Hawks host Gee-Gees on Homecoming weekend: Laurier looks to build on solid performance from a week ago

Coming off a week in which they played their best game of the season but ultimately lost their third straight decision, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team (1-3) prepares for their biggest game of the season as they host the No. 10 Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-1) on Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.

Kickoff is schedule for 1:07 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on theScore.

Not only is the game important for Laurier in returning to the win column but it is also being played as a part of 100th Homecoming weekend for Wilfrid Laurier University. With special events planned throughout the course of the game, including a chance for one lucky fan to win $10,000, the Hawks will undoubtedly have home field advantage over the Gee-Gees.

Fans are rem inded that in order to qualify for the opportunity to win $10,000, they must be inside the stadium by 12:30 p.m.

Laurier will also have revenge on their minds when they face Ottawa on Saturday as it was the Gee-Gees who eliminated the Golden Hawks by a narrow 32-31 scoreline in the OUA Semifinals a season ago. Combine these factors together and the Hawks should have plenty of reason to end their losing streak on Saturday.

To do this, Laurier will need to continue to click on offence and they will look to fifth year receiver Dillon Heap of Waterloo, Ont., to continue his strong play as of late. Heap has recorded 100 or more receiving yards in each of his last two games while adding 102 punt return yards and a touchdown against Western last week. That return left Heap just 15 yards shy of the all-time OUA record, a record he will most likely break Saturday.

One area on offence that the Hawks need to improve on is limiting turnovers and more specifically, interceptions. While quarterback Shane Kelly of Basking Ridge, N.J., continues to find himself near or at the top of most passing categories in the CIS, including completions, yards and touchdowns, he has also thrown the most interceptions in the country thanks to eight in the last two contests. If Laurier is to knock off Ottawa, they will need Kelly to do a better job of managing the football.

Defensively, the Hawks returned to form against the Mustangs last week. The team effectively limited Westerns run game, holding each of their rushers under 100 yards, including rookie sensation Tyler Varga, how had just 88 against Laurier. The team also forced the Mustangs to turn the ball over three times on downs, which set up excellent field position for the offence.

The purple and gold will have to do a similar job against the Gee-Gees on Saturday as Brendan Gillanders of Orleans, Ont., is one of only five players in the CIS this season to be averaging more than 100 yards rushing per game.

Although the pre-game tickets have been sold out, there will be 500 walk-up tickets available on game day which can be purchased at the stadium box office.

Laurier Sports Info

GEE-GEES HOPE TO SHINE UNDER NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Football (3-1 OUA, 3-2 overall)

@ Laurier (1-3 OUA) Saturday, October 1 at 1:00 p.m. at University Stadium (The Score)

After routing the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 41-0 on September 24, thenationally tenth-ranked Gee-Gees football team will now travel to Wilfrid Laurier to take on the Golden Hawks on October 1. The game at University Stadium will be nationally broadcasted on The Score. Last year, uOttawa beat the Golden Hawks twice, defeating Laurier 44-21 in the regular season, and 32-31 in the OUA semifinals.

Many pundits around the league expected Laurier to contend for the Yates Cup this year, but the Golden Hawks have struggled so far, as they are currently sitting in seventh placewith a 1-3 record. Laurier will likely treat the upcoming contest against the Gee-Gees as a must-win game. Ottawa is tied for second in the OUA with a 3-1 record.

“They may throw new things at us, or maybe trick plays. This is an important game for them,” said Gee-Gees head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin. “For them, this is basically a playoff game.”

Against Toronto, uOttawa’s defence forced eight turnovers off the Varsity Blues offence. As always, winning the turnover battle will be key to a Gee-Gees victory.

“We forced eight turnovers on defence, but we also had zero turnovers on offence and specialteams,” said Asselin. “It makes a big difference in the game.”

The Gee-Gees secondary will face a tough task this week against Laurier’s talented receivers, Dillon Heap and Shamawd Chambers. Heap is fifth in the CIS in receiving yards, while Chambers is widely considered to be one of the best CFL prospects of this year.

“If you take away Heap, and leave Chambers one-on-one on the other side, I’m not sure that’s what you really want to do,” said Asselin. “We’ll have to play well as a unit.”

Winning the special teams battle will also be a huge factor in determining the game’s outcome. The Gee-Gees somewhat struggled in the return game against Toronto, and are hoping for better results against Laurier.

“I feel like our blocking assignments are doing okay, but we need to catch the ball in the air, if we want to have any chances to return the ball,” said Asselin. “It’s something that has been addressed and worked on. And at the other end of the spectrum, I think our coverage teams and [fourth-year kicker] Matt Falvo have done some great things.”

Gee-Gees fans across the country can watch the game live on The Score, starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“It’s great in terms of exposure and recruiting. It’s great for our kids too, I think it’s really exciting for them,” said Asselin.

Ottawa sports info