CIS Game RECAP (Sunday – STATS) [4]: 7 games win by 20+ points

*Note – Updates will be added as they become available

Saturday, Sept. 24

Photo credit:  Bob Frid

Game Recap by Len Catling (Sr. Manager, Communications and Media Relations), UBC

UBC (62), Alberta (0)

EDMONTON, AB – After a week of soul-searching and long, tough practices the UBC Thunderbirds (2-2) came out flying and never let up in a record breaking 62-0 win over the Alberta Golden Bears (0-4). The 62-point spread was the largest margin of victory in UBC’s football history (2013, UBC 60-0 over Alberta), while Michael O’Connor‘s five touchdown passes (Danny Smith, Oct. 15th, 1977 against Alberta) and Marshall Cook‘s three touchdown grabs (Paul Pearson, Oct. 29th, 1977 at Puget Sound – Andrew Murray, Oct. 6th, 1984 vs. Saskatchewan) tied school records.

O’Connor and Cook got the scoreboard lights buzzing early in the game with a 69 yard scoring pass that set the stage for the lopsided affair. Less than five minutes later the duo connected again, this time with O’Connor finding Cook on a nine-yard touchdown pass to cap off a three play 48 yard scoring drive.

UBC lead 22-0 at halftime and 29-0 after three quarters, as freshman wide receiver Trey Kellogg found the end zone for the first time in his T-Birds career on an 18-yard strike from O’Connor.

The fourth quarter was a relentless avalanche of UBC big plays.  Cook caught another four yard touchdown from O’Connor, Marcus Davis returned a punt 60 yards to pay dirt, Ben Cummings plunged into the Alberta end zone from the one yard line and A. J. Blackwell returned a fumble 70 yards for a major.

The display of UBC offence left the Golden Bears in shambles, the statisticians dizzy and the UBC football record book in tatters.

The ‘Birds are now 2-2 and are set up for what could be a pivotal game in their 2016 season next Friday, September 30th at Thunderbird Stadium. UBC will host the Manitoba Bisons for a 6 PM (PT) kickoff. The game will have huge playoff implications in the Canada West conference as the Thunderbirds, Bisons, and Saskatchewan Huskies all have identical 2-2 records.

 

UBC vs. Alberta at Edmonton, AB 9/24/2016 at 5:00 PM
UBC 62	Alberta 0

 

Game recap by Chris Zuk, Bison Sports Information

Saskatchewan (17), Manitoba (38) 

WINNIPEG – In the heated football rivalry between the Manitoba Bisons and #8 Saskatchewan Huskies, the Bisons prevailed after scoring 28 unanswered points to secure a 38-17 home win during the annual Homecoming Game at Investors Group Field on Saturday, September 24 afternoon in front of 1,846 fans.

With the victory, Manitoba improves to a 2-2 record and now on a two game winning streak while the Huskies fall to 2-2 and suffering a two game losing streak. Both teams are now tied for third in the conference standings at the hallway point of the 2016 season.

The game shifted in the second half. The visitors held a 17-13 lead after 30 minutes but the Bisons regrouped and produced the only scoring in the second half with three touchdowns and a short field goal.

“All units played well. We imposed our will in the second half and the team stepped up to win it,” stated Bison Football head coach Brian Dobie after the crucial ‘W’.

It was another arsenal display led by Bison quarterback, and CIS/Canada West Offence Player of the Week, Theo Deezar. Deezar continued to produce at a high level for the third straight game as he passed for 254 yards in the second half alone with touchdowns passes of 37 yards (to Shai Ross) and five yards (to Marquise Thompson). For Deezar, this was his fifth 400 yard game in 12 career conference regular season games and the fourth most passing yards in a single game in Bison history with 447.

“We knew we had to score touchdowns in the second half,” commented Deezar. “The offence picked it up and it’s hard to describe but we really wanted the win today.”

In addition to the strong play by the Bison offence, the offensive lineman held the vaunted Huskies’ defence to no sacks (Sask. led the league with seven going into the contest) and the home side defence had another solid game as the only allowed 99 yards in total offence in the last 30 minutes and 331 overall offence yards.

The final score did not reflect the closeness of the game in the first half. After Manitoba marched down on a five play, 89 yard play drive that was capped by a Macho Bockru one yard TD reception. The Huskies scored 17 of the next 20 points. Huskies’ Tyler Chow dove in for a one yard plunge and followed by a 20 yard TD pass from starter QB Kyle Siemens to Ben Getzlaf plus a 19 yard field goal by Sean Stenger. But the Bisons gained some momentum into the dressing room with a quick drive capped by a 30 yard field goal by Brady Mikoluff with 30 seconds left.

The Bisons finished with 559 offence yards and led 28-20 in first downs.

Individually, Saskatchewan split the duties at the quarterback position. Third year Siemens played for three quarters and went 18-31 for 161 yards and one TD. Fifth year Drew Burko finished 3-9 for 30 yards. Third year running back Tyler Chow continued to add to rushing totals with a game-high 153 rushing yards on 16 carries (9.6 average) in the loss. Fourth year Julian Lynch was top receiver for Saskatchewan with eight catches, game-high, for 75 yards. On defence, rookie defensive back Jacob Solie and second year linebacker Ben Whiting each had 6.5 tackles.

For the Bisons, Deezar passed for 28-42 (57%) for 447 passing yards along with three touchdowns passes. Before he left the game, second year slotback Jesse Walker had 120 receiving yards on six catches while first year Bison Shai Ross had his third consecutive 100 yard game with 113 receiving yards on five receptions. Cam Fox (38) and Alex Christie (34 and 1 rush TD) were top rushers. Fourth year linebacker DJ Lalama had a game-high 8.5 tackles while fifth year linebacker Bami Adewale had 6.5 tackles and first year Bison defensive lineman Quinton Bowles had two sacks.

Up next in week five action, Saskatchewan (2-2) travels on the road to play at the Regina Rams (3-1) on Saturday, October 1. Manitoba (2-2) goes on the road to play the defending CIS champion UBC Thunderbirds on Friday, September 30 at 6 p.m. PT.

Game Notes: In the annual Homecoming Game since it started back up in 1999, Bison Football is now 10-5 record and has won all four played at Investors Group Field (Oct. 2/15: W 34-19 over Regina; Sept. 20/14: W 20-10 over UBC; Sept. 28/13: W 34-15 over Regina).
At halftime, hundreds of University of Manitoba students helped celebrate a commitment of $15.9 million to the Front and Centre campaign, announced by University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) president Tanjit Nagra. The student support has propelled the campaign past the $400 million mark.

 

Saskatchewan vs. Manitoba at Winnipeg, MB 9/24/2016 at 1:08pm
Saskatchewan 17	Manitoba 38

 

Source: Concordia Stingers

StFX (11), Concordia (17)

Concordia Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan has mixed feelings about a hard-fought 17-11 victory over the visiting St. Francis Xavier X-Men at the Homecoming game at Concordia Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“St. FX is a big, physical team,” he said afterwards. “They did a good job against us. So I feel like we beat a good team, but I don’t feel like we played our best.”

After coming out strong early in the first quarter and scoring a quick touchdown on a 25-yard strike from quarterback Trenton Miller to slotback James Tyrrell, the Stingers’ offence was choppy.

“We move the ball well between the 30-yard lines,” Donovan said. “But we have to work on our play in the red zone. Thank goodness for the defence today, there were a few mistakes but the guys stepped up and made plays.”

Tyrrell’s touchdown proved to be Concordia’s only major score of the game. The rest of the points coming on field goals, singles and a safety.

On paper, the Stingers looked good. The offence had 22 first downs and 398 yards of offence. Miller completed 32 of 49 passes for 330 yards and a TD. Tyrrell caught seven passes for 119 yards, along with his touchdown. Rookie receiver Vince Alessandrini caught another 10 passes for 86 yards. He continues to lead the CIS with 37 receptions in four games.

Concordia’s defence held the X-Men to 11 points, 16 first downs and 271 yards of offence. Rookie cornerback Michael Asibuo had two interceptions for the Stingers. Teammate Lloyd Bureau also had a pick.

St. FX quarterback Tivon Cook completed 22 of 34 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown. His favorite target was Kaion Grant who hauled in six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

The Stingers’ win-loss record improves to 2-2. They will host the Bishop’s Gaiters in the annual Shrine Bowl game next Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is 2 p.m.

 

Stfx vs. CONC at Montreal 20160924 at 14:00
StFX 11	Concordia 17

 

Game recap by John Edwards, Bishop’s Sports Information

Saint Mary’s (29), Bishop’s (30)

SHERBROOKE, Que. – Zach Graveson caught a three-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left to lift the Bishop’s Gaiters to their first win of the season, 30-29, over the Saint Mary’s Huskies at Coulter Field, Saturday.

Graveson’s catch capped an 11-play, 66-yard drive that saw rookie quarterback Jaeden Marwick (Regina, Sask.) complete eight passes to pick up his first CIS win. The former Prairie Football Conference MVP finished 24-for-41 for 319 yards with two touchdown passes.

Graveson, for his part, finished with 10 catches for 168 yards. His earlier touchdown came with 5:51 gone in the fourth quarter, and cut the deficit to 29-24.

The Huskies (1-2) started quickly, scoring first-half touchdowns from Brock Berglund and Derek Pisani, and a pair of first-half field goals staked the Huskies to a 20-4 lead with 6:32 to play in the first half.

A Vincent Dube field goal with 20 seconds left, his second of the game, in the first half cut the halftime deficit to 20-7.

The Gaiters came out stronger in the second half, and doubled their scored in the first 90 seconds of the half, as Vincent Davignon ran in a 45-yard touchdown score, to pull Bishop’s to within six points at 20-14.

After the teams traded field goals, Berglund’s second touchdown run of the day with 12:01 to play put the Huskies back up by 12 at 29-17.

However, a pair of SMU errors opened the door for the Gaiters to come back. First, Brock Hope’s conversion attempt, clanged off the crossbar, keeping the lead at 12.
Four plays later, Bishop’s forced a fumble on an SMU punt return, and the Gaiters’ Nathan Berlus fell on the ball at the SMU 37, giving the Gaiters their best field position of the day. That the first of three fourth-quarter turnovers for the Huskies.

Bishop’s took advantage three plays later, as Marwick found Graveson, who flew 32 yards into the end zone, cutting the lead to five with 9:09 to go. The Gaiters defence held strong, forcing two punts and two turnover on downs on the Huskies’ final three drive, to help set up Bishop’s game-winning touchdown drive.

While Marwick finished with 319 yards, his first career 300-yard day, Berglund went 21-for-30 for 295 yards. He also was the Huskies’ leading rusher, with 17 carries for 87 yards.

For Bishop’s Vincent Davignon had 14 carries for 103 yards.

Graveson finished with 10 catches for 168 yards and the two touchdowns, while Trey Millings had three catches for 60 yards. For Saint Mary’s, D’Shawn Miller had six receptions for 122 yards, and Lerome Robinson had seven for 96.

The Gaiters defence was led by rookie defensive lineman Mickael Badra (Bromont, Que.), who set a team record with five sacks, and had seven total tackles. Ryan Hector (Brampton, Ont.) had 10.5 tackles for the Gaiters, while Keagan Hughes (West Kelowna, B.C.) had 10.

Bishop’s outgained Saint Mary’s 416-401, and put up 26 first downs, to 24 for the Huskies. Each team committed three turnovers, and the two squads combined for 44 penalties. SMU was flagged 26 times for 226 yards, while Bishop’s lost 167 yards on 18 penalties.

With the win, the Gaiters are now one win behind Sherbrooke, McGill and Concordia, who are in a three-way tie for third place in the Quebec conference. The Huskies, meanwhile, remain second in the AUS.

The Gaiters are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 1, as they visit the Concordia Stingers in Montreal in the annual Shrine Bowl game, which is set to kick off at 2 p.m. Saint Mary’s meanwhile, visits StFX next Saturday.

 

Saint Mary’s vs. Bishop’s at Lennoxville, Que. 9/24/2016 at 2:10 pm
Saint Mary’s 29	Bishop’s 30

 

With files from: Vert et Or, Sherbrooke University

Sherbrooke (20), McGill (11)

If the attack fails, the defense must hold out until the end. This is certainly what the players Vert & Or expressed on the bench in the first three quarters of the game to match that opposed the McGill Redmen on Saturday afternoon in Montreal.

Back to the score 11-6 with less than 15 minutes to play, the Vert & Or and its head coach David Lessard could finally mark an offensive touchdown for the first time in over 170 minutes … It was a nice pass from 43 yards starting quarterback Jean-Christophe Bourque-St-Hilaire veteran catcher Frédérick Caron, 5 minutes 11 seconds of the fourth quarter. Bourque St-Hilaire did also not satisfied with that, marking himself a first major university career a few minutes later, a short one-yard run. This hit was the score at 20-11 and gave a blow to the opposite team.

Two interceptions on defense and Alexander Keith Sanscartier Chevrien late in the game then allowed the Vert et Or to maintain this score intact until the final whistle and come home with two valuable points and a good capital trust.

“Nothing was going in the first half, but we talked at halftime and were patient. We finally managed a few good games in a row and we finally score touchdowns. We thought we had a good attack and needed to trust. Time has proved us right, “admitted Jean-Christophe Bourque St-Hilaire who did not want to put pressure because he got a first chance as starting quarterback.

Very slow start

For the second weekend in a row, the attack Vert & Or was unable to generate anything in the first two quarters of the game, even losing 8 yards on nine tries. Launched in the fray for a first career start, the pivot Jean-Christophe Bourque St-Hilaire had managed only 5 of his 12 passes directed to his teammates for only 26 yards aerial gain. He eventually finished the game with a record of 13 in 22 for 162 yards with his performance in the second half.

The only spark of the first half came to meeting the special units, thanks to the young Samuel Polan. The latter brought a punt 59 yards for granting a very good position to his team. Unfortunately, the following sequence led to a goal attempt from 37 yards Mathieu Hébert failed.

The meager savings of four points in the first two quarters was conceded by the Redmen on two safeties in each of the first two quarters of the game. In the offensive woes in the first portion of the game, it was also necessary to add a toll of 11 penalties awarded to Sherbrooke, which unfortunately allowed McGill to advance the ball down the field. Fortunately, theVert & Or defensive  was very effective, limiting the opponent to a touchdown and an investment of 19 yards, despite first 10 games and it is rather the Redmen who finished with 13 penalties for 89 yards.

Alexandra Gagnon and Alexandre Gagné totaled between them had eight solos tackles, three quarterback drawdowns and five tackles for losses of land.

“Despite the fatigue and that much remained on the field, the guys trust was never lost on offense and we worked more and stronger with each sequence to give them the ball. It eventually unlock for them. Our unit did really well today. But a university season is long and we must continue to work hard and as a team for the next matches, “said Alexandre Gagnon.

“It is certain that without our defense, there would be no games. The guys held the fort and gave us time to solve our attacking problems. This is a big win feels good, but we still have a lot of work in front of us, “for his part said the driver of the Vert & Or David Lessard.

The Vert & Or in mid-season are now two wins and two losses, allowing him to join the Redmen ranking college football the Quebec Student Sport Federation. The Sherbrooke players have more of the tiebreaker because the largest difference of points obtained to total two meetings between the two teams.

After traveling three out of four matches during the first months of activities of the provincial university League, Sherbrooke find the natural surface of their stadium and support their supporters three times in the stretch of autumn 2016, including during the visit of University Carabins de Montreal on 1 October.

 

Sherbrooke vs. McGill at Montreal, Qc 9/24/2016 at 14:11
Sherbrooke 20	McGill 11

 

Photo courtesy: Laval University

With files from: Laval University

Laval (49), Mount Allison (4)

Laval University, 24 September 2016 – Laval completely dominated the Mount Allison Mounties 49-4, Saturday afternoon in Sackville.

556 yards of total offense against 100. 29 first trials against eight. Laval (3-1) has made every effort to ensure to bring to 15 the streak against rivals in the Atlantic conference.

Quarterback Hugo Richard has once again had a strong game, completing 65% of his passes for 292 yards in three quarters of play. Two of his throws have provided a touchdown to Laval, and he himself scored two main floor, for a second consecutive game. Defensively, Edward Godin did well with two sacks among his 5.5 tackles, including five solo.

The Rouge et Or opened the scoring. The first Laval attack ended with a 30-yard kick by Dominic Lévesque. Improved field position on the very next offensive sequence, with any luck. Despite a bad snap, the kicker Dominic Lévesque recovered the ball and ran 22 yards for the first time. On the next play, Hugo Richard joined Antony Auclair for a touchdown pass of 25 yards that was 10-0. The Mounties then conceded a safety touch Lévesque added a second investment of 10 yards, and missed a 36-yard attempt as time expired that still resulted in a single. After 15 minutes, it was 16-0 Laval.

The Mounties scored for the first time early in the second quarter, forcing the Rouge et Or to concede a safety touch. The Reds strike force quickly erased this faux pas, crossing the field before seeing Richard Hugo trotter eight yards into the end zone to 23-2. Laval added a placement and a single before the end of the half, which ended in favor for Glen Constantin’s team 27-2.

After a simple Mounties on the opening kickoff of the second half, the Rouge et Or extended their lead when Benoit Gagnon-Brousseau has captured over 7 yards of Richard Hugo in the end zone. Laval quarterback then does the work himself, a five-yard run for his second major of the meeting, which was then Laval 41 Mount Allison 3. Local scored a final point on a red and Glen Constantin team completed eight points on two safeties, a single, and the fourth investment of Dominic Lévesque match.

The Rouge et Or will play one last game before the break of Thanksgiving on Sunday October 2 at Stade TELUS-Université Laval face the McGill Redmen. Tickets for this event are available online or at the ticket Rouge et Or at 418 656-FOOT (3668).

 

LAVAL vs. Mount Allison at Sackville, NB 9/24/2016 at 2:05pm I
Laval 49	Mount Allison 4

 

Photo Credit: Bruce Bell

Source: Jamie Howieson, Laurier Golden Hawks

Waterloo (7), Laurier (68)

WATERLOO, Ont. (September 24, 2016) – Running back Eric Guiltinan and defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng both etched their names into the Wilfrid Laurier history books on Homecoming weekend as the Golden Hawks defeated the Waterloo Warriors 68-7 at University Stadium.

Playing in front of a boisterous crowd of 7,595 fans, Guiltinan ran for four first half touchdowns, tying him for third on Laurier’s single-game list, while Boateng became the team’s all-time sacks leader to help the Hawks improve their record to 4-0 on the season.

“Obviously we played really well, and clean football, in the first half,” said head coach Michael Faulds after the Hawks’ fourth straight win to open the year. “In the second half, it’s kind of common nature, you take your foot off the pedal a little bit, you’re getting some of the younger guys into the game, but I’m proud of our team effort.”

“Yeah, we executed pretty well at the start of the game,” added Guiltinan, echoing his head coach’s comments. “Obviously it was nice having that first drive on the three-yard line to get the momentum going, so yeah it was nice.”

Entering the game with just nine points scored in the first quarter, Laurier looked to get off to a flying start against the last place Warriors (0-5). After a quick two-and-out by Waterloo, Laurier’s special teams unit gave the Hawks the start they needed as they got to Waterloo punter Caleb Girard of Waterford, Ont., taking him down on his own three-yard line.

On the ensuing possession, Guiltinan, a native of London, Ont., punched in his first touchdown of the afternoon from two-yards out to give Laurier a 7-0 lead just two minutes and three seconds into the game.

Following a conceded safety by the Warriors, the Hawks wasted little time finding the endzone once again. A three-play, 50-yard drive that lasted just 25 seconds was capped off by Guiltinan’s second touchdown of the afternoon, a 21-yard run to the house that extended the Hawks lead to 16-0.

Laurier would add one more score in the quarter, a four-yard run by Darian Waite of Newmarket, Ont., to claim a 23-0 lead after 15 minutes, more than doubling their first quarter offensive output from their first three games.

The second quarter was much of the same from the Hawks. The team found the endzone on four more occasions, including a pair of 54-yard runs from Guiltinan and Levondre Gordon of Mississauga, Ont., and a 16-yard touchdown reception by Brendan McCracken of Kitchener, Ont.

Guiltinan would cap the half with a 36-yard scamper to pay dirt as Laurier cruised to a 53-0 lead over their cross-town rivals.

The first half stats were impressive for the Hawks as they posted 426 yards of offence under the guidance of quarterbackMichael Knevel of Brantford, Ont., who was making his first career start. On his own, Guiltinan ran for 176 yards on just 14 carries to go along with the four scores giving him 642 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, tops in the OUA, on the year.

While Laurier slowed down offensively in the second half, adding just 15 points to their final score, the special performances for the Homecoming faithful didn’t stop. Midway through the third quarter, Boateng, a native of Milton, Ont., got through the Warriors offensive line and took down Waterloo starting quarterback Ethan Belbeck of Hamilton, in the endzone for the sack and a safety.

The sack gave Boateng 18 for his career and moved him into first place on Laurier’s all-time list, 0.5 sacks ahead of Eric Schwab who played for Laurier from 1995-2001.

“I’m not surprised [that Kwaku set the record],” said Faulds on his star defensive lineman. “He is an unbelievable leader for us. It’s kind of very fitting that he does it, and gets a safety on the play. He’s just an outstanding leader for us, a great student, and I’m happy for him.”

One bright spot for Waterloo came in the fourth quarter. Down 65-0 following a 39-yard field goal from the Hawks Nathan Mesher of Kitchener, Ont., and a 21-yard touchdown from Mario Villamizar of St. Catharines, Ont., Waterloo finally found the endzone on a 21-yard pass from backup quarterback AJ Stewart of Ridgeway, Ont., to Tyler Ternowski of Hamilton.

The scoring play ended Laurier’s shutout streak against Waterloo at 185 minutes and five seconds, a stretch that dated back to the fourth quarter of the Hawks game against the Warriors in 2013.

Outside of Guiltinan’s impressive game, other strong performances came from Knevel, who finished his first career start completing 14-of-21 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

“He played well,” said Guiltinan on Knevel’s performance. “He didn’t really show any nerves which is always the biggest concern but he stepped up and played great, which is good for him.”

Gordon was also strong on the ground, as he had 86 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. In total, eight Laurier rushers combined to post 440 yards, the sixth-highest total in school history.

Defensively, the Hawks spent much of the afternoon in Waterloo’s backfield, finishing with 16 tackles for a loss as well as five sacks, raising their season total to a league-best 20.

Linebacker Nakas Onyeka of Brampton, Ont., led the way as he had 7.5 total tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and a pass breakup. Defensive back Scott Hutter of London, Ont., the reigning OUA Defensive Player of the Week, had 4.5 tackles, two for a loss, and two sacks, while rookie defensive back Christian Hutter-Coppin of Barrie, Ont., had Laurier’s lone interception of the day, the first of his career.

Laurier’s impressive defence limited Waterloo to just 17 rushing yards and a total of 182 yards on the day. Ternowski was the only player to enjoy any success against the Hawks, making four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.

The purple and gold now turn their attention to the purple and white from London, the Western Mustangs. The matchup on October 1 will see two of the three four-win teams in the OUA go head-to-head in one of the biggest games on the conference calendar this year.

“It’s a big game for us,” said Faulds ahead of the showdown. “Obviously we haven’t beaten them in I think 10 years so I’m going to remind the guys of that all week. It’s definitely a team that’s been the class of this league for a while and if we’re going to make some real noise, we know we have to beat a team like that.”

Kickoff for next Saturday’s game at TD Stadium in London is set for 1 p.m.

NOTES: Linebacker Brandon Calver of London, Ont., returned from missing the last two games to record 4.5 tackles…receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. of Ottawa, had his best performance of the year, making six catches for 56 yards while adding 102 kickoff return yards on three attempts…Guiltinan continues to lead the OUA in average rushing yards per game at 160.5

 

WATERLOO vs. Laurier Golden Hawks at Waterloo, Ont. 9/24/2016 at 1:17PM
Waterloo 7	Laurier 68

 

Source: Carleton Ravens

Carleton (50), York (7)

TORONTO, ON — The Carleton Ravens football team rolled to a 50-7 victory over the York Lions at Alumni Field in Toronto on Saturday afternoon, rallying from last week’s difficult result to pick up a vital win and move to 3-2 on the season.

Carleton dominated the game from start to finish, as the Ravens defence limited York’s star quarterback Brett Hunchak to just 159 yards passing on only 13 completions for his second lowest totals of the season.

“I was expecting a good effort today and we certainly got it,” said head coach Steve Sumarah. “We ran the ball well and defensively we knew [York] was going to throw the ball and the freshman we had starting in the backfield did an exceptional job.”

Fourth-year running back Jayde Rowe (Scarborough, on) set a school record by rushing for 258 yards on 21 carries while adding two touchdowns in the victory. The talented tailback has now rushed for 160 yards or more in three of the past four games.

“The team made my job easy today in terms of the execution – the front five came up big and the receivers did a great job blocking for me,” said Rowe. “We chipped away today and I was able to break a few good runs – that’s all I could ask for.”

BOX SCORE

The Ravens got off to a fantastic start on their opening possession, as quarterback Jesse Mills (Halifax, NS) found Kyle VanWynsberghe (Delhi, ON) for a 7-yard touchdown pass, which completed a 9 play, 69 yard drive for a 7-0 Carleton lead.

Carleton’s offence appeared unstoppable in the early going, as rookie Nathan Carter (Ottawa, ON) capped off a 9 play, 106 yard drive with an athletic 4-yard run and leap over a Lions defender to increase the Ravens advantage to 14-0 after the first quarter.

The Ravens had 204 yards of total offence in the first, including 11 first downs. Running back Jayde Rowe rushed for 75 yards on 5 carries in the quarter.

York’s offence finally came to life in the second, but just as Lions began to move the chains, it was the Ravens defence that came up with a big play. Defensive back Tunde Adeleke (Ottawa, ON) picked off York quarterback Brett Hunchak’s deep toss in the end zone to stop the threatening drive.

However, Carleton was shutdown on their next offensive possession, and on the ensuing Ravens punt, York’s Kadeem Thomas got his team on the scoreboard with a 50-yard highlight reel punt return, breaking several tackles on his way to the end zone to bring the Lions back into the game.

With a 14-7 lead, Ravens kicker Michael Domagala (St. Catharines, ON) atoned for an earlier miss in the game by hitting a 16-yard field through the uprights to put Carleton ahead by ten points at the 2:48 mark of the second quarter.

Following a Jesse Mills interception late in the half, Carleton’s defence came to the rescue again as linebacker Guillaume Caron (Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, QC) picked off a Brett Hunchak pass to put the Ravens in great field position with under 30 seconds to play in the second.

On the first play following the York turnover, Mills hit Kyle VanWynsberghe on an 8-yard fade for his second touchdown of the game to put the Ravens up 24-7 at the break.

Carleton continued to give the OUA chain crew a workout as Jayde Rowe powered the Ravens to an early third quarter score on a 1-yard TD run. The fourth-year back cracked the 200-yard mark on the drive, giving Carleton a 31-7 stranglehold on the game.

Midway through the third, special teams ace Keith Graham (Halifax, NS) recovered a botched York punt return catch to put Carleton back in scoring position. Once again, Jayde Rowe steamrolled his way through the Lions defence and across the plane of the goal line for his second TD of the game.

The Ravens used the final frame as an opportunity to experiment with some different lineup combinations on both sides of the ball. Carleton running back Nathan Carter completed the Ravens rout over York with his second touchdown of the contest late in the fourth.

With the 386 yards of total offence, the Ravens overwhelmed the York defence and also wore the Lions down by controlling the clock. Carleton held possession by a 2-to-1 ratio by securing the ball for 40:15 of the hour of clock time.

The Ravens will now turn their attention to the Panda Game where they will host the Ottawa Gee-Gees at TD Place on October 1. The Gee-Gees have been one of the surprises of the OUA conference this season, and will head into the big rivalry match-up with a perfect 4-0 record.

While the Panda Game holds a special place for all of the game’s participants, Coach Sumarah says that the team will remain focused and approach their game prep like any other week.

“Every week there is a bit of tweaking that needs to be done, but for the most part I feel that we’ve got the plan in order,” added Sumarah. “Now we’ve just got to go out there and execute to the best of our ability.”

 

Carleton Ravens vs. York Lions at Toronto 9/24/2016 at 1:07pm
Carleton 50	York 7

Source: University of Windsor

Ottawa (41), Windsor (18)

Midway through their season, the Lancer football team is looking to get back in the win column after falling 41-18 to the No. 6 Ottawa Gee Gees on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.

With the loss, the Lancers move to 1-3 on the season, while Ottawa remains undefeated at 4-0 heading into the Panda Game next week against the Carleton Ravens (3-2). Windsor will host the Toronto Varsity Blues (1-4) next Saturday on Alumni Weekend.

Ottawa opened the scoring early when Derek Wendel found Trevor Kennedy in the end zone with an 8-yard pass three minutes into the contest, which was followed by a Bryce Vieira 4-yard run four minutes after. Windsor defensive lineman Nick Simoneblocked the convert on the second attempt, and kicker Clark Green put up a nice 20-yard field goal late in the quarter as Ottawa led 13-3 after one.

After Green kicked one through the endzone for a rouge early in the second, Lewis Ward kicked his first of many field goals to increase the Gee Gees lead. Ward went four-for-four on the day, including an impressive 46-yard attempt.

Trailing 23-4 heading into the third quarter, Windsor went 91-yards down the field and put Tarrence Crawford into the end zone five minutes into the frame. The Lancers held Ottawa to just a field goal and a safety in the quarter, out-scoring them 7-5.

The Lancers added another TD in the fourth from Jeff Masson, but two more Ward field goals and a score by Mitchell Baines late in the game secured the win for the visitors.

Rookie Daniel Metcalfe was outstanding for the Lancer defense leading all players with 13 total tackles (9 solo, 8 assisted), while linebacker Frank Renaud was equally as impressive with 12.5 tackles (9 solo, 7 assisted).

Quarterback Casey Wright came into the game and finished with 204 yards, going 17-30-1 and a touchdown. On the ground, Crawford led all rushers with 102 yards on 15 carries while Cassell Jones had 89 yards in the air.

For Ottawa, Wendel had a solid day going 29-42-1 for 402 yards, while running back Vieira finished the game with 82 yards and a TD. Kennedy was equally impressive on the day ending the game with 105 receiving yards on ten carries and a touchdown.

Windsor is back at home next Saturday afternoon, when they host the Varsity Blues at 1:00pm. It is Alumni Weekend for the Blue & Gold and the Lancers will honour their Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Inductees.

OTTAWA vs. WINDSOR at Windsor, ON 9/24/2016 at 1:05
Ottawa 41	Windsor 18

 

Game Recap: Peter Reimer (Sports Information Intern), Queen’s University

Toronto (5), Queen’s (20)

Kingston, Ont. (September 24, 2016) – The Gaels (1-3) earned their first win of the season on Think Pink Saturday in the revitalized Richardson stadium, beating long-time rivals Toronto (1-4) 20-5.

This Saturday was “Think Pink” day in support of breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer affects millions of people and together we can make a future without breast cancer possible. Fans are encouraged to help varsity athletes and men’s rugby reach their fundraising goals by donating online to the Varsity Athlete CIBC Run For The Cure page or the Men’s rugby page.

In a battle of brothers, with Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) starting at quarterback for Queen’s and Marcus Hobbs doing the same for Toronto, the tricolour pivot had a better day on the field.

GAME FLOW
After going down 5-0 in the first quarter, Queen’s scored 20 unanswered points to claim their first victory in the new Richardson Stadium. The Gaels conceded a safety and Toronto kicker Ethan Shafer converted from 39 yards out to give the Varsity Blues the lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second frame, Queen’s engineered a 76 yard drive, which culminated in the first Oil Thigh ringing around the new stadium. Nate completed two passes each to Chris Osei-Kusi (Brampton, Ont.) and Rudy Uhl (North Vancouver) on the six play drive before Kingston, Ont., native Eric Dodwell pushed the pile across the line to score. A successful conversion by Nick Liberatore (Dartmouth, N.S.) gave Queen’s the 7-5 lead, and the tricolour never looked back.

Heading into halftime, Toronto moved the ball 62 yards in a minute to set up a field goal with 45 seconds on the clock. The Gaels faithful fans did their part to get inside Shafer’s head—the ball sailed wide right on Toronto’s 34 yard field goal attempt. Osei-Kusi returned the missed kick from deep in the endzone to the Queen’s 29 yard line, before the Gaels started marching the field again. Nate scampered for consecutive first downs, and threw for two more first downs as the tricolour looked to increase the lead before the break. With one second on the clock, the leg of Liberatore was called upon to hit a 34 yarder, which he pounded through the uprights for a 10-5 Gaels lead.

After a scoreless third, Queen’s started the final frame with a bang. Nate found a streaking Osei-Kusi with a 64 yard pass to set the Gaels up in the redzone. A completion to Jonah Pataki (Wallaceburg, Ont.) put Queen’s in a first and goal situation from the six yard line, and Nate made no mistake from there, finding Peter Hannon (Toronto) open in the endzone on the next play. Liberatore hit the conversion and a 44 yard field goal to round out the scoring, giving Queen’s a 20-5 victory in the revitalized Richardson Stadium.

Nate bested his brother across the board, throwing for 351 yards, one touchdown, and only one interception, plus rushing for 37 yards. Marcus had 35 yards on the ground, and his 19 completions totalled 219 yards with Wesley Mann(Almonte, Ont.) making one interception against the Toronto pivot. While Marcus was the leading rusher for the Varsity Blues, Pataki was only two yards shy of Toronto’s rushing total, finishing the day with 105 on the ground. Osei-Kusi’s 64 yard catch to start the fourth helped him to a game-high 153 yards receiving.

Defensively, Nicholas Fraser-Green (Mississauga, Ont.) had six solo tackles for the highest total in the Gaels lineup. Fraser-Green also handled the bulk of the returning duties for Queen’s running back nine punt returns for a total of 66 yards.

BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Queen’s picked up their first win in the revitalized Richardson Stadium
37 – Native of Kingston, Ont., #37 Eric Dodwell scored the first touchdown on the new field
64 – Osei-Kusi set a career high with his 64 yard reception
130 – Scorekeepers Len Coyle, Wayne Burns, and Bubs Van Hooser honoured at the coin toss for their combined 130 years of service to Queen’s football

FINAL SAY
“I’m wearing pink today in honour of my sister, who is a breast cancer survivor with five good years of health. Thank you to those of you that support the cause. Our defence held them off the scoreboard in a big way and enabled us to get back in the ball game.” – Head coach Pat Sheahan

UP NEXT
Queen’s is back on the road next weekend, when they travel to Waterloo to play the winless Warriors.

TORONTO vs. QUEENS at Kingston ON 9/24/2016 at 1:07pm
Toronto 5	Queen’s 20

 

Game Recap: Football | Western Sports Info

Western (50), Guelph (16)

GUELPH, Ont. – A week after spoiling the opening of Richardson Stadium with a 27-13 win, the Mustangs put a damper on Guelph’s Homecoming festivities with a 50-16 victory over the Gryphons on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

“I’m pleased [about the win]. I’m especially pleased because it was a total team effort,” said Western head coach Greg Marshall. “I thought our special teams did a tremendous job early in the game pinning them down. We gave up that touchdown and then our offence responded right back, and that may have been the turning point. From that point on I really thought defensively we did a good job, offensively it was a little sporadic, we’re not there yet. We’re better than we were, but we’re not there yet.”

“Overall, that was our best team win in a long time, and this wasn’t an easy place to play in.”

The win, Western’s first over Guelph since 2011, moves the purple and white to 4-1 on the year and makes them one of only three teams with four wins, alongside Laurier and Ottawa who are both 4-0.

Chris Merchant led the Mustangs offence with season highs in both passing yards (322) and completions (19), while also throwing for two touchdowns in the win. James Roberts led the Gryphons attack, throwing for 375 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions on 30-46 passing.

Merchant’s favorite target was fifth-year receiver George Johnson who led Western’s receiving corps with 103 yards on six catches, including a 20-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

While the air attack may have picked up the majority of the yards on Saturday, Alex Taylor continued his stellar season, topping the century mark once again with 120 yards rushing on 21 carries with one touchdown. The third-year back ranks second in the OUA in both total yards and rushing touchdowns with 647 and six respectively, while sitting in third place in yards per game with 129.4.

Marc Liegghio carried over the momentum from his career-high three field goals last week by setting a new personal milestone, kicking five field goals on Saturday along with five extra points. The five field goals is one off of the Mustangs single game record of six, jointly held by Frank Jagas, Darryl Wheeler, and Lirim Hajrullahu, who accomplished the feat on two separate occasions.

Defensively the Mustangs were led by Jean-Gabriel Poulin with 7.5 tackles, however it was both Mackenzie Ferguson and Jordan Beaulieu who stole the show. Ferguson recorded a timely interception in the second quarter, picking off Roberts in the end zone and halting a driving Gryphons offence, while Beaulieu stripped a Gryphons receiver of the ball late in the fourth and took it back 70 yards for a touchdown.

The Gryphons opened the scoring early, picking up points on only their fourth play from scrimmage on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Colton Jones to go up 7-0 a little more than 90 seconds in.

Western responded midway through the quarter with Merchant connecting with Tom Marshall on a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie things up at 7-7.

It wouldn’t take long for those seven points to turn into 14 as the Mustangs found the end zone once again on their ensuing drive. After Myles Rombough set things up with a 37-yard catch, Taylor punched it in from the two-yard line to give the Mustangs the lead.

An interception by Philippe Dion only a few plays later gave the Mustangs the ball back, and Liegghio gave the Mustangs a 17-7 lead with a 22-yard field goal.

Kickers took over the scoresheet for the second quarter, with Gabriel Ferraro hitting 37- and 38-yard field goals, while Liegghio connected from 44-, 32-, and 18-yards out to give the Mustangs a 26-13 lead heading into halftime.

Western continued to roll in the third quarter, with Merchant tossing his second touchdown pass of the day, this one a 20-yarder to George Johnson, to get the Mustangs scoring started in the frame. Liegghio added another field goal before Stevenson Bone ran in a major from the one-yard line to put the purple and white up 43-14 after three quarters.

The Mustangs added one more score in the fourth, a highlight reel effort from Beaulieu that saw the defensive back cleanly strip a Gryphons receiver of the ball and take it back 70 yards for the score to give Western a 50-16 win.

Next up for the Mustangs is a Reunion Weekend showdown with the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, October 1, at TD Stadium. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen live on Rogers Cable 13 in London or online on OUA.tv. Fans can also tune in live on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM and Newstalk 1290 CJBK.

Western Mustangs vs. Guelph Gryphons at Alumni Stadium 9/24/2016 at 1:07 pm
Western 50	Guelph 16

 

Photo courtesy: Acadia University

With files from: Montreal Carabins

Montreal (63), Acadia (1)

Wolfville, September 24, 2016 – The Montreal Carabins provided another sparkling performance from the Axemen beat 63-1 at Acadia University in Nova Scotia Saturday afternoon in front of 1532 spectators . UdeM retained their perfect record of four wins in four outings since the start of the regular season.

Under the direction of head coach Danny Maciocia they have already scored 207 points by 2016, including 183 during the three most recent games. They allowed only 25 points to their opponents, and only four in their last three games.

“We came here to get a win and have a chance to play our 48 players mentioned Maciocia. This is another step towards our goal to get our week off with a record of five wins and no losses. It was a good trip, it’s never easy to manage such movements. The players have remained focused on the work at hand. ”

Running back Julien Choquette-Daigneault started it after a few minutes by escaping into the end zone over a distance of 72 yards.

“I saw a great breach, and the credit goes to my” big “chums, said Choquette-Daigneault. The guys from the offensive line did a great job as every game. I have not done anything extraordinary. ”

Louis-Mathieu Normandin on an aerial game of 42 yards and quarterback Samuel Caron, thanks to a sneak-yard, had the other major in the first half. The kicker Felix Menard-Brière completed the score 32-0 before the locker room with a single and four placements.
The Carabins continued their domination in the second half, Will Altema, Khalil Kerr, and Robo Asnnel all crossed the end zone on respective runs 21, four and three yards.

The ground game sounds the charge with 357 yards.

Several Carabins running backs shared the work en route to 357 yards on 632 total achieved by UdeM. The Axemen were held to just 96 yards.

Choquette-Daigneault was the most productive with 93 yards on seven carries. “The coaches wanted to try all the running backs and test our depth in the field, he added. It was successful each time we do it, then it is advantageous to continue to do so. ”

Before giving way late in the third period, Samuel Caron has again done well by completing 18 of 23 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted twice. His vis-à-vis Nick Bynkoski amassed 75 yards by touching the target 10 times out of 24 attempts.

This is the largest point spread for the Carabins since their return in 2002, the previous mark of 61 was established there two weeks in a 61-0 win over Bishop’s.

The Carabins will be on the road again the next weekend when they travel to Sherbrooke to face are the Vert & Or Saturday at 14h.

Montreal vs. ACADIA at Wolfville, NS 9/24/2016 at 2:05
Montreal 63	Acadia 1

 

Friday Sept. 23

Game Recap: Ben Matchett, Assistant Athletic Director (Communications), Calgary Dinos

Calgary (27), Regina (32)

REGINA – Big play after big play on offence gave the underdogs the lead, and a big play on defence iced it late as the ninth-ranked University of Regina Rams handed the No. 2 University of Calgary Dinos their first loss of the season by a 32-27 score at Mosaic Stadium Friday night.

After giving up 25 unanswered points to fall behind in the third quarter, the Dinos mounted a furious comeback in the final stages of the game but ended up a yard short of the win. Quarterback Jimmy Underdahl led the potential game-winning drive down the field, and with just seconds on the clock saw an opening and took off from the 12-yard line. He had his eyes on the end zone, but a big hit by Regina’s Joey Dwyer inside the one-yard line knocked the ball loose, and the Rams recovered to seal the victory.

Playing their third out-of-province game in four weeks, the Dinos jumped out to a 14-0 lead with the wind in the fourth quarter, holding the Rams to just eight offensive yards in the opening 15 minutes Josiah Joseph scored the Dinos’ lone touchdown in that stretch, however, as three times the Dinos had to settle for field goal attempts inside the red zone.

In the second, though, the conference’s leading passer, Regina’s Noah Picton, started airing it out. The Rams snatched momentum late in the first half when Picton connected with Ryan Schienbein for a 68-yard touchdown, and after the Dinos gave up a safety it was 14-9 at the half.

The Rams’ momentum carried over into the third as Picton found his cousin Mitchell Picton for a pair of 13-yard touchdowns sandwiching a Daniel Scraper field goal, and it was 25-14 Rams. Calgary kicker Niko DiFonte‘s third field goal of the night cut the lead to eight heading into the fourth.

Needing points, the Dinos instead gave them up early in the final frame when Mitchell Picton turned a 7-yard pass into a 58-yard touchdown to make it 32-17. DiFonte hit another field goal, and then Jimmy Underdahlfound Kelton Bailey for a 36-yard touchdown with 2:31 to play.

The defence got the stop it needed, setting up the Dinos on the Regina 40 with 90 seconds to play. A pair of third-down conversions to Tyler Ledwos kept the drive alive, but Dwyer’s hit on Underdahl snuffed out the Dinos’ chances.

“They went after the young guys and were having success there,” said Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris after the first regular season loss of his CIS coaching career. “They had a good game plan, and we had a hard time covering that deep route. We didn’t finish drives early – we didn’t take the opportunity to put it in the end zone when we had the chance.

“In the fourth quarter, the offence and defence both responded – they knew what was at stake. They worked hard to the bitter end, and we just came up one yard short. That’s just the nature of the game – give Regina credit, they put enough points up to beat us.”

Underdahl completed 27 of 45 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown in the contest. Hunter Karl was the Dinos’ leading receiver with 74 yards on six receptions, while Jeshrun Antwi picked up 74 rushing yards. Noah Picton responded with 452 passing yards, connecting with Mitchell Picton 13 times for 215 yards and three TDs.

With the win, the Rams take over first place in the conference at 3-1, matching the Dinos with that mark. Both teams remain home next week: the Rams host the Saskatchewan Huskies to open the new Mosaic Stadium, while the Dinos will celebrate the University of Calgary’s 50th Anniversary as they take on the Alberta Golden Bears at McMahon Stadium. Juno Award-winning band Dear Rouge will play pre-game and at halftime of that contest next Saturday, Oct. 1. Further information and tickets are available at www.godinos.com/battleofalberta.

 

Calgary vs. Regina at Regina, SK 9/23/2016 at 7:00 pm
Calgary 27	Regina 32