Traditions of excellence take to the field this weekend when Canada’s oldest universities meet on the gridiron. The Varsity Blues are set to take on the McGill Redmen for the first time in 18 years this Saturday, August 28 at 1 p.m. at Varsity Centre in the team’s lone pre-season match-up.
Since their first meeting in 1881, Toronto holds the upper hand over McGill with a 95-50-6 head-to-head record. The Redmen last defeated the Blues on Nov. 8, 1969 in a 17-0 decision to win the Yates Cup. Since then, Toronto has gone 9-0-1 versus McGill in 10 meetings between 1970 and 1992.
Saturday marks the 152nd time that the Blues and Redmen have met in 118 years.
The Varsity Blues went 1-7 in 2009. Their lone win came in a thrilling 45-27 victory over the York Lions in the annual Red & Blue Bowl, where they captured their second consecutive Argo Cup. With the strongest training camp the program has seen in over a decade, the Blues are moving in the right direction and will use this game to gauge how the incoming student-athletes adjust to CIS football.
“McGill is in a really tough conference and had been struggling for a couple of years,” said Varsity Blues head coach Greg DeLaval. “Sonny Wolfe has them back on track now. Hopefully we can have our break out year as they did last year.”
After two winless seasons, the Redmen finished just out of the QUFL playoffs last year with a 3-5 regular season record. McGill has 48 players returning in 2010, including 2009 QUFL rookie of the year and starting quarterback Jonathan Collin.
The Varsity Blues open their season at Guelph on Sept. 1. and return to Varsity Centre on Monday, Sept. 6 for their home opener, when they host the Windsor Lancers at 7 p .m.
Tickets for U of T home games are $10 for adults, $5 for youth and non-U of T students, U of T students and children 12 and under are free. Advance sales are available through [url]www.ticketbreak.com or by calling 1.866.9.GET TIX (943-8849).
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit [url]www.varsityblues.ca.
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