The Queen's Gaels (1-4) will look to extend their win streak when they welcome the Waterloo Warriors (4-2) to Richardson Stadium for a special night game under the lights this Thursday. Kick-off is set for 6:30pm.
 
Last weekend, the Gaels were able to pick up their first win of the season on the road at Windsor, toppling the Lancers 54-10. Mid-way through the season and hungry for a win, the Gaels came to play – and play they did. Quarterback Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) and receiver Chris Osei-Kusi (Brampton, Ont.) were standouts for the tricolour, both recording career-high performances during the Windsor game.
 
Named the Queen's University Male Athlete of the Week, as well as the Queen's University Offensive Football Player of the Week, Hobbs threw for 486 yards and four touchdowns and added another score on the ground during the Windsor victory. His 486 yard game stands as the 6th best in Gaels quarterback history.
 
Third year Osei-Kusi hauled in 226 yards and three touchdowns – a receiver performance that sits as the 6th best in Gaels history.
 
Queen's and Waterloo enter play from very different positions in their season. The Warriors were winners of their first four games of the season, while Queen's lost their first four from a pair of last-minute heartbreakers and three nationally ranked opponents.
 
Despite their strong start to the season, Waterloo comes into the Queen's matchup on a two-game losing streak after dropping a 71-24 blowout to Laurier and a 53-49 loss to Guelph – both losses that were hosted on Waterloo turf. The Warriors will finish their season with a pair of road games at Queen's, followed by an October 14 game at Ottawa.

Last weekend, Gryphons running back Johnny Augustine scampered in from 22 yards with just 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Guelph a come-from-behind 53-49 victory over the Warriors at Warrior Field. Guelph's game-winning drive was set up by a pair of poorly-timed Waterloo penalties – an offsides call on a kickoff, followed by a personal foul on the re-kick – that gave Guelph a short field, down 49-46. Originally, Guelph was poised to start their final drive from inside their own 10-yard line, but the flags saw them begin from Waterloo's 45. All told, the Warriors were flagged 17 times on the day.

The loss prevented Waterloo from clinching a playoff berth for the first time in 14 years, as they fell to 4-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Gryphons rescued their postseason aspirations by moving to 3-3 on the season as they enter their bye week.

For the Gaels who lost their first four games of the season, a path to the playoffs will be a climb but it is still very much wide open. A victory over the Warriors would leave Queen's with matchups against York and Toronto who are a combined 2-8 this year. Queen's would then need help from other teams as the Warriors would be at Ottawa, Guelph (3-3) faces Laurier and Carleton, and the Ravens (2-3) still face Western, Toronto and the Gryphons.
 
Back to the Gaels first order of business, Thursday night at Richardson Stadium.
 
The last time Queen's and Waterloo met was in Waterloo during the regular season last year. In that game, the Gaels came away with a 54-20 win over the Warriors. Queen's was led by Jonah Pataki (Wallaceburg, Ont.) who had 133 yards rushing with three touchdowns that day, while Gaels kicker Nick Liberatore (Dartmouth, N.S.) was a perfect 4/4 on field goals and 6/6 on extra points.
 
The all-time series favours the Gaels, who dominate the Warriors with a 15-2 record. The last time Waterloo beat Queen's was in 2006.
 
Head coach Pat Sheahan picked up his 150th career win in the regular season and playoffs last weekend. He now needs just four wins to reach 100 at Queen's.