Box Score HAMILTON, Ont. – This season's week one match-up against the McMaster Marauders looked eerily familiar to the teams' meeting at Laurier Homecoming last season, where the Hawks were put on their heels early, but labelled the second half theirs.
Despite a different venue this time around, the result was the same as Laurier stormed back for a 31-14 win at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday night.
After Laurier's offence could not gain any ground on their first drive of the 2024 season, the Marauders - led by the trio of quarterback Keegan Hall, running back Brayden Kelly, and rookie receiver Jackson Taylor - made quick work of getting their team on the board.
Taylor racked up a combined 36 yards for the home side before Hall completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kelly to open the scoring.
With time winding down late in the first quarter and the Golden Hawks looking for a response, Laurier quarterback and the OUA's reigning MVP, Taylor Elgersma had a pass intercepted by Yohan Tshimbalanga.
On the ensuing McMaster possession, Jayden Griffiths and Ethan Gregorcic teamed up for a sack of Hall, forcing the Marauders to settle for a Michael Horvat 50-yard punt that resulted in a rouge.
Despite getting behind early, the Golden Hawks did not back into a corner. Instead, they capitalized early in the second quarter on a Marauder penalty.
Putting the offence on his back, Elgersma called his number on a goal line plunge to cap off an eight-play, 75-yard drive, cutting McMaster's lead to one.
"Taylor was gritty, and he made some great plays with his legs. He showed that toughness", said Laurier's manager of football operations and head coach
Michael Faulds.
The latter stages of the first half resulted in a kicker's duel between Horvat and Laurier's Dawson Hodge, exchanging not one, but four field goals between them.
Laurier's defence began to heat up in the setting sun, limiting McMaster to a 39-yard field goal to jump ahead 11-7.
Moments later, Hodge returned the favour by splitting the uprights from 19 yards out to bring Laurier within one again.
Elgersma and company then started gaining momentum, including a Layomi Ojutalayo 21-yard reception that set up Hodge again for a 40-yard field goal, giving the Hawks their first lead.
However, McMaster stormed back 46 yards in just 27 seconds to set up a 36-yard Horvat field goal as time expired in the first half. The home side led 14-13 at the break.
Coming out for the third quarter, the Hawks showed their prowess on all fronts - but it started with the defence.
Third-year lineman Marcus Tenney broke through the McMaster protection for his first career OUA sack, getting the Laurier sideline visibly fired up.
"I went for an inside move, pushed them off, and rolled out. I saw Keegan Hall, then I made the sack," Tenny said matter-of-factly, reflecting on the moment.
After a missed field goal attempt by Hodge, the Hawks recorded a single on the rouge to level the score at 14.
Laurier's special teams were just that and were key to keeping the game in reach, significantly contributing to the massive second half.
Ryan Hughes led the charge with a 38-yard return, cutting the field in half and setting the table for Elgersma to convert his second rushing touchdown, putting the Hawks back up 21-14.
Rookie running back Tayshaun Jackson took off for an electric 70-yard return himself; weaving, side-stepping, and breaking tackles left and right.
Jackson's play set up the nail in the coffin touchdown, as Tanner Nelmes found the gap in the Marauder's defensive line to secure the Hawks' third rushing touchdown and double the lead to 28-14.
"Tayshaun is someone we're excited about," said Faulds. "I think the league's going to quickly realize who he is."
Almost lost in the shuffle was the fact that Nelmes' game-high 139 yards from scrimmage (on 21 carries) was a new personal best in a single game and just the third time in his five-year career that he's broken the century mark.
His previous record was 130 yards against York in 2021.
With McMaster trying to push back late in the game, Laurier defensive captain Johari Hastings slammed the door shut by intercepting Hall's errant pass. Hodge would eventually seal the deal with a 31-yard field goal.
The Golden Hawks' defence came up huge in the second half to shut out the Marauders, securing the Hawks' season opener win 31-14.
"Despite being down 14-13 at half we battled back", Faulds said. "We were in the locker room saying just trust each other and do your job. And we went out and did that."
UP NEXT
The Golden Hawks enter their bye week before welcoming the Guelph Gryphons to the new turf at Knight-Newbrough Field on Saturday, September 7. Both teams captured double-digit opening weekend wins. Laurier handed the Gryphons a 60-21 blowout defeat last season.
"Going into the bye week, we are going to be motivated," Faulds said. "No one feels that we played a great game today. We played okay. We had a gritty win, but we didn't play our best football. So we'll go back, lick our wounds, and come out of the bye for our home opener."
