Getting over the hump

McMaster receiver Mike DiCroce

For all the praise and analysis that McMaster Marauders receiver Mike DiCroce had for his teammates and opponent leading up to the team’s OUA semi-final (redux?) against the Queen’s Gaels (4:30pm, The Score), you get a sense that he could have summarized it all into a couple of words.

It’s time.

You see, the Marauders are carrying a load on their shoulders – and DiCroce is one to call it the ‘semi-final hump’. Having made it to within one game of a Yates Cup appearance in three of the last six seasons (including the last two years), the country’s leading receiver commented how “we really want to shake this monkey off our back.”

For all the success they’ve had in 2011 (posting a 7-1 record and earning a first-round bye), the team believes it’s of Yates Cup calibre - if not more. It’s all been said before though.

“We need to not talk about it anymore and lead with our actions,” said DiCroce, who led the nation with 908 receiving yards on 48 receptions.

Asked to compare last year’s Queen’s squad to the version they will face this afternoon, it’s obviously the Gaels’ defence that stands out for the Mac pass-catcher.

“Last year, they had so many injuries on their defence… that we could pick our poison and go after their weaknesses,” he explained, adding, “This year, with everyone healthy - and their [defensive] line being so disruptive - it’ll come down to that line of scrimmage.”

“They’ve been riding that kind of Cover-4 defence and giving up the holes ... here and there – so hopefully we’re going to attack those zones and just try to march the ball each and every time and not get stuck in that second-and-long [situation].”

While DiCroce admitted that there’s “a lot of pressure for us this week to come out flying [after the bye week]”, this wouldn’t be the first time the team has had to rally together to pull through a stressful situation.

Having lost potential Hec Crighton winner Kyle Quinlan to a three-game suspension in Week #3, the Marauders had to stay calm with Marshall Ferguson at quarterback until Week #6. And that they did.

“Both those quarterbacks can play at a high level and, with Marshall coming in, we knew we’d be comfortable - no matter who was playing [quarterback].

“We had to rally together … and we knew we wanted to win those games for Kyle.”

Now they’re looking to rally for their school and make it back to compete for a championship – and they at least know what it will take to do it.

“We cannot shoot ourselves in the foot and make mistakes that we’ve made in the past,” said DiCroce.

“Going forward, we believe we can compete with any team in the country – so hopefully we’ll [get a chance to] do that.”