The Carleton Ravens’ offense could not find the end zone against the Queen’s University Gaels in an 18-6 loss on Saturday, their first football game in 693 days.
The Ravens last played on Oct. 26, 2019, when they crashed out of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs against the University of Guelph Gryphons.
It had been even longer since Carleton played in front of home fans. A sold-out crowd of 750 people came out for the long-awaited return of football to Ravens Perch.
Carleton head coach Steve Sumarah said he was thrilled to be back in front of fans again.
“It’s amazing,” Sumarah said. “The fans were great and the Carleton support here is always awesome.”
Defensive back Jonathan Edouard echoed that sentiment. Edouard, an American, missed most of the 2019 season after visa issues kept him out of Canada for more than a year.
“I got kicked out of Canada, so this is my first game in [nearly] 750 days,” Edouard said. “It feels really good to do what I love to do and express myself in front of the fans.”
693 days in the making!🏈🔥
Not the result we hoped for but it's great to see the Ravens BACK in BLACK 🖤 #FearTheConspiracy pic.twitter.com/bMz3ojjQzI
— Carleton Ravens (@CURavens) September 18, 2021
Despite the loss, the Ravens’ defense played well throughout the game, getting stops when they needed to keep the game close.
“The biggest thing we accomplished is that our defense played well. I thought those guys really rallied when we needed them,” Sumarah said.
The offense struggled to find consistency. They moved the ball well on their own side of the field but when in opposing territory, their drives stalled and they were forced to punt.
Penalties ended many of Carleton’s offensive drives, erasing potential momentum shifters throughout the game. Sumarah said he believes most of the penalties were mental mistakes.
“You have to be dialed in completely. If you are not dialed in, you are going to run into challenges,” Sumarah said. “Those challenges, unfortunately, are that it’s really hard to play when you are facing second and 15 and first and 20.”
The Ravens also committed two turnovers—one interception and one fumble lost. Those turnovers ended what looked to be strong drives for the Ravens and gave the Gaels momentum. The interception in particular—near the end of the fourth quarter—sealed the win for the Gaels.
Strong defense dominated early for both teams, forcing Carleton and Queen’s to punt often. Ravens punter Vincent Plouffe stood out with a strong performance, consistently flipping the field with his booming kicks.
Carleton’s entire special teams unit played well, especially Edouard, who made several key plays to keep the game close.
“Coach really emphasizes every week that special teams is just as important as offense and defense,” Edouard said. “I just make sure I put my all out there and try to win the field position battle for the team and put our defense in the best position to pin them.”
At the end of the first quarter, the Ravens held a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal from kicker Brandon Forcier after a meticulous drive up the field. Queen’s was shut out until near the end of the first half, when Gaels quarterback James Keenan hit Theo Grant for a huge 40-yard touchdown.
Queen’s took the lead and never looked back. The Gaels scored 10 unanswered points to end the game, including a 50-yard touchdown pass from Keenan to Ottawa-native wide receiver Richard Burton.
After not playing a competitive game in almost two calendar years, both offenses looked rusty to start the game, especially Carleton’s.
Sumarah acknowledged that fundamentals have to improve ahead of their next game on Sept. 25 at York University.
“There were moments offensively where it looked like we had some momentum, but the thing that hurt us was execution assignments and penalties,” Sumarah said. “It was constant … It felt like after every play was [the question], ‘Okay, who missed their assignments?’”
Despite Saturday’s loss, Edouard said he still has high hopes for this season.
“We want to go 5-1,” Edouard said. “The goal was already 6-0 and now it is 5-1.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
