CIS Conference players of the week (Sept 23): OUA, RSEQ, AUS, Canada West

EDMONTON –  Andrew Buckley passed for 400 yards in the first half of Calgary’s win on Friday, earning offensive Player of the Week honours, while Ben Rush recorded 2.5 sacks in the U of S Huskies’ victory and Quinn Van Gylswyk went 5-5 on field goals to lift the UBC T-Birds.OFFENCE: #8 Andrew Buckley, QB (Calgary)Home: Calgary, AB
Year: 3rd
Academic: Kinesiology
Height: 6-0Three starts, three wins – and the third-best single-game passing performance in University of Calgary history for third-year Dinos quarterback Andrew Buckley.Buckley directed an explosive Calgary offence Friday night in the Dinos’ 48-24 dismantling of the Manitoba Bisons. It began with an incredible first half that saw him pass for 400 yards, leading to a final tally of 512 yards on 24 of 36 passing and three TDs – two of which were a 91-yard bomb to Brett Blaszko and a 56-yarder to Rashaun Simonise – a perfectly-thrown lob that found the speedster freshman in full stride behind coverage.It was the ninth-best passing performance in conference history, and all but 11 yards came in the first three quarters as the Dinos completed just one pass in the fourth, running the ball to protect the lead and bleed the clock.

The third-year kinesiology student who took over from reigning conference MVP Eric Dzwilewski in Week 1 now has the best pass efficiency in the conference at 162.7, completing 63.8 per cent of his passes for 1096 yards and six touchdowns this season – and he has his team at 4-0.

The Dinos look to remain undefeated this weekend as they travel north to face their winless provincial rivals, the Alberta Golden Bears (0-4) Saturday night at Foote Field.

DEFENCE: #42 Ben Rush, DE (Saskatchewan)

Home: Humboldt, SK
Year: 4th
Academic: Arts & Science
Height: 6-3

Fifth-year University of Saskatchewan defensive end Ben Rush recorded 3.5 tackles total tackles including 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble in a 39-17 Saskatchewan win over the Alberta Golden Bears.

Rush’s sacks in the game pushed the Golden Bears back 10 yards, 12 yards and 2 yards on the plays. The 12-yard sack in the second quarter forced a two-and-out.

Rush is tied for second in the Canada West in sacks with three on the season and tied for first in the conference with two fumble recoveries.

The #7 Huskies travel to Vancouver to meet the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday.

SPECIAL TEAMS: #2 Quinn Van Gylswyk, K (UBC)

Home: Victoria, B.C.
Year: 1st
Academic: Arts
Height: 6-5

UBC kicker Quinn Van Gylswyk had his best game so far this season kicking five field goals and averaging 42.3 yards per punt in helping the Thunderbirds defeat the Regina Rams 37-27 Saturday night in Regina.

Playing in his first year with the ‘Birds Van Gylswyk had struggled at times with his field goals in the first three games of the season, but was on target in his fourth against Regina. He was a perfect five for five, including hitting a pair from beyond 40 yards (43, 41).

His punting was outstanding as usual, kicking seven times for average of 42.3 yards per kick and three times pinning the Rams inside their own 20 yard line. Van Gylswyk is second in the country in punting average (42.7 yards/kick) behind Manitoba’s Nick Boyd.

The Thunderbirds are back in action next Saturday when they play host to the Saskatchewan Huskies at Thunderbird Stadium.

OUA PLAYERS OF WEEK 

HAMILTON, Ont. (September 23, 2013) – The following student-athletes have been named OUA Football Players of the Week for the period ending September 22, 2013.

OFFENCE: Dillon Campbell, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Running back

Golden Hawks running back Dillon Campbell (Whitby, Ont.) was once again Wilfrid Lauriers top offensive performer this past weekend. The third-year kinesiology and physical education major rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in the Hawks 45-24 loss to No. 2 Western. The highlight of Campbells day was a 100-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, which set the mark as the second longest rush from scrimmage in Laurier history. His performance pushed him into top spot in the OUA for rushing yards and third in the CIS with 538.

DEFENCE: Taylor Palmer, Guelph Gryphons, Defensive Back

Taylor Palmer made a huge impact on No. 6 Guelphs nationally televised tilt with No. 9 McMaster on Saturday. The fourth-year DB made two game-changing interceptions to lift the Gryphons to a 24-22 victory over the Marauders in front of 12,000 Homecoming fans at Alumni Stadium Saturday. Palmer sparked a Guelph rally with a crucial interception that put Guelph on McMasters 9-yard line, which lead to a touchdown. Minutes later, Palmer made another interception bringing the Gryphon offence back out on the field, leading to another score to give the Gryphons a 24-13 lead. The 6-foot-2 speedster finished with five solo tackles, one assisted tackle and two interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Thomas Majka, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Cover

Cover man Thomas Majka of Mississauga, Ont., was a force on special teams for the Hawks against Western this weekend. The second year arts major recorded 3.5 of his 10.5 total tackles in the game on punt and kick coverage. Those numbers helped bump him up to fifth in the conference in total tackles this season with 33.

(left to right: Sebastian Robinson, Brett Backman and Kyle McLean are AUS Players of the Week)

AUS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

HALIFAX – Receiver Sabastian Robinson and defensive halfback Brett Backman, both of the Acadia Axemen, along with wide receiver and punter Kyle McLean of the Mount Allison Mounties, have been selected as the Week 3 AUS Football Players of the Week for their performances this past weekend.

Offensive Player of the Week
Name: Sabastian Robinson
University: Acadia University
Position: Receiver
Hometown: Saskatoon, Sask.
Year of eligibility: First
Academic program: BBA
Height and weight: 5’10”, 170lbs

Receiver Sabastian Robinson of the Acadia Axemen is the Atlantic University Sport Football Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 22, 2013.

Robinson, a 5-foot-10, first-year business student from Saskatoon, Sask., scored his first two career AUS touchdowns in Friday’s 40-11 road victory over the conference-leading StFX X-Men.

His two touchdowns included an 11-yard reception for a score in the first quarter and a 19-yard major in the third.
Defensive Player of the Week
Name: Brett Backman
University: Acadia University
Position: Defensive Halfback
Hometown: Tantallon, N.S.
Year of eligibility: Fourth
Academic program: BA
Height and weight: 5’10”, 190lbs

Defensive halfback Brett Backman of the Acadia University Axemen is the Atlantic University Sport Football Defensive Player of the Week.

A fifth-year business student in his fourth year of eligibility hailing from Tantallon, N.S., Backman had the highlight game of his career with three interceptions, including a 68-yard return for the last touchdown of the game.

Backman had 95 yards in interception returns, one broken up pass and four tackles (two solo and two assisted) in the Axemen’s 40-11 win over StFX.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Name: Kyle McLean
University: Mount Allison University
Position: Wide Receiver/Punter
Hometown: Nepean, Ont.
Year of eligibility: Third
Academic program: BA Geography
Height and weight: 6’2″, 205lbs

Wide receiver and punter Kyle McLean of the Mount Allison Mounties Men is the Atlantic University Sport Football Special Teams Player of the Week.

McLean, a third-year geography student from Nepean, Ont., had 12 punts for 402 total yards, averaging 33.5 yards per punt in the Mounties’ 29-15 win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Friday.

McLean’s longest punt was for 46 yards and one of his punts was also downed inside the 20-yard line in Mount Allison’s first win of the season.

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