a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } WATERLOO, Ont. - The #9-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks erased a 13-point halftime deficit and held a fourth-quarter lead, but were ultimately undone by Waterloo's ground game in a 39-31 loss in the 60th Battle of Waterloo on Saturday at Warrior Field.

Despite outgaining the Warriors through the air and forcing three turnovers, Waterloo rushed for 246 yards and scored the game's final 13 points.

The Golden Hawks struck first in the second quarter when running back Tayshaun Jackson broke free for a 17-yard touchdown run, beginning a comeback after Waterloo built a 13-0 advantage behind an Ethan Miller rushing major and a pair of Evan Astolfo field goals.

Laurier trimmed the deficit to 13-10 on a 24-yard field goal from Marcus Reypa before Waterloo responded with a Nick Orr one-yard touchdown and a 48-yard Astolfo field goal as time expired in the first half to take a 23-10 lead into the break.

The turning point appeared to come early in the third quarter when Owen Goetz intercepted Orr and returned the ball 29 yards to the Waterloo seven-yard line. One play later, quarterback Will Russell found Darion Bacik-Hadden for a touchdown to pull Laurier within six.

Russell continued to lead the Hawks' rally with a strong afternoon through the air, completing 29 of 44 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His favourite target was Ryan Hughes, who hauled in nine receptions for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After Waterloo extended its lead to 26-17 on Astolfo's third field goal of the afternoon, Russell connected with Hughes on an 18-yard touchdown late in the third quarter before finding the fourth-year receiver again on an eight-yard score with 10:12 remaining to put Laurier ahead 31-26.

The Golden Hawks appeared poised to seize control after recording three sacks and intercepting Orr twice, including an earlier pick by Javein Smith. 

Defensively, Matteo Laquintana, Kai Gagnon and Oscar Wise each recorded sacks, while Goetz added four tackles to his interception return.

But Waterloo answered with a quick three-play, 68-yard touchdown drive highlighted by Matthew Jonah-Eleweke's 40-yard run before Owen Clarke scored from 17 yards out to regain the lead at 32-31.

After forcing a Laurier punt, the Warriors leaned heavily on Brandon Riggan, who rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown. Waterloo marched 66 yards on nine plays, chewing more than three minutes off the clock before Riggan capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run with one minute remaining.

Laurier mounted one final threat thanks in part to Logan Moore, who finished with 140 return yards, including a 58-yard kickoff return that set up the Golden Hawks near midfield with 47 seconds remaining. Russell completed three passes to move Laurier inside the Waterloo five-yard line, but could not connect with his intended target Hughes on the game's final play.

Jackson finished with 86 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, while Jace Atkinson added five catches for 69 yards. Laurier also received a major boost from its return game, generating 241 return yards and consistently providing favourable field position for the offence.

The difference ultimately came on the ground, where Waterloo averaged 8.2 yards per carry and controlled possession for 33:46 compared to Laurier's 25:27.

The loss drops Laurier to 2-4 on the season, while Waterloo snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 2-4 and claim Battle of Waterloo bragging rights.

Up Next: 

Laurier enters its bye week through the Thanksgiving long weekend and returns to action for Senior Day in its final regular season home game on Saturday, October 17. 

Kickoff is set for 1 pm and tickets are available at tickets.laurierathletics.com

Fans can also catch the action live on OUA.tv