LONDON, ONT.—The McMaster Marauders shocked the Western Mustangs with a 24-point second-half outburst to win the 104th Yates Cup 41-19 on Saturday.
McMaster quarterback Kyle Quinlan hit stride both passing and running to give his Marauders almost total control of the game after a tentative start.
The Marauders will face the Acadia Axeman next Friday in Moncton, N.B., for the Uteck Bowl and a berth in the Vanier Cup for Canada's university football championship.
Setting up drives with his own deceptive running, Quinlan passed for two touchdowns to Michael DiCroce and one each to Robert Babic of Oakville and Bradley Fochesato of Windsor. Teddy Peters added a 15-yard field goal for McMaster before an estimated 8,500 fans.
Tyler Varga of Kitchener had another highlight-reel game for Western as the 18-year-old bulled for extended yardage and scored eight points — a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Brian Marshall, brother of Western quarterback Donnie, took passes from his brother for Western's other major and a two-point convert.
Their father Greg was looking for his fourth Yates Cup win with Western. He won four times as coach of McMaster in the early 2000s.
McMaster held a 10-3 lead at halftime off a seven-yard touchdown run by Toronto's Christopher Pezzetta and a 29-yard field by Peters, a native of Mississauga.
The Mustangs' points came when McMaster's Marshall Ferguson of Kingston conceded a safety and a single off a wide 29-yard field goal attempt by Western's Lirim Hajrullahu of St. Catharines.
Western defeated Mac 48-21 in week two of the regular season, when Varga carried 25 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns.
The Mustangs had a 13-game home winning streak going into the game dating back to 2009, when they lost to Mac 42-35.
The Yates Cup is football’s oldest trophy, going back 104 years. Western edged Ottawa 26-25 last fall.
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