KINGSTON, Ont. (Aug. 27) – Running backs Anthony Soles and Jaden Blackman led a potent rushing attack that finished with 343 yards on the ground in Queen's Football's 47-25 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues Saturday at Richardson Stadium.

Soles finished the game with 10 carries for 87 yards and a game-high two touchdowns while Blackman finished with a game-high 139 yards on 12 carries in the Gaels' season-opening win. Blackman, playing his first game with Queen's, also scored on a highlight reel 115-yard return on a missed Toronto field goal attempt.

"We had a nice steady flow, running backs going in and pounding it," said Soles after the game. "Everyone had a responsibility, it wasn't just one guy, and everyone did a great job."

"Everyone's fresh and looking good out there."



"The depth chart of our running backs is a great group," said Blackman. "We tell ourselves that every day, we know what we can be."

The running backs also credited the work of their offensive line for their big performance against Toronto.

"My offensive line is a great group as well," said Blackman. "They are amazing, they work hard."

Quarterback James Keenan also contributed to Queen's strong rushing attack, finishing with 66 yards on three carries and running back Jared Chisari had five carries for 53 yards. Keenan had a strong game through the air as well, finishing 20-25 for 246 yards passing and a touchdown to receiver Josh MacLeod.

MacLeod finished the game with four receptions for 50 yards, while Nathan Falconi led Queen's receivers with six receptions for 80 yards.

"Great to get the win. Really tough opponent, they did a tremendous job. For us, what really held us back from jumping out a little bit more earlier was our discipline and some of the mistakes we were making," said Head Coach Steve Snyder. "But just a really well fought game by both teams and I think it was a good one for the fans, it was exciting."

It was a back-and-forth first half with the Gaels leading 20-18 heading into the third quarter. The Varsity Blues opened the half with a kickoff return touchdown to take a five-point lead, but the Gaels' defence shut Toronto down the rest of the way to preserve the 22-point win.

Liam Sutherland led the way for Queen's defence with five tackles while Tyson Fletcher and Darien Newell finished with one sack each and Ethan Martin and Ashton Miller-Melancon, who led the OUA in interceptions with four last season, recorded their first interceptions of the year in the third quarter.

"Most importantly, we have to stay steady, not get too high or too low after that happened," said Martin about the defence's performance after Toronto opened the second half with a touchdown. "It was a good win but there is still a lot to do."

With the win, the Gaels open the 2022 OUA regular season at 1-0 while their historic rivals, the Varsity Blues, start the season 0-1.

Queen's is on the road for the next two weeks, taking on the Ottawa Gee-Gees next week, Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. in Ottawa, Ont.