KINGSTON, Ont. — An instant classic. Queen's and Western delivered another historic battle that took four overtimes to decide Saturday evening.
To open the game, Western punched first, driving down the field for seven and half minutes before running back Ethan Dolby ran in for a touchdown. An added field goal gave the Mustangs a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Queen's. An opening-drive touchdown, a sack from Steven Kpehe, and an impressive trick play leading to a Russel Weir touchdown gave the Gaels a 16-10 halftime lead.
Weir added his second touchdown of the night to open the third quarter. From there, the Gaels' defence took control. Two interceptions and a late Tyler Mullan field goal gave Queen's a 16-point advantage heading into the final frame.
Just as Kingston fans could smell victory, Western quarterback Evan Hillock had other ideas. The Mustangs dominated the final six minutes, scoring back-to-back touchdowns — both with two-point conversions — to tie the game 26-26. A Queen's fumble set up a late Western field goal, putting the visitors ahead 29-26.
But the drama wasn't over. Jared Chisari delivered an outstanding catch in the dying seconds, allowing Mullan to tie it with a field goal and send the game to overtime.
The first three overtimes, which saw teams trade drives beginning on their opponents 35-yard-line, ended in a stalemate. But the fourth would prove decisive. Tyler Mullan narrowly missed a field goal attempt, opening the door for Western.
They wouldn't hesitate. Dolby once again broke through the defence for a massive gain in yards, and kicker Brian Garrity would seal the game, giving Western a 45-42 victory.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Gaels, who once again came tantalizingly close to defeating their rivals only to see victory slip away.
Western moves on to play Guelph next week in another huge matchup for the Mustangs. Queen’s will look to bounce back against the McMaster Marauders (0-1) on Saturday.