PREVIEW (OUA 5x): Homecoming at Laurier & McMaster, Lions welcome Lancers, Blues host historic game, Western heads to Waterloo

Golden Hawks welcomes Carleton for Homecoming game

WATERLOO  – The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team prepares to host their annual Homecoming game this Saturday when they welcome the Carleton Ravens to University Stadium.

Kickoff for the game is set for 1 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be made available to fans starting at 9am.

Meeting on the gridiron for the first time in 44 years, this game promises to be one of the highlights of the year for both squads. Laurier and Carleton enter Week 5 of the OUA season tied for fifth in the standings with identical 2-1 records. Playing in front of what will be a capacity crowd filled with purple and gold supporters, the Hawks and Ravens should put on a good show for the fans as they look to break away fro m each other in their respective drives for the playoffs.

The Hawks enter the matchup coming off their bye week in which the team recovered from a trio of physical games early in the year. A healthy Laurier squad will be looking to build off their 44-0 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in their home opener back on September 13. In that contest, star running back Dillon Campbell of Whitby, Ont., produced his second 200-plus yard rushing performance of the year, to go along with a pair of touchdowns, to lead his team. Kicker Ronnie Pfeffer of Kitchener, Ont., also continued his excellent start to the year by kicking five field goals, including a school record 50 yarder in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Ravens have been the talk of the OUA since producing a thrilling 33-31 victory over their crosstown rivals, the Ottawa Gee-Gees, in the annual Panda Game last week. Receiver Nathaniel Behar of London, Ont., who scored the game-winning touchdown on the final play of the gam e, had a big day for Carleton, earning CIS Offensive Player of the Week honours after making 13 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

Although history means little between two teams that haven’t played since 1970, a year before the OUA was formed, Laurier owns a 4-2-1 record against the Ravens as the two teams squared off seven times between 1963 and 1970.

Fans attending Saturday’s Homecoming game will be treated to a number of special promotions. The first 3000 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative rally towel while the first 200 fans will receive a coupon for a free slice of pizza from Pizza Pizza. As well, one lucky fan will win a fabulous trip for two from Merit Travel and VIA Rail.

Those unable to attend the game will be able to watch live on OUA.tv or listen live on RadioLaurier.com. Both stations will feature TSN Radio personality Mike Hogan as he makes his return to the OUA broadcast booth to call the third quarter of Saturday’s game.

HAWKS TO WATCH
– QB James Fracas of Waterloo, Ont., has been impressive through the opening three weeks for Laurier, completing an OUA-best 72.2 percent of his passes while throwing for six touchdowns and no interceptions
– DB Chris Ackie of Cambridge, Ont., continues to be a leader on defence for the Hawks with 14 tackles, two pass breakups and one interception
– K/P Ronnie Pfeffer continues to show his improved game, completing 11 of 13 field goal attempts for 45 points, second best in the conference, while leading the OUA in punting average at 44.4 yards
– REC Anthony Pizzuti of Hamilton, is quietly putting together a solid year as he currently ranks eighth in the OUA in receptions with 18

Photo credit:  Adam Gagnon

(Source: Jamie Howieson, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Sports Information)

Lions welcome Lancers for Friday Night Lights

The York University Lions football team will face off against the Windsor Lancers on Friday night (Sept. 26) in their annual night game at York Stadium.
 
Kick-off is set for 7pm, and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv. For the third straight year, the Lions will play under the lights at home, and the first with the new permanent lights at York Stadium.
 
The Lions face their second straight undefeated team of the year on Friday in the 3-0 Lancers, who are one of three teams in the OUA with such a record. The home team, meanwhile, is still looking for its first win of the year.
 
The Lions will be taking on a team they haven’t faced since 2012, a contest the Lancers won by just four points in Windsor, Ont., – 26-22 – after the Lions were unable to convert a touchdown on their final drive.
 
The Lions have had a slow start to the season as they adjust to a young roster, but the first-year players have shown improvement of late, particularly last week against the No. 4 nationally-ranked McMaster Marauders. The Lions held the Marauders to just 12 points in the second half and accumulated 15 first downs overall, the most on offence this year.
 
The Lancers, meanwhile, were actually defeated in their first contest this year but benefitted from the Queen’s forfeiture due to an ineligible player, and were given the win in the standings. Since that contest, Windsor has won back-to-back contests, a narrow 39-34 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks and a blowout 63-4 victory over the Waterloo Warriors.
 
York’s top players this season have come on defence in fourth-year linebacker/defensive end Hussein Hazime(Toronto), third-year free safety Josh Small (Pickering, Ont.) and rookie cornerback Rees Paterson (Sherwood Park, Alta.). Hazime is third in the OUA in tackles, with 7.5 per game, and second in sacks with 4.5 this season. Small, playing a new position for the first time this year, ranks second on the team with 25.5 tackles, and Paterson is sixth with 13.5 tackles and also has one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one pass break-up.
 
The Lancers feature a potent offence that ranks fourth in the OUA with 44.0 points per game. Their leaders are quarterback Austin Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.), who ranks second in the conference with 288.3 yards per game and eight touchdowns, and receiver Evan Pszczonak (Amherstburg, Ont.), the OUA leader with 165.5 receiving yards per game and four touchdowns.
 
In addition to the action on the field, one lucky fan will have a chance to win $10,000 as part of the York Lions Pass, Punt, Kick contest at half-time.

(Source:  Alyson Fisher, York Lions Sports Information)

Gee-Gees Charge Into Second Half of Season in Toronto

The Gee-Gees will march into the University of Toronto on Saturday determined to get back into the win column as they come over the half-way mark of the 2014 season.

Back at practice this week, Ottawa has been quick to learn from Saturday’s Panda Game in which they lost on a last second play. Even though the offence moved the ball well up and down the field and into the red zone, the Gee-Gees weren’t able to convert those chances into major scores. They’ll look to rectify that this week.

“Despite the loss, there were some good things that we showed,” says head coach Jamie Barresi of his team. “There were some improvements. Our penalties were down, our defence made plays and tackled well.”

“I’m expecting our guys to come out with a real focus and intensity. We have to do better in the score zone this week. That game on Saturday shouldn’t have been close if we convert in the score zone. Another thing is we can’t turn the ball over.”

In the past two weeks, the Gee-Gees passing game has taken a backseat to the success of their running game. With 307 yards against Carleton and 575 in week three and four combined, the passing game has regressed from its seemingly unstoppable form in week one and two. Just 180 and 107 yards in the past two weeks and a 45 per cent completion percentage, there’s an obvious need for improvement.

The opportunistic defence of the Varsity Blues may disrupt uOttawa’s plans in the passing game. They’ve hauled in seven interceptions in four games – the most in the OUA.

“We’ll be okay in the passing game. I understand what happened with it. Derek (Wendel) has to step up a little bit and take some ownership for this. On top of that though, our receivers have to make some plays. The ball was thrown to them a couple times and was dropped and other times we didn’t get the protection we needed.”

It’s not the same on Toronto’s side. Their completion percentage (61 per cent) and yardage (1149) are second best in the conference.

It’s a different team than the one the Gee-Gees defeated last season 34-10 at home. It’s a crucial game for the Blues who can make their playoff hopes much closer to a reality with a win. A week three, 70-0 shellacking of the York Lions have them at 1-3. A win over the Gee-Gees would put them ahead in the standings as uOttawa tries to avoid a third straight loss.

“Their playoffs are on the line so that’s one thing. But I think they have a very good group. There’s some people on the defensive side that I know are pretty good players. Offensively they do some things that are good. So overall, they’ll be a challenge.”

The Gee-Gees haven’t lost to the Varsity Blues since 2010 and have scored at least 30 points in each of their last five meetings.

Saturday’s game is available on OUA.tv

(Source:  Ottawa Gee-Gees Sports Information)

It will be a day of celebrations as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team hosts the Ottawa Gee-Gees in their 999th game in program history this Saturday, September 27 at Varsity Centre.
 
The Blues are set to honour 2014 Hall of Fame inductee Rick Kollins as well as members of the all-century team. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. Advanced tickets are on sale here. The game will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.
 
Kollins served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator with the Blues football team from 1973-81, and helped the Blues win the Yates Cup and Atlantic Bowl and make the team’s second Vanier Cup appearance in 1974.

In 1977, Kollins researched and wrote the first history of Varsity Blues football, and in 2011 served as the co-author and editor of the book “150 Years of Football at the University of Toronto”. He was a founding member of the Friends of Varsity Blues Football organization and joined the U of T Sports Hall of Fame committee as a consultant in 1999. That same year, Kollins received a U of T Arbor Award, which recognizes volunteers for outstanding personal service to the University.
 
Before we touch on more traditions of Varsity Blues football, let’s take a look at this week’s matchup:
 
This Saturday, the 1-3 Blues will battle the 2-2 Gee-Gees in a must-win Week 5 match-up. Playoff berths are on the line at the midway point of the season.  Ottawa currently sits in a three-way tie for fifth, while Toronto is two points behind in eighth.
 
Toronto is coming off a tough 63-15 loss to the No. 3 Western Mustangs, while Ottawa, winless in their last two, fell victim to a last-play touchdown from the Carleton Ravens in last week’s 33-31 Panda Bowl loss.
 
The two teams have met 40 times since Nov. 11, 1905, with Ottawa winning the head-to-head battle 23-17-0. Ottawa has taken the previous three meetings, with Toronto’s last win coming on Oct. 2, 2010.
 
Blues quarterback Simon Nassar and Ottawa QB Derek Wendel match up evenly, averaging 232.2 and 256.0 passing yards per game.  Overall, Toronto ranks second in the OUA with 1149 passing yards, while Ottawa sits second with 916 yards on the ground.
 
Now for a brief history of football at U of T:
 
The earliest documented game of football on the University of Toronto campus occurred on November 9, 1861 – when the game was played under uniquely local rules that required players to bounce the ball. It was in 1877 that the rules of rugby were introduced to U of T by J.H. Mayne Campbell, giving birth to the modern Varsity Blues football team.
 
Toronto captured the inaugural Yates Cup in 1898, and 10 of the first 17 championships. The Blues also claimed national titles in 1905 and 1909 through 1911. The latter three are best known as they represented the first Grey Cup championships, which is now the pinnacle of the Canadian Football League season.
 
Here are but a few proud milestones in the tradition of Varsity Blues football:
 
1861 – First documented football game involving U of T students.
1867 – U of T defeats Trinity College in earliest recorded intercollegiate football game in North America.
1894 – Mulock Cup competition for intramural football begins
1898 – Winners of the first Yates Cup
1901 – Introduction of the modern rules of Canadian football
1909 – Winners of the inaugural Grey Cup
1911 – First of 20 Grey Cup games played at the new Varsity Stadium
1924 – Varsity Stadium expanded to 20,000
1932 – Warren Stevens named head coach and first U of T athletic director.
1950 – Varsity Stadium expanded to 27,000 and attracts all-time record crowds.
1958 – First perfect U of T football season in 48 years.
1965 – Winners of the first Vanier Cup.
1967 – Mike Eben, first winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy
1974 – Richard Nakatsu, four interceptions in each of two consecutive playoff games.
1982 – Dan Feraday, first Canadian quarterback drafted by the NFL.
1993 – Winners of Varsity’s second Vanier Cup.
2008 – David Hamilton, CIS Russ Jackson award for academics, football and citizenship.
2014 – Sept 27 – Toronto Varsity Blues play 999th game in program history.
 

(Source:  Jill Clark, University of Toronto Varsity Blues Sports Information)

After claiming their third consecutive victory of the 2014 season with a 63-15 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in front of a Homecoming crowd of 11, 489 fans this past Saturday, the CIS No. 3 Mustangs are back on the road and looking to extend their undefeated streak in Waterloo on Saturday, September 27 as they face-off against the Warriors at 1 p.m.

With last weekend’s win the Mustangs now hold a 3-0 record on the 2014 season so far, and are tied with the similarly 3-0 Windsor Lancers for second place in the OUA.

Leading the way for the Mustangs offence in their recent Homecoming victory was sophomore quarterback Will Finch. Despite struggling at times to find his receivers downfield and throwing four interceptions, Finch was able to bounce back and help propel the Mustangs to a victory with an impressive performance both in the air and on the ground as he completed 25-of-37 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 68 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.

Also contributing to the Mustangs 804 yards of offence on Saturday were veteran receivers Matt Uren and Brian Marshall. Uren hauled in eight passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns, while Marshall had six receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown as Finch and fellow quarterback Stevenson Bone spread the ball around to eight different receivers against the Varsity Blues. Western’s newest receiving option Shaquille Johnson impressed in his second game as a Mustangs, catching six passes for 85 yards, while also returning two kickoffs and five punts for an additional 67 yards.

Third-year running back Yannick Harou led Western’s rushing attack as he rushed 13 times for a team-leading 96 yards, and one touchdown. Much like the passing game, the Mustangs utilized multiple options in the backfield with seven players combining for 408 rushing yards.

On the other side of the ball the Mustangs continued their assault on opposing quarterbacks, recording five sacks to maintain their spot on the CIS leaderboard with 15 sacks this season. For the third consecutive game second-year safety Jessie McNair was among the team leaders in tackles, topping all Mustangs players with 4.5 stops on the day.

While the Mustangs head into Saturday’s contest on a three-game winning streak, the Waterloo Warriors have had a rough start to their 2014 campaign as they have yet to find their first win and currently hold a 0-4 record. So far this season the Warriors have been outscored 206-18 by their opponents, including last week’s 63-4 loss at the hands of the Lancers.

Offensively the Warriors run a balanced attack, with quarterbacks Jamie Cook and Lucas McConneell posting similar numbers to combine for 586 yards passing with one touchdown and six interceptions so far this season. It’s a similar story in the running game as Ryan Di Risio and Danny Silvestri have put up 114 and 113 yards respectively, while Cook is next on the list with 76 yards rushing.

The Waterloo receiving corps is led by the duo of Mike Dedys and Paul Cecile with 144 and 142 yards so far in 2014, while Christian Lewis has contributed 118 yards on 13 receptions.

The Mustangs and the Warriors have had contrasting seasons leading up to this Saturday’s actions as one team has gone undefeated and the other is still searching for their first win. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Waterloo, and fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv, listen on CHRW Radio, or on CJBK with Tom McConnell and legendary Mustangs coach, and the newest member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Larry Haylor calling all the action.

(Source:  Tony von Richter, Western Mustangs Sports Information)

 

This weekend the Queen’s Golden Gaels will travel to Hamilton to take on the No.4 Marauders at 1pm on Saturday at McMaster’s homecoming. Last weekend, the Gaels faced a tough loss against No.6 Guelph, falling 66-0. The Gryphons scored early and were able to hold the Gaels offence off the board. Highlighting Queen’s defensive efforts was defensive lineman Derek Wiggan (Toronto), who finished with five solo tackles, all coming for losses, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. Wiggan is now the Gaels all-time leader in tackles for losses, with 36 in his career, and moves into third place for most QB sacks in a career at Queen’s. With 22 completions last weekend, Billy McPhee moves into second for most passes completed in a Gaels career, passing Tom Denison. Last season, Queen’s defensive back Yann Dika-Balotoken stole the show, as the Gaels beat the Marauders 31-24. Dika-Balotoken returned two second half interceptions for touchdowns, the first of which was 99 yards, and the second was 70 yards. Queen’s will be looking for someone to have a breakout performance this weekend, as the Gaels hope to repeat last year’s results and get their season back on track.

(Source: Shawn MacDonald, Queen’s Golden Gaels Sports Information)