In what will go down as the worst defeat in U of T football’s 125-year history, the Varsity Blues were butchered 72-0 by the number two-ranked McMaster Marauders, at Les Prince Field in Hamilton on Saturday. It was what can only be described as a horrible showing by the team, which has yet to notch its first win of the season.
McMaster took control of the game from the outset, scoring touchdowns on costly Blues turnovers in the first half. After this, U of T’s defence, offence, and hopes of winning a high-profile game faded away, with the Marauders scoring seemingly every other rush. The game was over before it began.
U of T’s defence did not stand a chance against the high-powered McMaster offence. The Marauders got incredible contributions from such key players as running back Kyle Pyear. The rushing leader in the CIS trampled the Blues’ defence, rushing for 240 yards on 27 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
There were few bright spots in the game for the Blues as McMaster piled up 514 yards of offence compared to the Blues’ 43. This huge contrast, mixed with the team’s inability to score, just showed that the Blues’ offence never gave the team a chance to win.
Saturday’s match-up was a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions. McMaster, with an undefeated record, looks like one of the favourites to capture the 2002 Vanier Cup. The team has a tough defensive core, a high-octane offence, and a lot of depth on their roster. In contrast, the Blues have an arduous task of rebuilding ahead of them.
With the retirement last summer of the football program’s guru Bob Laycoe, and no permanent coaching replacement yet, the Blues will have to go back to the drawing board in the off-season, and try to assemble solid building blocks. This might include attracting more talent on the field and setting up an infrastructure that is conducive to a healthy football environment.
The Varsity Blues football team wraps up the 2002 season next Saturday versus the Waterloo Warriors at Birchmount Stadium. Players, coaches, and U of T fans can only hope that the team can at least end the season on a high.
