OUA Players of week 8: Granberg, Ukwuoma, Pfeffer

HAMILTON, Ont. – The following athletes have been named OUA Football Players of the Week for the period ending October 23, 2011.

OFFENCE: Ryan Granberg, Queen’s Gaels, Running back

Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.) was dominant in the Gaels 37-0 win over the No. 1 nationally ranked Western Mustangs. The fourth-year biology student accumulated 197 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Gaels. His performance was punctuated by a dazzling 88 yard touchdown run which turned out to be the winning score for the Gaels over their rivals from London. The 197 yard performance pushed Granberg over the 1,000 yard plateau, making him the second player in Gaels history to accomplish the feat. Granberg surpassed Mike Giffin’s 2007 season with his 1,068 yards and clinched the OUA rushing title.

DEFENCE: Osie Ukwuoma, Queen’s Gaels, Lineman

Osie Ukwuoma (Mississauga, Ont.) dominated the line of scrimmage for the Gaels defence in their upset over Western. Ukwuoma recorded 5.5 tackles on the day, 3.5 of which totaled a loss of 29 yards for the Mustangs. He was also a factor in the pass rush as he had 2.5 sacks on Western’s passers. For his efforts, Ukwuoma was named Porter Player of the Game by The Score during the Gaels nationally televised win.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Ronnie Pfeffer, Laurier Golden Hawks, Kicker

Ronnie Pfeffer (Kitchener, Ont.) came through for Laurier as the Golden Hawks clinched the sixth seed with a 15-10 win over the Guelph Gryphons. Pfeffer was a perfect two for two on the day in field goal attempts, connecting from 34 yards and a career-best 43 yards. Pfeffer also converted his lone point after the attempt to account for seven of Laurier’s 15 points in the win. Pfeffer finished the season nine of 11 in field goal attempts and his 82 percent efficiency rate ranks him second in the OUA.