Mustangs linebacker John Surla buried his head in his hands, unable to watch the last minute of the game.
“I was praying. I was praying for something good,” Surla said after the Mustangs were beaten by the Queen’s Gaels 43-39 in the Yates Cup. “I don’t know if words describe it. Since I’ve been here I’ve never felt this way.”
Those who did watch the thrilling conclusion to the 102nd playing of the Ontario University Athletics championship witnessed several anxious moments of both resilience and heartbreak for fifth-year quarterback Michael Faulds.
With 40 seconds remaining on the clock and the Mustangs down by four, Faulds stepped awkwardly after a pass and crumpled to the field in a heap of pain.
“My knee went out at the worst possible time,” Faulds said after his last game ever in a Mustang uniform. “It was tough because the clock was against me. We only had 40 seconds left and I just couldn’t get back out there.”

Brett Higgs/Gazette

Against his coach’s orders and with backup quarterback Donnie Marshall already in the game, Faulds tried to hobble back to the huddle. But even the stubborn Faulds could not play on one leg, finally coming to his senses and returning to the sidelines where he collapsed to the ground.
“He said ‘Coach, I’m going back in’ and I thought ‘I’m going to have to carry you back in,’” Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall said of the tense final moments. “That’s the kind of kid he is. He’s not thinking about himself or what’s wrong with his knee. He’s thinking about what he can do for the team.”
After some timely running from Nathan Riva to pick up a first down and extend the Mustangs’ drive, the younger Marshall failed to advance the Mustangs down field. The young QB’s father pulled him from the game, turning to Faulds and asking for one more play with a dozen seconds left on the clock.
Faulds took the snap and limped through one of the ugliest, most painful three-step drops you will ever see. His offensive line collapsed around him and Gaels defensive lineman Shomari Williams reached Faulds and wrapped him up around his severely injured knee, but Faulds remained standing, despite the 236-pound defender hanging off of him.
“I put him in there because I needed a certain throw on that play and I think he was the only guy who could make that throw,” Marshall said of turning to Faulds on the final play of the game. “We gave it a shot. They came out and got him out of his rhythm and put pressure on him right away. Give credit to Queen’s, they did a good job on the defensive line.”
Faulds fought off Williams, buying his receivers precious seconds to shake their defenders, before he was forced to make a play. On purely arm strength Faulds threw a pass that fell in between Mustang receivers Jesse Bellamy and Zach Bull, inches out of the reach of both players, ending the Mustangs’ season and Faulds’ career in the process.
“It was a frustrating moment. Knowing this is possibly the end of your career — and it was,” Faulds admitted. “I just wanted to get out there for one last play.”
It was one of several surreal moments in a game Hollywood could not have scripted better. The game saw seven lead changes, 1,209 yards of offence and both QBs throw for over 500 yards.
It was also the second time Queen’s had beaten Western this season in the dying moments of the game after they won their regular season meeting 27-26 on a last-second touchdown.
“We were just a little bit better than them all season and we were just a little bit better today,” Gaels head coach Pat Sheahan said. “The kids came to the ball park today and they knew they were going to win. These kids would not have looked at this season as a success if they did not win the Yates Cup.
“They did not fear their opponent today. Not for a moment.”
The game had a litany of turning points, but an important one came in the second quarter when Faulds was intercepted 18 yards from his own goal line, trying to throw a pass over Gaels defensive end Frank Pankewich.
Pankewich showed tremendous athleticism, jumping to tip the pass and locating the ball in the air afterwards for the turnover.
“Coach Sheahan put me in the right spot. I ran at Faulds and just threw up my arms. When I tipped it I was lucky that the ball was sitting right there for me,” the Gaels rookie said.
On the Gaels first play after the interception, QB Dan Brannagan found fourth-year receiver Devan Sheahan for an 18-yard TD giving Queen’s a lead they would take into halftime. Sheahan, the coach’s son, would finish with two TDs and 122 yards on the day while Scott Valberg also pulled in two touchdowns for the Gaels. Chris Ioannides caught the fifth Gaels major.
“Our receivers played a really good game. They made some ridiculous catches and took some pretty hard hits,” Valberg said of the Queen’s receiving corps. “Everyone tries to contribute in their own way. We just wanted to get open for Danny.”
The game was billed as a showdown between Faulds and Brannagan, both in their fifth and final years of collegiate football, and it lived up to the hype as the two pivots combined for 1,024 yards through the air on 52 passes. Brannagan received the Dalt White Trophy as the game’s most valuable player.
“We came to win today. It feels great. This is what I’ve been working the last five years for,” Brannagan said. “What better way to end your OUA playing career than against a rival?”
Backup fullback John Leckie — who did not have a single rushing attempt in the 2009 season before Saturday — punched in three touchdowns for the Mustangs deep in the red zone. Bellamy added the other Mustangs touchdown with a 57-yard reception in the third quarter, while Darryl Wheeler chipped in four field goals.
The biggest weakness for the Mustangs came in their defensive secondary where Gaels receivers were left wide open for the strong-armed Brannagan who threw five touchdowns.
“I know we needed to play better in the secondary but our kids did battle the entire game,” Marshall said. “Our secondary is young. They’re going to learn from this. They’re going to come back and be better football players from it. It’s a tough experience to put those kids through — a big game against good receivers and a good QB.”
As is the case with any closely contested game, Saturday’s afternoon affair had its share of controversy.
With 7:22 left in the fourth quarter the Mustangs took over the ball at their own 45-yard line with the game tied at 36. Faulds marched his troops 63 yards downfield on six plays, including a pass that Nick Trevail appeared to carry over the Gaels goal line before he was forced backwards by the Gaels’ Ben D’Andrea.
The referees called Trevail down at the one-yard line and after the Mustangs failed to convert on first and second down, they settled for a Darryl Wheeler field goal. The extra four points from a Mustang touchdown would have put Western up by seven and meant Valberg’s 16-yard TD with 2:49 left would have tied the game instead of winning it for Queen’s.
“From where I saw it, and I’m on the other side of the field, it looked to me like Trevail had scored a TD,” Marshall said of the controversial play. “[Trevail] says he was across and it looked to me like he was in. But no excuses. When you get down to the one-yard line you have to punch it in.”
For Faulds, the game meant the end of a five-year OUA career and a final campaign that saw him set a Canadian Interuniversity Sport single season passing record and be crowned as the all-time leading passer in CIS history.
“It’s very difficult for me to talk about Michael Faulds right now. He just means so much to me,” an emotional coach Marshall said after the game. “Losing a football game is just a football game —it’s hard but I can deal with it. But it’s very difficult for me to look Michael Faulds in the eye and tell him he’s not going to be our QB anymore.”
Faulds leaves as one of the most accomplished QBs to ever wear the purple and silver and has been chosen as the OUA’s nominee for the Hec Chrighton Trophy as the nation’s top football player.
“I’ve had a great career. I’ve had a great five years. I’ve played with some amazing people and for some amazing coaches,” Faulds said as he left the field for the last time as a Mustang.
“We didn’t get the win today but I’m definitely going out on top.”