SATURDAY, NOV. 4
Kurleigh Gittens Jr. makes one of his six catches on Saturday against McMaster (Credit: Kha Vo)
McMaster (6), Laurier (19)
Source: Jamie Howieson , Laurier Golden Hawks
WATERLOO, Ont. (November 4, 2017) – The No. 5 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks earned the opportunity to defend their Yates Cup title after they shut down the No. 7 McMaster Marauders 19-6 in the OUA Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.
The Hawks, who recorded their sixth straight playoff win over McMaster, found the endzone on their opening drive of the game. That advantage would hold up over the remaining four quarters thanks to an outstanding defensive effort that held the Marauders to just 287 yards and four field goals from Nathan Mesher of Waterloo, Ont.
Rookie quarterback Tristan Arndt of London, Ont., made his second start in a row for the purple and gold and was strong in managing the game in windy conditions. He completed 17 of 26 passes for 189 yards but more importantly, didn’t turn over the ball against an aggressive McMaster defence.
“That’s the key in playoff football, Tristan didn’t turn the ball over and managed it well,” said Faulds of his young quarterback. “A couple of throws early on he would love to have back but when it counted most, he made some outstanding throws.”
Arndt did a great job of getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers. Third year running back Levondre Gordon of Mississauga, Ont., led the purple and gold’s offence as he rushed the ball 21 times for 121 yards and the game’s lone touchdown. The nation’s leading receiver, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. of Ottawa, led all players with six catches for 70 yards, including three key receptions in the fourth quarter that helped set up Mesher’s third field goal of the game that gave Laurier a 16-6 lead.
As for Mesher, he finished the game 4-for-6 on field goal attempts including three into the wind in the fourth quarter.
Laurier’s defence also shone across the board as they intercepted McMaster quarterback Jackson White of Cambridge, Ont., on two occasions while also holding Marauders’ running back Jordon Lyons of Burlington, Ont., to just 115 yards a week after he ran for 319 yards in the OUA Quarter-finals.
“I cannot say enough about our defence,” added Faulds. “Anytime you can hold a team to just six points in the playoffs, you’re not going to lose too many games when you do that.”
In a rematch of last year’s OUA Semifinals, marking the third consecutive year the teams have met in the postseason, Laurier took control of the contest with a touchdown on their opening drive of the contest. Posting 52 yards rushing on the opening drive, Gordon finished the eight-play, 71-yard march with a four-yard plunge to stake the Hawks to an early 7-0 lead.
That scoreline would hold until late in the second quarter when McMaster put together their best drive of the half, an eight-play, 50-yard drive highlighted by a fake punt on third and two that put the Marauders on field goal position. After completing a 20-yard pass on that fake, kicker Adam Preocanin of Burlington, Ont., hit from 23-yards out to cut Laurier’s lead to 7-3 entering halftime.
Laurier had a great opportunity to stretch the lead to 11 on their first drive of the second half but Gordon was stuffed on third and goal from the two-yard line.
However, two possessions later, the Hawks would extend their lead as Mesher hit his first field goal of the day from 27 yards out to give Laurier a 10-3 advantage after three quarters.
In the fourth, Preocanin hit his second field goal of the game early in the quarter, appearing to give the Marauders momentum.
But Laurier answered right back with an impressive six-play, 60-yard drive into the wind, capped by a 22-yard field goal from Mesher to re-establish the 10-point cushion.
“It was a huge response from our team,” said Faulds. “Levondre broke a couple of big runs in the fourth and what can you say about Kurleigh Gittens. Some outstanding catches, big plays that were jump ball scenarios. And Daniel Bennett is another guy, made two outstanding catches on second down conversions.”
From there, the Hawks’ defence would shut down White and the Marauders and two more field goals from Mesher sent Laurier to their 23rd Yates Cup appearance.
The 110th edition of the Yates Cup will be overflowing with storylines as Laurier will meet Western in a rematch of last year’s classic, a 43-40 win for the Hawks that saw them post the largest fourth quarter comeback in OUA Championship history. The game will also mark the 15th time the two schools have met in the Yates Cup.
Guelph (12), Western (66)
Source: Guelph Gryphons
GUELPH – There’s an immediacy to playoff competition in sports. All of the endless hours put into a season, the effort and pain that began with workouts, the grueling practices, and highs and lows of games – it can all end in an instant. You either advance or pack up your gear. It doesn’t need to be explained to the coaching staff and players of the Guelph Gryphons football program. When the Gryphons, ranked No. 8 in the country, travel to TD Stadium to take on the undefeated No. 2 Western Mustangs in an OUA Semi-final, they’re well aware of what’s at stake.
“It’s win or go home,” Guelph head coach Kevin MacNeill says.
High stakes, for sure, but for the streaking Gryphons, there is plenty of incentive to manufacture a playoff upset on the very field where they lifted the 2015 Yates Cup. The team has won six of the past seven games, including last week’s one-sided 30-8 Quarter-final road win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gryphons have shown they can play with anyone. But one of the many things that’s driving Guelph to keep its impressive run going is to survive another day so that this hard-working group can stay together for at least one more week.
MacNeill isn’t a big picture guy. He preaches being detail-oriented. Focus on the small things every single day, develop the habits, and use what you know for the 60 minutes of game time. His players have responded.
“That’s been the focus all season long,” he says. “I have to give the players a lot of credit for being tight and playing as a team. They come to work every day and play their butts off in practice. That is what I’m most proud of. And it’s led to the success on the field.”
The work ethic, emphasis on details, and unity will be essential for Saturday’s matchup with Western. The Mustangs have been on another level than their OUA competition this season. They are a spotless 8-0 but have accumulated those wins in dominating fashion with the best offence (608.5 yards per game), the best defence (288 yards allowed per game), and the most points scored (386 for 48.3 points per game). Many of their players are near the top of the OUA statistical leaders, like quarterback Chris Merchant, who is fourth in passing yards per game with 249.4, or running back Alex Taylor whose 118.7 rushing yards per game ranks him second in the OUA. Taylor’s backfield partner Cedric Joseph leads the OUA in rushing touchdowns with 10 (just one ahead of fifth-year Gryphon Johnny Augustine). And if Guelph kicker Gabriel Ferraro hadn’t put up such a historic season with a U SPORTS record 33 field goals, Marc Liegghio’s 29 made, which also surpassed Daniel Ferraro’s old mark of 26, would have got more attention.
“They’re an incredible team,” MacNeill says of the well-coached and hard-working Mustangs. “They have very few weaknesses, if any. They’re a formidable opponent and definitely deserving of their record.”
Among those eight Western wins, probably the toughest was the 41-34 overtime victory over the Gryphons on Labour Day. That game didn’t start until 9:30 pm on Sept. 4 because of lightning in the London area. The Gryphons, coming off a double overtime loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in week one, gave the Mustangs their biggest scare of the season. Fourth-year quarterback James Roberts, who made his return to the lineup last week against Ottawa and threw two touchdowns, was sharp in executing Guelph’s big-play offence. He found receiver Zeph Fraser for two scores and Augustine exploded for an 81-yard touchdown that was the longest run of his career. Western needed a short touchdown run from backup quarterback Stevenson Bone in the extra session to escape with the win.
MacNeill will be looking for that same level of execution Saturday, though the Labour Day game itself is the farthest thing from the Gryphon players’ minds. In addition to those weekly details, the focus is also on each other. It takes a whole roster of contributors to succeed, not just the prominent star players. MacNeill gave praise to many of his guys, including some of his workhorses like third-year defensive linemen Charlie Taggart and Greg Corfield, and second-year fullback Lukas Brennan, who have embodied the program’s philosophy.
“They never take a play off and always give maximum effort,” MacNeill says of the trio. “They watch a ton of game film and are extremely prepared. Those guys are so critical to your roster.”
One star that MacNeill is happy to highlight is Augustine. The veteran from Welland, ON, who came off an injury-plagued 2016, has been heroic for the Gryphons. The coach has enjoyed seeing him work daily in practice, with an attitude that is infectious. In the last three games of the regular season, Augustine ran for 404 yards and four touchdowns, pushing his way up to second on the all-time Guelph rushing yardage list, while also securing the school’s career rushing touchdown record this season (28). He churned out another 151 yards against Ottawa last week and is closing his time at Guelph in style, reminding many of another recent U of G legend.
“Johnny has put us on his back,” says MacNeill. “He’s taking every rep like it could be his last. He’s playing his best football. It’s reminiscent of John Rush in 2015. It’s the same kind of mentality. He’s really put an exclamation mark on his career.
“He’s just on fire and we’ll need that same energy from Johnny.”
Win or go home.
Hugo Richard (credit: Mathieu Belanger)
Sherbrooke (0), Laval (45)
With files from: Laval Rouge et Or
The Rouge et Or earned the right to play a 15th consecutive Dunsmore Cup final by taking Sherbrooke’s Vert & Or by 45-0 on Saturday at TELUS-Laval University Stadium.
The Laval residents will welcome the Montreal Carabins next Saturday at 2 pm at the PEPS. The two big rivals will be in a fifth consecutive showdown in the final of the RSEQ, the Reds having had the upper hand in 2013 and in 2016, while the Blues won in 2014 and 2015.
Saturday’s win for the Rouge et Or, a third in a row at home, was also the 50th in the playoffs in just 22 years.
“We did not have the start we wanted, it took us a long time to get going, which we will have to correct. The game was turned upside down after three turnovers which gave 21 points. We are happy with our overall performance, “said R & O head coach Glen Constantin.
Constantin also praised the work of his quarterback Hugo Richard, author of three touchdowns on the ground and another by the pass. “The way he manages the game, his decision-making process, we’re really happy with the way he behaves,” said Constantin.
Asked about the next opponent, the coach Red refused to refer to the last duel between the two teams, where Laval won 22-0. “It’s a new match, a new challenge for us, we’ll tackle it tomorrow. ”
After a short kick of the Vert & Or that tried to surprise Laval, the Rouge et Or started the game at his line of 47. Eight games later, Hugo Richard squeezed on a penis to give the lead 7-0 to local.
The Greens and Reds exchanged kicks afterwards, with neither of the teams scoring points. It was necessary to wait until the end of the first half to see the Rouge et Or explode.
A ball dropped and taken over by Émile Chênevert deep in the Estrie territory led to Richard’s second major on a three-yard run. Then, while the Foxes threatened, Christophe Gagné managed his first career interception with Laval, which he brought back on 36 yards. Richard joined Benoit Gagnon-Brousseau a few seconds later, a long game of 60 yards for the touchdown that carried the mark to 21-0.
Another turnover was at the origin of a third touchdown Laval in just 2 minutes 10 seconds. Gabriel Ouellet made the interception at the expense of quarterback Alex Jacob-Michaud, and a hard penalty at the end of the game brought the ball back to Sherbrooke 22. Two Richard races allowed the Laval to add seven points to the table to return to the dressing room ahead by 28.
After a safety touchdown conceded to Laval in the third quarter, David Côté added three points on a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth. Vincent Alarie-Tardif further increased the lead of the locals on a five-yard run that was 40-0.
Another safety touchdown and a 16-yard field goal kick completed the game.
Alberta (22), Calgary (39)
Source: Justin Mackenzie; Dinos Communications
CALGARY – Adam Sinagra threw for 457 yards while the Calgary defence limited MVP candidate Ed Ilnicki to just 81 as the fourth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos knocked off the Alberta Golden Bears 39-22 Saturday at McMahon Stadium in a Hardy Cup semifinal.
With the win, the Dinos return to the Canada West championship game for the 10th consecutive season and will host the Hardy Cup for the ninth time in those 10 seasons when the 81st edition rolls into McMahon Stadium next Saturday, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
The Dinos put the game away late, but were in a position to do so because of a number of defensive stands early in the game.
“The old bend but don’t break rule,” Dinos head coach Wayne Harris explained. “When they got close to the end zone we were able to stand tall.”
Alberta came out firing in the first with a drive that landed them deep into the Dinos zone, but were limited to only a field goal after being stopped on two occasions. The Dinos battled back after the early points and put up a touchdown courtesy Jeshrun Antwi, as Calgary led 7-3 after the first.
Alberta refused to give the Dinos the easy road to the Hardy Cup in the first half as they kept the game close, never being down by more than a touchdown. It was the kickers that dominated the first half scoring. Niko Difonte and Brent Arthur both kicked three field goals, and the Dinos took a 16-9 lead into half time.
The game turned midway through the third quarter. Alberta pivot Brad Baker found Colby Miller in the end zone to tie it at 16-16 – but the Dinos stole the momentum right back when Sinagra found Abdraman Abdel-Rahim for an 88-yard major on the very next play. Three more DiFonte field goals and a 41-yard Antwi touchdown off a short-yardage play rounded out the scoring for the Dinos as they salted it away late.
Sinagra had a bounce back game, completing 33 of 40 passes without throwing a single interception – tying a school single-game completions record in the process.
“You have to grind the whole game, this is playoff football,” said Sinagra. “You just have to keep chipping away until you get that big play.”
Antwi had a pair of touchdowns, coming in the rushing and receiving variety. He put together 106 yards on the ground and 63 in the air for an impressive 169 yards of total offence on the day.
DiFonte split the uprights six times in seven tries, tying a single-game school record jointly held by Bruce Parsons (1992) and Johnny Mark (2012), while Arthur connected on five of his six field goal tries.
The Dinos defence was also able to limit the new single season rushing record holder Illnicki to 85 yards, his second lowest total of the season.
For the Golden Bears, freshman Nathan Rowe started off his playoff career in a huge way with a couple of great grabs. He made six catches, most of which were under heavy coverage, for 116 yards. Tyler Henry also hit triple digits with 111 yards on five catches. Baker threw for 429 yards on 24-of-39 passing with one touchdown.
Defensively, Jakub Jakoubek had a monster day for the Dinos with 10 tackles, seven of the solo variety, as the Calgary front seven gave Ilnicki very little running room. Dylan Niedermaier led the way for Alberta with eight tackles on the day.
The road to the Vanier Cup continues next weekend when the Dinos host the winner of the UBC-Regina semifinal in the 81st Hardy Cup, live on SaskTel Max, TELUS Optik TV, and BellMTS.
(crédit James Hajjar)
Concordia (7), Montreal (24)
With files from: Montreal Carabins
Montreal, November 4, 2017 – Saturday afternoon at the CEPSUM, the Carabins won their provincial semi-final matchup with the Concordia Stingers 42-20 to over 3,000.
In a week, the Blues have an appointment with the Laval Rouge et Or for the final of the Dunsmore Cup that will be held at the other end of Highway 20. This will be a ninth fight and a fifth in a row between the two teams in the Quebec final.
We had good times in this game and we will certainly be able to build on that for the final, “said Carabins’ head coach Danny Maciocia. We still have some adjustments to make, but we were able to establish our ground game quickly and rely on a balanced attack. It was typical football of the month of November.
The Carabins set up a balanced offensive from the outset, taking advantage of long running runner Will Altema (Applied Police and Security Management) to impose their pace. Killer Michael Arpin (Economics and Politics) was the first to score points on the board by placing a 27-yard field goal. The Blues continued their work of demolition on the ground, winning considerably the battle of the trenches thanks to their strong offensive line. Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnic) found himself the way to the opposing goal zone on two yards.
The Stingers quickly bounced back by scoring on the following sequence with two long passes on the left side, the last one towards Jarryd Taylor who brought everyone back to three points.
Midway through the second quarter, the Montreal offense faced a third try and a little over a yard in hostile territory. The Carabins offered the ball to Guillaume Paquet who swept the left-leaning Stingers 31 yards, good for the touchdown. After quickly quitting Concordia, the Blues have added, this time on a long pass from Caron to Louis-Mathieu Normandin (Administration, HEC Montreal) who has crossed the 63 yards separating him from the end zone. In the meantime, the mark was 24-7 for Montrealers, which was displayed on the scoreboard at half-time.
In a third quarter a little quieter, the Blues have added to their lead. A few minutes after seeing the UdeM defense force the touch of safety, Jordan Perrin (Creativity and Innovation) intercepted the quarterback Adam Vance on a third test in the Montreal area. The defensive Carabins returned 80 yards.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Carabins offered a good positioning to their opponents following some penalties of indiscipline. Running back Jean-Guy Rimpel crossed the last yard on the ground to make 33-14. Representatives of UdeM responded following the reversal caused by Samuel Rossi (Kinesiology) and Alex Cromer-Émond (Medicine). Caron then found Régis Cibasu (Administration, HEC Montréal) in the center of the end zone.
The Stingers scored another touch before the final whistle, but their two-point conversion was missed. A safety touch later, we were at the final mark of 42-20 for the Carabins.
Return kicker Khalil Kerr was able to play his cards again this afternoon by averaging 20 yards on punt returns, allowing the Montreal offense to routinely set up his attack in a dangerous position.
I’ve been more confident for a few weeks now, besides trusting my blocks and it works, said Kerr. The coaches told me to have fun and the results are there, which is even more fun.
In the win, Carabins quarterback Samuel Caron completed 20 of 27 attempts for 182 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
I knew it could be my last game here so it sure gave me extra energy and we just wanted to get on the ball without complicating things, Caron said. We will now prepare for another big duel against a very good team.
His opponent Adam Vance scored 11 of 18 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Dominant throughout the game, the offensive line of the Blues opened the game and the various running backs accumulated 235 yards on the ground, including 61 by Altema.
It was an emotional match for us, the guys played with a lot of intensity, but we have to limit our penalties if we want to give ourselves a chance against Laval.
The Carabins will face Laval in the final of the Dunsmore Cup next Saturday November 11 at 14h at Laval University. The Blues will then try to win a third championship
StFX (15), SMU (16)
Source: Dominic Nolasco, SMU
(HALIFAX, NS)—The Saint Mary’s Huskies used a last-minute rouge from kicker Brain Hope to defeat the StFX X-Men 16-15 on Saturday afternoon in the Atlantic University Sport football semi-final from Huskies Stadium.
The first quarter saw StFX concede an early safety on their first drive and used a 33-yard field goal from Jonathan Heidebrecht (Camrose, AB) to take a 3-2 lead with 2:34 left in the quarter.
Hope (Port Coquitlan, BC) added his only field goal of the game on a 39-yarder with 43 seconds left, giving the Huskies a 5-3 lead after 10 minutes.
Heidebrecht hit field goals from 51, 31, and 17-yards out for all the scoring in the second quarter and StFX regained the lead 12-5 at the half.
Saint Mary’s scored the only points in the third quarter with a rouge point from Hope and a safety for SMU saw the Huskies chip away at StFX’s 12-8 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The lone touchdown of the game came form Saint Mary’s with 14:42 in the final quarter when receiver Archelaus Jack (Toronto, ON) hauled in a 22-yard pass from quarterback Kaleb Scott (Mount Albert, ON) as the Huskies took only 1:32 off the clock with their six-play, 67-yard drive and took the lead at 15-12.
Heidebrecht hit his fifth and final field goal from 25-yards out and tied the game at 15-15 with 3:25 left.
Scott then orchestrated a six-play, 37-yard drive which took SMU from their own 52 to StFX’s 21-yard line.
Hope had the game on his foot from 28-yards out and missed his attempt to the right as the ball went thru the end zone for the single point and a 16-15 Siant Mary’s lead with 41 seconds left.
StFX had one final attempt from 68-yards away but Heidebrecht’s field goal kick came up short and Saint Mary’s held-on for the 16-15 victory.
With the win, the Huskies advance to the Loney Bowl and will face the host Acadia Axemen in the 2017 Subway AUS Football Championship game Saturday November 11th at 2 pm in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Regina (21), UBC (28)
Source: Evan Daum (Canada West Communications)
VANCOUVER – For the third consecutive season, the Calgary Dinos and UBC Thunderbirds are headed to the Hardy Cup.
After watching the Dinos down the Alberta Golden Bears 39-22 earlier Saturday in the first Hardy Cup semifinal, UBC squeaked out a 28-21 win against the Regina Rams at Thunderbird Stadium.
With the Canada West semifinal weekend now in the books, the focus shifts to the 81st Hardy Cup, which is slated for Saturday, Nov. 4 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary (12 p.m. PT).
UBC and Calgary’s meeting in the conference championship game marks the first time in Canada West history that the same two teams will met for the Hardy Cup in three consecutive seasons.
“Calgary deserves the respect that they’ve earned. They have our respect and we’re going to prepare fully for them. We’re going to prepare to win. The last two Hardy Cups between Calgary and UBC have been quite something,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill, who will coach in his 10th consecutive Hardy Cup and third with UBC.
Sparked by a pair of majors from Alex Morrison in the first quarter, including his 66-yard touchdown pass from Michael O’Connor to open the scoring just 3:06 into the game, the T-Birds entered the half with a convincing 26-7 lead.
While there wasn’t much in the way of positives for Regina in the first half, the second more than made up for it, as the Rams held the T-Birds to just 68 yards of offence in the final 30 minutes after trailing by 19 at the break.
The early deficit didn’t deter Regina – who despite watching the Thunderbirds move the ball with ease out of the gate – stepped up in the final 30 minutes to make a game of it.
After posting 234 yards of offence in the opening half, including 220 through the air courtesy O’Connor, the T-Birds came out flat offensively in the second half, mustering just 22 yards of offence in the third quarter.
Regina countered in the third quarter with their first major of the day, as defensive back Frankie Gray came in at the 9:19 mark of the frame, plunging the ball into the end zone to cut the score to 28-14.
As the T-Birds continued to sputter in the second half, Regina made the most of their opportunities, with fourth-year running back Atlee Simon carrying the load.
Following a UBC punt fumble, the Rams earned their second major of the day when Simon showed his breakaway speed, sprinting 46 yards to the end zone to make it 28-21 just 5:17 into the fourth quarter.
The Rams continued to run the ball the rest of the way, as Simon finished the day with 222 yards – 157 of which came in the second half – to lead the way for Regina.
But despite Simon’s monster day and a dominant second half overall, Regina couldn’t muster enough points, as the T-Birds defence stepped up in the closing moments to end the Rams’ season for a second consecutive year after UBC downed Regina 40-34 at Mosaic Stadium last November.
“As a coach you don’t want to go through a half like we just did, but we survived it and we’re going to be stronger for it,” Nill said after the win.
“We deserve a lot of credit for beating them two times in a row, because that’s a feat. We’re going to remain positive with that and focus on a rematch at the Hardy Cup.”
Kickoff for the 81st Hardy Cup is set for 1 p.m. MDT. The game will be the final Canada West Football Showcase game of the season, as fans can catch the game on SaskTel (48/348 HD), TELUS (998/9998 HD), and Bell MTS (1802 HD).
Viewers can also catch the game on Canada West TV – the official streaming home of the conference.
Source: U Sports
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