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Game Recap: Football | 10/5/2017 9:25:00 PM | Posted by: Brittany Almeida (Sports Information Intern)
Puskas and the Gaels shine bright under the lights in 68-17 victory


KINGSTON, Ont. (October 5, 2017) – The Queen's Gaels (2-4) crushed the Waterloo Warriors (4-3) in a 68-17 game that saw four touchdowns from Jake Puskas (Thunder Bay, Ont.) at Richardson Stadium on Thursday night in front of 3,109 fans.

GAME FLOW
Under a full moon and stadium lights, the Queen's Gaels toppled the Waterloo Warriors 61-17 during the first-ever night game hosted at Richardson Stadium.

The Gaels defence came out flying against the Warriors, forcing a two-and-out to have Waterloo concede a safety and take an early 2-0 lead.

While the Gaels had an unfavourable field position on their five-yard line, it didn't seem to matter as long as Puskas had the ball. The third year running back ran for 57 yards, bulldozing his way deep into Waterloo territory.

From there, the Gaels were able to get on the scoreboard when Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) tossed the ball to an open Alex Zulys (Mississauga, Ont.) in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Nick Liberatore (Dartmouth, N.S.) secured the extra point to give Queen's an early 9-0 lead.

It wasn't long before the Queen's Gaels were on the scoreboard again. This time, it was Chris Osei-Kusi (Brampton, Ont.) on the end of a Hobbs throw, who tore through the Warriors defence with a burst of unmatched speed to clinch his fifth touchdown of the season.

As the veteran Gaels defence stood their ground, Waterloo conceded another safety to make it 18-0 by the end of the first quarter.

The second frame saw more offensive pressure from the Gaels after another reception from Osei-Kusi put the Gaels within field goal range. Liberatore did not disappoint as he kicked a 22-yarder to push the score to 21-0.

The Gaels defence continued to shine as Cam Lawson (Caledon, Ont.) came up big, sacking Warriors quarterback Tre Ford.

Minutes later, the Gaels found themselves in good scoring position again. From the two-yard line, Marquis Richards (Brampton, Ont.) hammered forward for his first career U SPORTS touchdown.

The last possession before the final seconds of the half saw Jake Firlotte (Abbotsford, B.C.) make a substantial point-saving play, as he intercepted a Warriors receiver in the endzone.

Going into halftime up 28-3, Queen's had standout performances from Puskas and Osei-Kusi, who combined for a total of 226 yards offensively.

The third frame saw the Warriors run their first touchdown into the Gaels end zone to climb 28-10. Queen's responded soon after with a big reception from Matteo Del Brocco (Kingsville, Ont.) that left the Gaels on the two-yard line.

From there, Puskas was unstoppable as he bulldozed his way into his second career touchdown and boosted the score to a 25-point game at 35-10.

After Waterloo was able to get another score, the Gaels answered back with a big return from rookie Benjamin Arhen (Brampton, Ont.), followed with a 15-yard penalty from Waterloo to begin their drive in great position on the 52-yard line.

Driving forward, Hobbs found Puskas for his second touchdown of the game as he barreled through the black and yellow.

The fourth quarter saw Puskas add his third touchdown of the game, followed by a returned fumble for a touchdown from Wesley Mann (Almonte, Ont.). Puskas tacked on his fourth and final touchdown for a total of 175 rushing yards, and Jason Shamatutu (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) picked an interception to end the game 68-17 in the Gaels favour.

With back-to-back wins, Queen's moves to 2-4 on the season.

BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Third straight 100+ yard game for running back Jake Puskas
5 – Five different Gaels with touchdowns during the game
2 – Sacks from Nelkas Kwemo
4 – A career-high four touchdowns for Puskas
379 – Passing yards from Nate Hobbs
6th – Sixth most points in a game in Gaels history with 68

FINAL SAY
"The offensive line is really starting to click perfectly, and we're all happy about it. I'm very excited, but it wasn't just me I have to hand it to the offensive line they played a hell of a game along with the quarterback and receivers." - Jake Puskas