There was one hell of a football game played in Kingston on Saturday. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been there to witness it live — and to have been sober during the game so that I can actually remember it.
If you haven’t already, check out my game story here.
Here’s a couple thoughts that didn’t make it in.
–
So, the game.
Well, you really couldn’t have asked for much more, could you? The last seven seconds of the game was the only time when anyone really felt the outcome was certain. That’s a sign of a great football game.
Another tell-tale sign of a great football game: the better team won. Western were the favourites coming into the season and probably still the favourites coming into the Yates Cup. But that’s not a reflection of good football knowledge from general observers — It’s a reflection of Queen’s not being given their due.
Aside from the final week against Laurier —when their playoff bye was already secure and they rested several starters ¬—the Gaels haven’t missed a step all season. They were clearly building towards this year and they have, in my opinion, one of the best coaching staffs in the OUA.
The Gaels offensive line on the day was immovable. Fifth-year veterans Dan Bederman, Jonathan Koidis and Vince DeCivita were absolutely rigid up the middle, letting Gaels QB Dan Brannagan set up a lawn chair in a the pocket and pop a couple Coronas.
Mustangs defensive linemen Chris Greaves and Alex Robinson played admirably against Guelph and Laurier in the first two rounds of the playoffs, unsettling QBs Justin Dunk and Evan Pawliuk. But they never had a chance against the stiff Queen’s line. Maybe if Mike Van Praet and Scott Fourneir were healthy things would have been different.
On the other side of the ball, the Gaels defensive line showed why they’ve given QBs fits all season. Osie Ukwuoma and Shomari Williams are two of the best defensive ends in the league and came to play on Saturday, constantly pressuring the hobbled Michael Faulds. They employ a great blend of size, speed and athleticism that was simply too much for Western’s tackles and guards to handle.
Both coaches predicted the game would be won and lost on the offensive and defensive lines. They were bang on.
–
Faulds vs. Brannagan is over. Forever. Kind of a weird feeling for OUA fans who have watched the two do battle over the past five years.
It was interesting to talk to Gaels players after the victory and hear how many of them would tell me — off the record of course — that Brannagan proved Saturday he should have been the OUA MVP.
Sorry Gaels, have to call malarkey on that one. Faulds threw just six fewer yards than Brannagan, with a worse offensive line and against a better defence. He did only throw for one touchdown to Brannagan’s five, but remember that the Mustangs turned to their running game to score majors on Saturday, with backup fullback John Leckie rumbling in three TDs from the red zone. Plus the Gaels stopped Leckie on the goal line going for his fourth, so there’s your five touchdowns right there.
Did I mention Faulds played through the entire playoffs with a torn ACL? Minor detail.
Brannagan’s a good QB, there’s no denying it. But if Faulds had the luxury of being able to stand absolutely still in the pocket for 10 seconds and throw passes into a secondary as young and inexperienced as the Mustangs’ is, the game might have turned out a little different.
–
Speaking of Faulds, it’s time to can it with the headlines and homer pieces that call Faulds ‘a hero’ and his performance in Saturday’s game ‘heroic.’
Firefighters running into burning buildings are heroic. Canadian soldiers patrolling Kandahar as heroic. A protestor standing in front of a tank in Tiennemen Square is heroic.
Michael Faulds plays football.
–
Talked to a couple Montreal Alouettes scouts who were in the press box at Richardson Stadium on Saturday. Naturally, they wouldn’t tell me who they were there to see. “We’re looking at everyone,” they said. Yeah. Right.
My guess is they were killing two birds with one stone and scouting Faulds and Brannagan — both fifth year QBs. Brannagan might not have the size to play in the CFL, but — as he’s shown at Queen’s — he can flourish with the right personnel around him.
Faulds has to attract some interest after his standout CIS career, no? The suddenly former Mustangs QB even told me after the game that after he got his knee sorted out he was going to try for a career in the CFL. “I’m not done playing football,” he said.
With the great ‘Canadian QBs in the CFL’ debate being reignited through the Globe and Mail in recent weeks, it should be interesting to see how this one pans out. The 37-year-old Anthony Calvillo is nearing the end of his career.
Also, don’t be surprised if they were looking at some of the fifth-year guys on the Gaels offensive line like Bederman, Koivis and DeCivita. Defensive standout Shomari Williams is also probably receiving some attention. While Osie Ukwuoma has already been drafted by the Calgary Stampeders.
–
Best three things about Richardson Stadium?
1. The feeling of impending doom. Sitting at the top of that tinder box I got the feeling that this house of cards masquerading as a stadium could collapse at any moment. Nothing like a little looming peril to keep the beat grunts on their toes.
2. The student turnout. The far stands were absolutely packed with students who made lots of noise and even affected the game on the final drive when the Mustangs went offside because they couldn’t hear the cadence. The singing after a Gaels touchdown is a great touch as well —good to see old traditions being carried on. The overwhelming student support on Saturday really makes Western look bad for getting zero student turnout at the quarterfinal vs. Guelph at TD Waterhouse stadium two weeks ago.
3. The security. Richardson Stadium has to be the only venue on the continent that allows streaking. The same streaker ran the length of the field twice without any members of security moving a finger. No wonder they don’t have a Homecoming.
–
Mitchell Bowl prediction? Laval by 20. Queen’s would need a miracle to pull off that upset.