Gryphons take winning momentum to Ottawa to butt heads with 6-1 Gee-Gees

The Guelph Gryphons (4-3) travel to Ottawa this weekend (Oct. 23) to take on the Ottawa Gee-Gees (6-1) in their last regular season game of 2010-2011. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised LIVE on The Score and streamed live on thescore.com.

The Gryphons make their trip to Ottawa coming off a big win against the Windsor Lancers last weekend (Oct. 16), where they downed the visiting squad 41-14. The win however, had greater importance than the simple “W” on their schedule would suggest.
Firstly, the Gryphons had been in a three game slump since opening the season 3-0. The win over the Lancers pulled them back above .500 and reaffirms the positive attitudes that the team needs to remain successful in their final game and in the regular season.
Secondly, the Gryphons picking up the victory on Saturday meant an automatic berth in the playoffs. With just a single game left in the regular season, the two points Guelph was awarded, bumped them into fourth in the OUA and solidified, regardless of who wins this week, a postseason position.
Thirdly, Gryphon quarterback, Chris Rossetti (Mississauga, Ont.), finally busted out of his shell last week, putting on an offensive spectacle and living up to the potential he has expressed all season long. Rossetti picked apart the Windsor defence, completing 20 of 28 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns, throwing no interceptions and picking up 63 yards on the ground. Although Rossetti, who is known to be a scrambling quarterback, has been more successful in games prior to this one, his passing total exceeded his next best performance by over 100 yards. With a new confidence, the young quarterback will play a key role in the future success of the Gryphons this season. During the regular season Rossetti has thrown for 1220 yards, with nine touchdowns and only one interception, while also tallying 299 yards of rushing.
The offence, as a whole, really seems to be clicking for the Gryphons lately. Even though the Gryphons faced defeat in Hamilton two weeks ago, their fourth quarter comeback was incredible, outscoring McMaster 20-3. Followed by the 41-point performance against the Lancers, the Gryphons have apparently resolved any issues that might have held them back earlier in the season.
Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) has really begun to shine late in the season. Totaling 398 yards and four touchdowns throughout the season, Gardner has managed to pick up 170 of those yards in the last two games, along with three of his four touchdowns. If Gardner can continue this surge for the Gryphons, Guelph’s passing game shouldn’t have a problem racking up points.
Second-year Dillon Dimitroff (Burlington, Ont.), has also been a major factor in the success of the passing game. Also putting on a show for fans last weekend, including a one-handed grab in tight coverage for 37 yards, Dimitroff pulled in five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, bringing his season totals to 356 yards and two touchdowns.
Nick FitzGibbon (Puslinch, Ont.), who had been unable to produce much against Laurier and McMaster, got back on track last week with 113 yards in rushing. FitzGibbon, even amidst a slight struggle, has managed to remain atop the rushing charts in the OUA and ranks third in the CIS in total rushing yards, with 780. With the passing game having more success, defences will have to play both the pass and run honestly, which may end up in Fitzgibbon getting the ball with more space to break away and showcase his impressive footwork, something fans witnessed last week in his game-long rush of 39 yards.
Guelph’s defence looked to bounce back against Windsor as well, holding the Lancers under 100 yards of rushing, while pressuring the passing game, with three sacks and three interceptions. The deadly combination of a defensive line that has the ability to penetrate and pressure the quarterback, with defensive backs who are able to cover the secondary effectively, will be essential against the Gee-Gees, who handily lead the CIS in passing.
Adam Dunk (Guelph, Ont.) has been consistent all season long. Sitting in fourth in the CIS for tackles with 65, Dunk has been able to plug the open gaps on run defence and has been a major force in pressuring quarterbacks, leading the team with four sacks thus far.
Cam Thorn and Scott Eggleton have also contributed to pressuring teams’ passing games tallying 3.5 and three sacks, respectively.
Clearly benefitting from this pressure up front, Jordan Duncan and Mark Durigon have been able to spy the field for and take advantage of poorly thrown balls. Both Gryphon defensive backs share the top spot in the CIS (along with a defensive back from both Western and Windsor) with five interceptions apiece. Duncan has also amassed the third most tackles for the team with 39.
As mentioned, the Gryphons will face their greatest challenge in the 2010-2011, regular season as they go head-to-head with the countries best passing offence. Brad Sinopoli (Peterborough, Ont.) has been outstanding for the Gee-Gees this season with 2552 yards in passing leading to 21 touchdowns and also leads the team in rushing with 362 yards. Sinopoli has, however, given up 13 interceptions and this may be the weakness that the Gryphons will be able to exploit.
With such an effective passing game, two of Ottawa’s receivers have managed to break the 600-yard mark to this point. Steven Hughes (Ottawa, Ont.) and Matt Bolduc (Ottawa, Ont.) currently hold second and third on the CIS receiving yards standings, with 640 and 628 yards, respectively. Both receivers are averaging just under, 100 yards per game, with Hughes bringing in four majors on the season and Bolduc claiming six of his own.
The Gee-Gees are sporting two freshmen running backs this season, Franck Ngandui (Laval, Que.) and Adam Gourgon (Ottawa, Ont.). Ngandui has been the primary back with 331 yards on 64 carries and 1 touchdown, while Gourgon has rumbled for 150 yards on 40 carries and 2 touchdowns.
On defence, linebackers, James McNaughton (Newmarket, Ont.) and Tyler Sawyer (Metcalfe, Ont.), have led the Gee-Gees. McNaughton leads the team with 37 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Sawyer comes in at a close second with 35 tackles and two sacks.
Sebastien Tetreault (Granby, Que.) has also been a major contributor for the Ottawa defence smothering quarterbacks for 5.5 sacks, which puts him in the top ten for the CIS sack leaders, and 22 tackles.
The Saturday (Oct. 23) afternoon tilt should be an exciting one. With the Gryphons coming off a huge victory, Guelph will be hoping to keep their momentum rolling right into the playoffs. Ottawa has had great success all year and will be looking to remain atop the OUA standings going into the postseason. Both teams have something to fight for and the intensity won’t stop until the clock sits at zero.
Kickoff is at 1:00pm this Saturday (Oct. 23) in Ottawa.

Guelph Sports Info