and 28 yards to give the Marauders a 6-2 lead at the halftime break. With his nine total points in the win, Preocanin pulled into a tie with Derek Livingstone (1997-2000) for fourth in McMaster's all-time career points list with 271.
Swelling the Marauders conference-leading interception total to 11 through four weeks of play, Noah Hallett pulled down his second and third of the season while adding two pass breakups and 1.5 tackles.
Fellow defensive back Mario Alyas led the way for Mac with 5.5 tackles, while defensive lineman Tyler Munro had five tackles, one and a half sacks and forced the Marauders lone fumble of the afternoon in his team's torrid fourth quarter.
York jumped into a 9-6 lead at the 7:45 mark of the third quarter, when defensive back Talik Ehouman intercepted Dueck for the second time and returned the pick 48 yards for a touchdown.
But the hosts momentum disappeared when punter Tevin McCarty disastrously fumbled deep in Lions territory, and McMaster took over at York's 15-yard line to conclude the third quarter. Six plays later, Lyons punched in the touchdown from a yard out to give the Marauders a 13-9 lead and begin the onslaught.
McMaster's win over York was its 21st straight, a streak that dates back to 1998 and is the team's longest against any OUA opposition. The Marauders improved to 37-13 all-time against the Lions, while head coach Stefan Ptaszek remained unbeaten in 10 contests.
NEXT UP: McMaster returns home to Ron Joyce Stadium in Week 5 to play host to the 1-3 Windsor Lancers on Saturday, September 21. The Lancers lost a low-scoring, 15-8 decision to the Queen's Gaels in Kingston, Ont. Saturday.
The Marauders will be aiming for their 11th consecutive win over the Lancers, a streak which dates back to 2006, when the teams meet for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff in Hamilton.
That game can be seen live on Hamilton's Cable 14 or OUA.tv, and heard on TSN 1150 radio. Tickets are available at marauders.ca/tickets.
