For a season that ended in a championship blowout, Queen’s 2013 football campaign was still entertaining and a general success.

In his 14th season as head coach, Pat Sheahan led the Gaels to a near perfect 7-1 regular season. Their sole blemish was a 50-31 defeat at the hands of the Western Mustangs, who beat them 51-22 in last Saturday’s Yates Cup game.

The OUA title game had an eerily similar script to the teams’ first meeting. Both games saw the Gaels overwhelmed by the Mustang offence in the second and third quarters, before mounting comebacks that were too little, too late.

Entering 2013 ranked second in the country, it appeared the OUA was the Gaels’ to lose. Western proved to be on another level, but Queen’s was the clear second-best team in Ontario.

Eventually, the Gaels ran into a better squad and were unable to execute. An inability to consistently string together long touchdown drives ultimately doomed the Gaels, as their offence remained too explosion play-oriented.

Still, the season featured several classic performances from individual players and the team as a whole.

Receiver Giovanni Aprile kicked off the year in style with four touchdowns, including a 115-yard missed field goal return, as the Gaels nearly shutout the York Lions in a 52-1 victory.

Queen’s football celebrated its first official Homecoming game since 2008, a thriller that will likely be remembered for Aaron Gazendam’s walk-off punt recovery touchdown after a blocked field goal attempt in overtime.

The undeniably Canadian play capped off a wild fourth-quarter rally from the Gaels, who trailed the underdog Laurier Golden Hawks with under three minutes remaining in the game.

Queen’s managed to vanquish two blown fourth-quarter losses to the Guelph Gryphons from 2012, dealing the Gryphons consecutive defeats to end the regular season and in the OUA semi-final.

The Gaels played their best team football over this two-game span. Quarterback Billy McPhee threw the ball efficiently, gaining 522 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.

Running backs Ryan Granberg and Daniel Heslop tore up the Gryphons defence, combining for 281 yards and three touchdowns.

In the September loss to Western, Granberg became the Gaels’ all-time leading rusher, breaking Mike Giffin’s record and eventually finishing his CIS career with 3,373 rushing yards.

Defence saw the emergence of third-year defensive back Yann Dika-Balotoken, a centrepiece of Queen’s vaunted “fins up” secondary. He snared five interceptions in his breakout season, returning two for majors in a 31-24 victory over the McMaster Marauders.

The veteran Gaels’ squad has a number of graduating seniors ending five-year careers, including Granberg; defensive back T.J. Chase-Dunawa; offensive linemen Josh Prinsen, Mike Sullivan, Matt Kendrick and Derek Morris; defensive lineman John Miniaci; and receiver Justin Chapdelaine.

With so many graduating starters, and the potential for any of Aprile, linebacker Sam Sabourin and defensive back Andrew Lue to test their luck in the CFL, there are many openings for younger players.

Dika-Balotoken will need to continue his excellent performance as a big-play leader on the defence. Running backs Jesse Andrews and Jonah Pataki must combine to provide a one-two punch from the backfield.

Although the 2014 season appears to be one of transition, the Gaels will have enough talent to compete for a top-two OUA finish and push deep into the playoffs.