Through three quarters on Saturday afternoon, it looked like the Waterloo Warriors and the Guelph Gryphons were primed for yet another high-drama finish in what has become one of the most contested and entertaining rivalries in OUA football. But in the final 15 minutes, Kaine Stevenson and the Gryphons ground game ran right through the potential excitement, galloping all the way to a huge road victory.
Stevenson rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and the sixth-ranked Gryphons scored 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points to claim a 39-13 victory over Waterloo at Warrior Field.
Guelph quarterback Theo Landers added 66 yards on 12 carries, while adding 163 yards and a touchdown through the air. Meanwhile, the vaunted Warriors offense was held without a touchdown pass for the first time in three years, despite outgaining the Gryphons 428 yards to 418 yards in total offense.
The loss overshadowed another huge day for Warriors receiver Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/), who broke Sean Cowie's all-time school record for receiving yards with an 11-yard gain in the third quarter. The reigning All-Canadian hauled in 6 passes for 141 yards in defeat, while quarterback Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) went 18-29 for 301 yards and an interception.
Ford added 72 yards on the ground, but Guelph stymied the Warriors ground game all day – they held rushing leader Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) to just 64 yards on 15 carries, and they were able to get to Ford behind the line of scrimmage for five sacks, including three from defensive end Tavius Robinson.
The game looked like a defensive battle early on, as Guelph carried a 10-3 lead into the first half. The Warriors moved the ball well – including a highlight-reel 48-yard catch from Ternowski – but the Gryphons defence kept them out of the end zone.
The Warriors looked back on track in the first series of the second half, as Pellerin capped a 9-play, 58-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to even the score at 10-10. But Guelph responded with an 84-yard drive on their next possession, negating the strong headwind with a run-heavy attack: 8 of the 10 plays on the drive were rushes, and Stevenson punched in his second touchdown of the day to restore the Gryphons' 7-point advantage at 17-10.
The subsequent drive might have been the turning point of the game, as the Warriors once again put themselves deep in Guelph's red zone. But on third down and goal from the 5, a Ford rushing touchdown was erased by a flag, forcing Jonah Zlatinszky (London/) into a 22-yard field goal. Instead of a tie game, the Gryphons led 17-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
From there, Guelph's offense exploded. Stevenson ripped off a 36-yard touchdown run in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, followed by a Dotun Atakepe interception that he returned all the way to the Waterloo 5-yard line. That set up a Landers-to-Kade Belyk 5-yard hookup, and, all of a sudden, a one-possession Gryphons lead turned into a 31-13 advantage.
The Warriors conceded a single on the ensuing kickoff, and, after a turnover on downs, Landers added another rushing touchdown to round out the scoring. The loss is Waterloo's first of the season, as they drop to 2-1, while the Gryphons improved to 3-1 with their third consecutive victory.
The Warriors will now look to get back into the win column with a trip to the nation's capital, where they'll face the 1-2 Carleton Ravens on Saturday, September 21. Kickoff from MNP Park and on oua.tv is slated for 1pm.
