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Gaels move to 4-1 with win over Ottawa
Written by: Brent Dowdall (Special to www.gogaelsgo.com)

9/29/2012 5:22:00 PM
BOX SCORE

KINGSTON, Ont. - The No. 5-ranked Queen's Gaels built up a 32-7 lead after three quarters and held off a fourth-quarter rally by the visiting Ottawa Gee Gees to record a 32-25 victory in OUA football action at Richardson Stadium Saturday.

With the victory, the Gaels move to 4-1 this season, while Ottawa remains winless at 0-5.

The Gee-Gees scored 18 straight points in the fourth quarter, and had possession in Queen's territory trailing by seven with less than a minute to play. But the Gaels defence held when Luke Ball (Kingston, Ont.) stripped Gee-Gees quarterback Aaron Colbon (Ottawa, Ont.) of the football and John Miniaci (Toronto) recovered at the Queen's 40 yard line to preserve the win.

After a sluggish first quarter that ended with Queen's in front 4-0, the Gaels got the game's first big play late in the second quarter when Chris Patrician (Toronto) fielded an Ottawa punt at his own 20-yard line, and returned it through the Gee-Gees coverage for a 91-yard touchdown. An Ottawa safety touch and a Dillon Wamsley (London, Ont.) field goal on the final play of the first half gave Queen's a 16-0 lead at the break.

Ottawa got on the board when Colbon passed to Vincent Campbell (Gatineau, Que.) for a 9-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. But Queen's got two points from a safety touch and two short touchdown runs by Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.) to take a 32-7 lead after three.

Granberg led the Queen's offence with 22 rushes for 112 yards. Quarterback Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) completed 14 of 26 passes for 173 yards with one interception. Giovanni Aprile (Scarborough, Ont.) was his favourite target, catching five passes for 91 yards.

The Gee-Gees got back in the game the fourth quarter on a field goal by Matt Falvo (Welland, Ont.) and then blocked a Queen's punt, leading to a touchdown run by Brendan Gillanders (Orleans, Ont.). Gillanders had a game high of 137 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Ottawa turned a Queen's safety, a fumble, and another blocked punt into eight more points, pulling to within 32-25 with less than two minutes to play. On its final drive, Ottawa reached the Queen's 36 before Ball forced Colbon to fumble and Miniaci recovered with less than 30 seconds to play.