OTTAWA, On – The Ottawa Gee Gees (3-1) pummelled the Toronto Varsity Blues (2-2) 41-0 on Saturday at Frank Clair stadium. The victory was doubly sweet for the Garnet and Grey squad from the capital as they not only bounced back from a big loss against the powerful Western Mustangs (ranked 2nd in the CIS with a perfect 4-0 record), but also avenged last season’s loss vs. Toronto that ruined the Gee Gees perfect regular season record (7-1).
The win saw Ottawa dominate all aspects of the game, including the field position battle. Veteran kicker/punter Matt Falvo and the rest of the special teams unit limited Toronto to a single drive starting in Gee Gee territory (a drive the resulted in a fake field goal fumble).
Falvo kicked off scoring with a forty-yard field goal in the first quarter and coach J.P. Asselin’s team never looked back. Orleans native rusher Brendan Gillanders only saw action in the first half, but accumulated 55 yards on 13 carries and reached the end-zone twice. Quarterback Aaron Colbon went 16 for 25 for 236 yards and three touchdowns. His favourite target was, once again six-foot-one Gatineau receiver Simon Le Marquand who nearly matched the rest of the team’s receiving totals with eight catches for 105 yards (the rest of the roster saw eight players combine for 10 catches).
As has been the case in all of the Gee Gee wins this year, it’s impossible to speak of Ottawa dominance without acknowledging the stellar defence. Ottawa defensive coordinator Cory McDiarmid saw his “built for speed” D create eight turnovers (four interceptions, four fumbles), combine for eight tackles in the Toronto backfield (four sacks) and limit their opponents to under 250 total offensive yards for the second consecutive game at home. When asked about his side’s performance, McDiamid responded “I would say it was a team effort. The guys flew around and did the things that we asked them to do. We created some turnovers by getting pressure on the quarterback, and it really was a complete team effort. I wouldn’t say one individual player stood out. Everyone did what we worked on in a good week of practice.” Despite coach McDiarmid’s unwillingness to name defensive standouts, I’ll go ahead and say that fourth year linebacker Tyler Sawyer was all over the field making 7.5 tackles (5 solo, 5 assisted), forcing a fumble and returning one interception 32 yards. Once again, the punishing defence got all kinds of pressure from their plus-one defence and the secondary repeatedly broke up passes with heavy hits on Toronto receivers.
In a classy move, head coach J.P. Asselin pulled starters as the game started to reach blow-out status. Gillanders didn’t see the field in the second half while Le Marquand and Sawyer were relieved of their respective offensive and defensive duties after three quarters of play. Running backs Franck Ngandui and Errol Brooks each racked up 26 yards on eight and six carries respectively, while Ngandui added two touchdowns on passes from Colbon. Taking over from the sticky-handed Le Marquand is a tough challenge, but in replacement duties, first year receiver Ian Stewart stole the show with an absolutely ridiculous diving catch in the end-zone for a 32-yard touchdown.
The Toronto Varsity Blues head home for a Friday night tilt against the Queen’s Golden Gaels (2-2) who are coming of a 63-3 blowout win over the York Lions, while the Gee Gees will visit the 1-3 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
CFC Youth Game Spotlight: Quebec OL ready to lock it down
