OTTAWA, Ont. - The #2-ranked Golden Hawks could not have ended the regular season on a higher note. For the first time since 2005, and the eighth time in Laurier football's 63-year program history, the Golden Hawks have recorded an undefeated season going 8-0.
Laurier's manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds said last weekend that clinching the first-round playoff bye was "not going to change how we approach this game."
The Golden Hawks came to play, firing on all cylinders against the Carleton Ravens in the nation's capital, handing the Ravens a 20-point loss, winning 44-24.
On Laurier's opening drive, starting from their 10-yard line, Taylor Elgersma and company confidently marched down field capping off the 77-yard drive with a perfect pass right into the hands of the wide-open Ryan Speight, bringing down his first touchdown of the season. Dawson Hodge's extra point gave Laurier the quick 7-0 lead.
The Ravens were looking to respond fast, and at third and a stride within the red zone, the Ravens could not convert as Maliek Cote stopped Zach Georges right in his tracks for a turnover on downs.
However, Carleton's defence stepped up with Jake Henderson intercepting Elgersma's pass. But the Golden Hawks defenders bailed out their quarterback forcing the Ravens into a two-and-out.
The first quarter ended with the Hawks up 7-0, marking only the fourth time the Ravens have been blanked after 15 minutes.
Laurier carried over possession into the second quarter where Hodge put three more points on the board from a 19-yard field goal. The Golden Hawks continued to dominate possession, chewing off 6:18 from the clock.
Carleton's kicker Brandon Forcier answered with a 44-yard field goal of his own to put the Ravens on the board down by a touchdown at 10-3.
It only took 57 seconds for the Golden Hawks to bite back in a back-and-forth second quarter as the teams combined for 27 points.
The Ravens kept the OUA's top receiver Ethan Jordan off the score sheet in the first quarter, but it did not last long. Laurier's offensive line gave Elgersma enough time and space to spot Jordan, whose speed could not be matched, and the duo combined for 74 yards on the touchdown play.
Elijah Barned and Kaseem Ferdinand looked to respond quickly, connecting on a 49-yard play before being brought down by Laurier's Harnoor Dhaliwal. Barnes gave the entire Ravens line-up a scare bobbling the ball but recovered, and eventually redeemed himself by finding Frederik Hachey in the end zone for his first of two majors in the game.
Again, Laurier's lead was cut down to 17-10, giving the Ravens some hope at further closing the gap. After both teams' offences were stumped on their next drives, the Golden Hawks took the reins with 57 seconds remaining in the half.
With the Ravens susceptible down the middle, Elgersma took full advantage finding Raidan Thorne who cut in from the outside to gain 29 yards and a first down. Three plays later, Elgersma under pressure unleashed a 41-yard rocket to none other than Jordan, moving the Hawks into the red zone.
A miscue on the offensive line sent the snap to Elgersma skipping on the ground, but it was no problem for the reigning OUA MVP who scooped, turned, and fired the ball into Layomi Ojutalayo's hands.
The Golden Hawks took a commanding 24-10 lead into halftime.
If you were looking at the statistics sheet no doubt it would be confused for a typical game's final numbers, but Elgersma and Jordan put on a clinic in the first half. Elgersma tallied a whopping 346 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Jordan had eight receptions worth 156 yards and a major.
"They've got such great chemistry and incredible timing. It was a fast turf, and Ethan [Jordan] got open several times, and Taylor [Elgersma] found him each time. It was pretty to watch," Faulds said after the game.
Barnes and Hachey linked up for a 25-yard touchdown to open the third quarter, hoping once again to get back within seven points, but the snap was fumbled and Forcier could not notch the extra point.
Elgersma and Jordan were hungry for more coming back for a second serving. The Laurier offensive line remained strong in the trenches giving Elgersma a clear look over the top, and Jordan's ability to break coverage left the Ravens defenders in the dust bringing the 55-yard play to the house.
Just as quickly as the Ravens found themselves within reach, the OUA's best offence slammed the door and threw away the key.
After the Golden Hawks forced another two-and-out, the purple and gold showed their skill on the run.
"We have several different identities," Faulds said. "We can grind it out, we can run the ball, we can play small ball and go ten plays like we did on the first drive, or we can have the electric, explosive plays. We can play several different brands of football, and the same goes with our special teams and our defence."
The Ravens minimized Tayshaun Jackson's impact on special teams, but he too refused to be held scoreless. Deep in Carleton territory, Elgersma decided to rest his arm, handing the ball off to Jackson who slipped behind Spencer Walsh, then threw out a stiff-arm, and danced his way 19 yards into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown.
On Carleton's ensuing drive, defensive lineman Joseph Edlington powered through the Ravens' line and brought down Barnes to record his first career sack. Johari Hastings gave Barnes another tough outing on the next drive with 23 seconds left in the quarter, intercepting the downfield pass, giving Laurier possession to begin the final frame.
At 14:09, Hodge nailed the 40-yard field goal to put the Golden Hawks up 41-16, but the Ravens answered with a touchdown and a rouge, however, the attempts were too little too late as the Golden Hawks put the Ravens to rest.
Laurier's big-time performers Elgersma and Jordan both left the game with new season and career highs. Elgersma's 464 passing yard day marked the third time this year, and fifth in his career, surpassing 400 yards.
Jordan's 225 receiving yards smashed his previous high, and he now sits at an even 1,000 yards on the year. Â
The Golden Hawks faithful who made the trip to the nation's capital cheered the team off the field as the Hawks ran the table and ended Carleton's playoff hopes.
While Faulds gave plenty of love to his offensive weapons, he also credited his hit squad for their performance.
"Our defence has done a great job. A lot of guys, because we've had some injuries, stepped up playing positions they're not used to. So it was a good week of preparation that Coach Van Moerkerke had them under, and they played really well," he said.
"We told the guys [8-0] is not our end goal. When we talked at our first meeting way back in August, we wanted to have a good, solid regular season, and to be here on October 19, we have no regrets about the season we've had thus far."
"They'll have this legacy of the 2024 team being undefeated in the regular season."
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Up Next
The Golden Hawks enter their first-round bye on a high, but Faulds said his team's "second season has officially begun."
"The advantage you have is you get to get as healthy as you can, and then we also want to prepare for what our would-be opponents could be. Considering our bye-week was way back in week two, it's important for us to get the second bye this year."
The Golden Hawks await their semifinal opponent for a kickoff set for 1 pm on November 2 at Knight-Newbrough Field. Get your tickets here!
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