On Friday, October 7, the Varsity Blues Football team gave up their two-game win streak to the Western Mustangs. The Mustangs were an undefeated 5-0 team going into the game while the Blues were 3-3, on the brink of a winning record.
The Blues had trouble getting past the 50-yard line in the first quarter, despite some rocket passes from quarterback Kinsale Phillips, to wide receivers Jake Oseen, and Jared Currie. When possession was shifted to the Mustangs, a lot of drives were made through the center of the Blues’ defensive line. The score stood at 28–0 for the Mustangs at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Blues predicted some of the Mustangs’ plays well but could not get an interception. Despite this, the Blues played their heart out on defense, and made smaller plays in comparison to the Mustangs. The small plays they made were able to generate more first downs for the team. However, Mustangs outdistanced the Blues during their plays, adding on three more touchdowns and bringing the score to 49–0 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter of the match was incredibly invigorating as the Blues attempted a comeback. Toronto’s players finally put their names on the board when Adam Williams reached the end zone with nine minutes left to go. A few minutes later, Scott Barnett reached his arm out right before he was tackled to push for a successful second touchdown, bringing the score to 56–14. With the last 45 seconds of the match remaining, Nicolas Greene received an eight-yard pass from Barnett to secure the third and final touchdown, putting an end to the 56–21 loss to the Mustangs.
“Today was a really good show [from] the U of T family, how much we believe in each other, and how much the culture has shifted, and where we can be down by those certain points and still go out and want to put 21 up,” said Philip in a post-game interview with The Varsity.
There was definitely assurance and confidence from Philips that, if the Blues had more time — considering the way they performed in the last quarter — they might have been able to beat the Mustangs.
Going forward into their next game against McMaster Marauders on October 22, Kinsale hopes to stay positive about the outcome and put his utmost best into doing what he’s there to do. With a playoff spot on the line, the Blues will continue to make the community proud and play to their best abilities.
