U Sports GOTW [Sunday – Stats] RECAP (3): From heartbreaking losses to a crazy blowout, what a weekend

Saturday, Sept. 9

Laurier (38), Carleton (35)

Source: Brandi Awad, Carleton Sports Information

OTTAWA, ON – The Carleton Ravens fell 38-35 to the Laurier Golden Hawks in a gut-wrenching game at University Stadium in Waterloo on Saturday.

Despite their best efforts, the Ravens couldn’t match the energy of the defending Yates Cup Champions, who were coming off a bye week.

The Hawks came out flying in the first quarter to put themselves on the board just 1:33 into the game. Veteran QB Michael Knevel was able to connect with fourth-year receiver Daniel Bennett, who rushed the ball 73 yards to Carleton’s 20. Running back Levondre Gordon was able to smash it into the end zone to make the game 6-0. A good kick from Nathan Mesher gave them the extra point at 7-0. On Carleton’s drive just a few minutes later, the Hawks were able to recover the ball, allowing Stu Smith to run it to the end zone and double their lead.

However, Carleton’s Michael Arruda (Gatineau, QC) was quick to respond, hitting third-year Phil Iloki (Montreal, QC) with a 68-yard touchdown pass. A kick from fifth-year Michael Domagala (St. Catharines, ON) cut the Hawks lead in half. A few minutes later, they forced Laurier to concede a safety to narrow the gap by two more points, making it 14-9.

In front of a sea of purple, Laurier’s third-year kicker, Mesher, fed the hometown crowd a bit of energy with a 15-yard field goal at the end of the first to up their lead 17-9.

In the beginning of the second, another safety was able to bring Carleton one step closer, making the score 17-11.

Rushes from both Nathan Carter (Ottawa, ON) and Wilson Birch (Niagara Falls, ON) was able to bring the Ravens into field goal territory. Yet another solid kick by Domagala from the 22-yard line made it a three-point game at 17-14.

Laurier responded to Carleton’s field goal with a team safety to maintain their lead at 19-14. They furthered it to 22-14 with a 45-yard field goal from Mesher at the end of the first half.

A scoreless third quarter by the Ravens helped the energized Hawks continue their offensive streak. Just under five minutes into the quarter, Gordon was able to reach the end zone again to make the game 29-14. And, another field goal from Mesher from the 37-yard line brought the hometown team’s lead to 32.

The Ravens’ offence came out strong in the fourth, putting themselves back on the scoreboard just two minutes in. A 50-yard pass from Arruda to wide receiver Quinton Soares (London, ON) who was waiting in the end zone, along with an extra point from Domagala was able to do the trick to make the score 32-21.

The Hawks then upped their lead by three with another Mesher field goal to make it a 14-point game at 35-21. Towards the end of the fourth with under five minutes to go, they added another three with a 16-yard field goal.

The Ravens weren’t ready to give up just yet and worked to rush the ball 75 yards. Arruda was able to meet third-year Chad Manchulenko with an 11-yard touchdown pass. A good kick from Domagala made the game 38-28.

Down by 10 points with under a minute to go, the Ravens made one last effort to turn the game around in their favour. After an incredible rush from Kyle VanWynsberghe (Delhi, ON), the Ravens found themselves at Laurier’s third-yard line. Arruda was able to reach Birch in t he end zone and Domagala was able to put one up to make it a three-point game at 38-35.

In a heartbreaking fashion, despite the Ravens’ undeniable resilience and strong effort, there just wasn’t enough time on the clock for them to even things out. With this win, Laurier was able to maintain their winning-streak over the Ravens, who have yet to beat them since the reemergence of their program.

Head coach Steve Sumarah describes this loss as “disappointing”, saying “they just ran out of minutes on the clock.” However, he’s hoping to build off of this game and see the same level of effort brought in the fourth quarter, by both offensive and defensive lines, back home at MNP Park.

Next weekend, the 1-2 Ravens will host the 3-0 Waterloo Warriors for their 75th anniversary homecoming game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Veteran receiver Kyle VanWynsberghe was unstoppable tonight at University Stadium hauling an impressive 160 yards for the Ravens. Phil Iloki (Montreal, QC) also came up with a noteworthy 106.

On defence, Leon Cenerini (La Salle, MB) had an eye-popping 13 tackles, while Josh Walsh (Ottawa, ON) followed close behind with 8.5.

RAVENS PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
Offence:
#12 Kyle VanWynsberghe – Wide Receiver – 5^th year – Delhi, ON
Defence:
#44 Leon Cenerini – Linebacker – 5^th year – La Salle, MB

UP NEXT:
OUA Week 4
Waterloo at Carleton
Saturday, September 16, 2017 – 1 p.m.
MNP Park – Ottawa, ON

 

BOX SCORE

 

McGill (18), Sherbrooke (16)

Source: McGill Athletics

SHERBROOKE — Findlay Brown of Winnipeg, Man., kicked three field-goals, including the winning tally on a 15-yarder with 26 seconds remaining as the visiting McGill Redmen rallied for an 18-16 victory over Sherbrooke before 3,875 on Saturday.

It was only McGill’s third lifetime victory in 10 road games at Sherbrooke but their second straight, including last year’s 19-18 nail-biter on Sept. 10, 2016.

Brown, a 19-year-old management sophomore, also connected on distances of 39 and 35 yards, respectively, to give his side 3-0 and 8-0 leads in the first and second quarters. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound kicker added a conversion to account for 10 of McGill’s 18 points. He also averaged 39.0 yards on seven punts and 49.2 yards on five kickoffs.

“We outplayed them (and appeared to be in control) but performed very badly in the second half,” said a relieved Ronald Hilaire, head coach and defensive coordinator at McGill. “It was a combination of a comedy of errors that put us in trouble but we kept our composure and came up with a big  drive at the end.

“Brown had a huge night, not only on field goals but in his other kicking duties. That was an area where he struggled last year. He’d go 4-for-4 on field-goals but lacked consistency in other aspects of the kicking game. I’m very proud of his development and maturity. He worked hard in the off-season and came back to camp this year with more power in his (kicking) leg ”

McGill led 5-0 after the opening quarter, 15-2 at halftime and 15-4 after three. But in the final stanza, the Vert & Or took advantage of a plethora of McGill miscues and penalties to take a 16-15 lead on a 37-yard field-goal by Pierre-Antoine D’Astous with 4:52 remaining.

The come-from-behind drive began on McGill’s own 40-yard line with 82 seconds left on the game clock.

Sophomore quarterback Frederic Paquette-Perrault hooked up with Jeremy Sauvageau for 21 yards to the Sherbrooke 31. An incompletion, followed by a roughing-the-passer penalty moved the ball to the Sherbrooke 16. Back-to-back runs by Daniel Adesegun brought the ball to the eight-yard line to set up the winning kick.

Sherbrooke’s ensuing drive started on their own 49 but that was snuffed out immediately when back-up quarterback Conor Sinclair was intercepted by sophomore cornerback Olivier Therrien at the McGill 37. Sinclair, who entered the game in the third stanza, was 6–of-11 for 63 yards and one TD. He relieved ineffective starter Alex Jacob-Michaud, who was 5-of-12 for 28 yards and one interception.

Paquette-Perrault completed 19 of 36 for 329 yards, one pick and a 49-yard TD toss to Sauvageau that put the Redmen ahead 15-2 late in the first quarter.

Savageau, a finance sophomore from St. Augustin de Desmaures, Que., snared a game-high seven receptions for 166 yards.

The game featured a whopping 25 penalties for 221 yards of real estate, with Sherbrooke being flagged 14 times for 116 yards.

McGill, which had a 16-12 advantage in first downs, generated 281 yards of net offence, compared to Sherbrooke’s 219. The Vert & Or committed six turnovers (3 lost fumbles, 2 INTs and one on downs). The Redmen also had six, with four of them on downs, one on a pick and one via fumble.

McGill, which improved to 1-1 in the RSEQ conference, will play at Concordia (1-1) next Saturday (Sept. 16) at 2 p.m. Sherbrooke, which dropped to 0-3, is now in danger of missing the playoffs in the five-team Quebec league after opening their campaign with losses to Laval, Concordia and McGill . The Vert & Or have a bye next week before traveling to Montreal to confront the No.2-ranked Carabins (2-0) on Sept. 22.

REDMEN RAP: Leading the Redmen defence was junior DL Simon Aubin-Lavoie with six total tackles, including five solos, one of them a QB sack… Sophomore DB Tristan Fleury was credited with five solo tackles (one for loss) and an interception… HB Vincent Dethier had 3.5 tackles and a fumble recovery for 17 yards.  The Redmen 48-man dress-list included 17 freshman, 17 sophomores, eight juniors and six seniors… McGill made eight line-up changes from last week, many of them due to injuries, including DL Andrew Seinet-Spaulding, the team MVP from last year who went down late in the first half against Laval in Week 1 but is a possible returnee for the coming week.

ICYMI: Mike Soles and Montreal Alouettes re-ignite ice bucket challenge to fight ALS

BOX SCORE

 

UBC (32), Manitoba (18)

Source: UBC Thunderbirds

VANCOUVER – Michael O’Connor and the UBC Thunderbirds offence clicked on all cylinders while the defence did the same for a convincing 32-18 win over the visiting Manitoba Bisons Saturday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium.

Up by three points at the half, UBC had a monster third quarter outscoring the Bisons 19-0, highlighted by an Elliot Graham 107-yard interception return for a touchdown, the longest such play in Thunderbirds history.

After a disappointing outing last week in Regina, O’Connor finished with 257 yards passing with two touchdowns and a 70 percent completion rate.

Ben Cummings led the way on the ground for the ‘Birds with 145 yards rushing on 24 carries.

“When you can run the ball it’s demoralizing for the other team,” said the third year running back.

“We can really keep running the ball over and over down the whole field and it’s a momentum builder for sure.”

UBC head coach Blake Nill praised his defence which kept the Bisons to just 24 yards on the ground.

“Our defensive line is probably as strong as it’s been since I’ve been here,” said Nill.

“We’ve got some veterans there but now we’ve surrounded them by four 18 year-olds who just play the game so well.”

Ball security was an issue early on for both sides with the ‘Birds losing the ball on a fumble on their first possession, but solid defensive play kept the Bisons off the board.

After the ‘Birds’ first possession went sideways, O’Connor engineered an impressive 78-yard drive culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to Trivel Pinto. Greg Hutchins‘ convert gave UBC a 7-0 lead with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter.

The first play of the second quarter saw the ‘Birds add to their lead with a 38-yard Hutchins field goal.

After forcing the Bisons into another punt, UBC drove down the field once again, helped by a huge 35-yard Cummings rush on second down to get to the Manitoba 35, eventually setting up another Hutchins field goal.

Faced with being shutout in the first half, the Bisons forced UBC into a punt deep in their own zone providing instant field position. Theo Deezar needed just 1:55 to put a major up with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Riley Harrison. The convert cut the ‘Birds’ lead to six with just under four minutes remaining in the half.

The Bisons then added a 46-yard Brad Mikoluff field goal in the dying seconds of the half as the ‘Birds’ lead had been whittled down to three going into the break.

The T-Birds came storming out of the gate to start the second half forcing the Bisons into a quick two and out and the UBC offence picked up where their defence left off executing a four play, 72-yard drive finished off with a four-yard O’Connor pass to Marcus Davis to restore the 10-point T-Bird lead.

The Bisons looked set to respond, getting the ball down to the UBC 10-yard line, but that’s when Graham returned his historic pick six, edging the school’s previous record of 106 yards set by Sandy Beveridge back in 2000.

“It was very thrilling, I owe it to my D Line, the defence for helping me out,” said the first-year linebacker who set the record with his first career Canada West interception.

“The secondary picked up blocks, it was a long run and it was hard but I’m just grateful to be in position to be able to make that play.”

A safety and a 40-yard Hutchins field goal capped off the monster third quarter for the ‘Birds who led 32-10 with 15 minutes to go.

The Bisons scored the only points of the final quarter when Stephen Ugbah caught an eight-yard Deezar touchdown pass with eight and a half minutes remaining in the fourth, followed by a two-point convert. The ‘Herd were unable to muster any more falling to 0-2 on the season.

UBC improved in every aspect from week one, perhaps most notably when it comes to discipline, being tagged with just four penalties for 39 yards against the Bisons.

“We came together as a team and a family, we came out with a high tempo and progressed and we’re going to come back even stronger next week,” said Graham.

The ‘Birds have now won three straight home openers and five straight regular season and playoff games against the Bisons.

Next up for UBC is homecoming on Saturday, September 16^th against the Saskatchewan Huskies.

“We need to be more consistent offensively, finishing when we’re in the end zone,” added Nill.

“We’re going to get better, our goal each and every week is to get better.”

Kick off for homecoming is 5:00 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.

BOX SCORE

 

Montreal (21), Laval (16)

With files from: Montreal Carabins

Montreal, September 9, 2017 – More than 5,100 supporters gathered at a sold-out CEPSUM stadium on Saturday afternoon to witness another chapter of the Montreal-Laval rivalry, were not disappointed with the show. At the end of another hotly contested encounter with the Rouge et Or, Danny Maciocia’s Carabins de Montréal won the 21-16 record, especially thanks to the Blues offense, which has accumulated 457 yards in total.

“It was another typical game, with a few games that made the difference, and we are obviously very happy that it played in our favor this time,” Maciocia said at the end of the game.

The Blues played a formidable attack from the very first moments of the match, but the offensive sequences struggled to reach the goal zone. After a few clearances on both sides, the Montrealers won the territorial battle and collected the safety touch thanks to a good defensive performance, deep in the enemy zone. The Laval attack, which was rather timid at the start of the game, allowed the kicker David Côté to score three points on the board before the end of the first quarter. After 15 minutes, the visitors had the lead by one.

Montréal’s indiscipline eventually opened the door to Rouge et Or in the second quarter. After a long offensive sequence added to the costly penalties of the Carabins, quarterback Hugo Richard found Vincent Alarie-Tardif in the right flank. He scored the six misses and then scored the first touchdown. The attack of the Blues led by quarterback Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnique) then moved into second gear, crossing the ground by air. The sequence ended with a Caron slip for the middle finger, this one bearing the mark at 10-9 in favor of Laval. At the end of the first half, the men of Glenn Constantin came closer to the zone of the Blues, but had to settle for a placement. At halftime, Laval led by four points.

After half-time, Caron deployed his air attack again. A long 90-yard run resulted in a 41-yard touchdown pass to Guillaume Paquet (Administration, HEC Montréal).

“The coaches deserve credit for the touchdown,” said Caron. They had spotted opening earlier in the game on that same game and had told me to take a look at William if that game was called again. I only had to throw the ball at him. ”

The Rouge et Or then offered a second safety, so that the Blues held the lead after three shifts, the score being 18-13.

Like the rest of the game, the fourth quarter was hotly contested, with both teams offering very little space on the field to their opponents. Côté had a third place for the Rouge et Or, this time for 20 yards, then Simoneau did the same for the Carabins during a large punt with 39 yards. The Montreal defense then held out, notably thanks to the interception caused by Brian Harelimana (Arts and Sciences), with only five minutes remaining on the dial. The Rouge et Or ended up without a solution, and the Blues eventually won by the mark of 21-16.

“It’s just one victory, but it’s definitely important,” said Maciocia. We still have a lot of work to do and mistakes to correct, but we can be proud of our early season. ”

Quarterback Samuel Caron finished his afternoon with 27 passes completed in 40 attempts, good for 377 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was on the ground. His opponent Richard has accumulated 318 yards with 28 passes out of 40, a touchdown as well as an interception. He was chased throughout the afternoon by the Montreal defense who had four sacs.

“We were looking forward to seeing the competition again after a weekend off and finding the Rouge et Or to see where we were,” said Caron. It was not perfect, but it is a sign of character to have won this big victory. ”

Among the heroes of the encounter are the remarkable performances of receivers Guillaume Paquet and Kevin Kaya (Preparatory Year) who have accumulated 144 and 92 yards respectively by the pass.

“The circumstances of the game plan and coverage played in my favor to receive passes, but our entire attack offered a good performance,” said Paquet. It’s always an important match against Laval, but in our head it’s one game at a time and we keep moving forward. ”

In defensive line, rookie Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal (Physical Education and Health) joined the opposing quarter twice behind the line of scrimmage, while Marc-Antoine Dequoy (Informatique) finished the game with nine tackles on his record.

With two victories in the count in as many meetings, representatives of the UdeM will play the Vert and Or, this Friday, September 15. Last year, the Blues won their two games against the student-athletes of the Estrie.

BOX SCORE

 

Saint Mary’s (40), Bishop’s (21)

Source: Bishop’s Gaiters

SHERBROOKE, Que. – The Saint Mary’s Huskies used 23 first-quarter points as they downed the Bishop’s Gaiters, 40-21, at Coulter Field in Lennoxville, Que., Saturday. The Huskies (2-0) scored on four of their first five possessions as they ran out to a 23-0 lead late in the first quarter. The Huskies led 23-7 after the first quarter and 28-7 at halftime.

Archelaus Jack had three touchdown catches for the Huskies, while Josh Henry had the Huskies’ other major. Brian Hope made all three of his field goal attempts for the Huskies, while a pair of safety touches rounded out their scoring.

For the Gaiters, Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.), Zachary Benson (Brockville, Ont./Brockville CVI) and Dashaun Smellie (Mississauga, Ont./Champlain-Lennoxville) all caught touchdown passes from Mathieu Demers (Quebec City, Que./Cégep LImoilou), who went 20-for-41 and threw for 217 yards and three interceptions.

SMU quarterback Kaleb Scott threw four touchdown passes, as he went 30-for-46 for 391 yards and earned player-of-the-game honours. He was also intercepted three times. For the Huskies, both Henry and Jack went over 100 yards receiving. Henry made 11 catches for 138 yards, while Jack had seven catches for 124. The Huskies’ rushing was led by Johnny King, who had 12 carries for 97 yards.

For Bishop’s, Benson led the receivers with 83 yards on six catches. Trey Milings was the pick of the Gaiter rushers, with 19 carries for 79 yards. Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) was the Gaiters’ MVP, after amassing 179 all-purpose yards.

The Gaiters’ defence was led by Pier-Alexis Raymond (Victoriaville, Que./Cégep de Victoriaville), who had 10.5 tackles and an interception, while Arnaud Dandin (Paris, France/Cégep de Thetford) had eight tackles and an interception. Jackie Lindor (Montreal, Que./Cégep Ahuntsic) had the Gaiters’ other interception, while Mathieu Breton (Roxboro, Que./John Abbott College) made the only sack for Bishop’s.

SMU’s Emmanuel Agbozo had eight tackles to lead his side. Raphael Muntu, Omar Abdallah, John Cole and DeAndre Smith each had a sack for the Huskies, while Matt McConnell had two interceptions.

Both teams are back in action next Friday night. The Huskies return home to Halifax to host Saint Mary’s, while the Gaiters head to Sackville, N.B., to visit the Mount Allison Mounties (1-1). The Gaiters-Mounties clash kicks off at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern).

BOX SCORE

 

Waterloo (28), Toronto (23)

Source: Waterloo Warriors

Through the first two weeks of the 2017 OUA football season, the Waterloo Warriors proved that they can win when everything clicks. But on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Varsity Blues, they proved they can win even when it doesn’t.

Veteran slotback Richmond Nketiah (Brampton/) hauled in a pair of receiving touchdowns, and the Wateroo defence came up with three interceptions as the Warriors moved to 3-0 on the season with a gutsy 28-23 victory over the Varsity Blues in front of 3,645 fans at a raucous Black and Gold day at Warrior Field.

“The boys answered the bell. I’m proud of them,” said Waterloo Head Coach Chris Bertoia. “To win a game 28-23, those are the games we need to win as a program to continue to build that kind of steel resolve, and understand that, in tight situations, we can win, and we can answer the bell.”

The victory marks the first time since 2007 that the Warriors have started a season with three straight wins. It’s also the second home victory for Waterloo in the last five days, after going without a win at Warrior Field for nearly five years. Meanwhile, the Blues dropped to 1-2 on the young season, after a fourth-quarter comeback attempt came up short.

“It was just the playcalling and the execution,” said Nketiah about his big day offensively. “All week, we prepared, the coaches drew up all the coverages that we might be seeing, and honestly, its exactly what we saw.”

The Warriors once again employed a platoon at quarterback, as veteran Lucas McConnell (Waterford/) and rookie Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) shared time throughout the first half. McConnell went 18-25 for 191 yards and a touchdown, while Ford went 3-3 with a touchdown, and added 69 yards in 7 carries. But the rookie was forced out of the game early in the second half with an injury, leaving McConnell to secure the win.

The defense relied upon playmaking to put their stamp on the game, as Warriors defensive back Sammy Prantera (St. Catharine’s/) snuffed out Toronto’s first drive of the afternoon with an end zone interception off Toronto quarterback and NCAA transfer Conner Ennis. Shaquille Sealy (London/) and Lautaro Frecha (Sault Ste. Marie/) also added momentum-shifting interceptions off Blues backup quarterback Clay Sequeira, who came into replace Ennis in the second half.

The Warriors also used some trickery in the win: leading 3-1 early in the second quarter, and lining up to go for it on third down and 10 from midfield, McConnell instead flicked a pooch punt. Receiver Blair McKay (Waterford/) raced downfield and caught the ball off a bounce, setting up Waterloo deep in Toronto territory. Two plays later, Nketiah settled down in a defensive weak spot and grabbed a 5-yard pass from Ford for the major, making it 10-1.

“That’s just something we’ve been practicing a bit,” said Bertoia. “Both of our quarterbacks, plus Mitch Kernick (Elmira/), all three of those guys can punt, so we’ve just looked at different options of doing things on third downs.”

The Blues responded later in the quarter with an 11-yard TD reception by Wacey Schell, but the Warriors answered with just over a minute to play in the half, when McConnell floated a 10-yard pass for Nketiah in the back corner of the end zone. Nketiah cradled the ball and kept his back foot inbounds to put Waterloo up 18-7 at the half.

The Ford injury in the third quarter seemed to momentarily deflate the stadium, and the Blues turned the tides with successive plays on either side of the ball – first, Toronto made a stop on 3^rd and 7 from the midfield line, before Sequeira came in to rip a 55-yard touchdown bomb to Will Corby to cut the Waterloo lead to 18-14.

After the Sealy interception ended another Blues drive prematurely, McConnell hit McKay with a 41-yard bomb to McKay set up a 4-yard touchdown scamper from Brandon Metz (Cambridge/), making the score 25-14 after three quarters.

The visiting Blues wouldn’t go away quietly though, and the combination of Sequeira’s big arm and quick feet kept Waterloo’s defence off-balance. The Warriors’ saving grace was once again their big-play ability, as Frecha came up with Waterloo’s third interception of the game – and second deep in their own territory – to maintain their lead early in the final quarter.

The teams exchanged field goals in the fourth before Sequeira scampered in for the major with 1:40 remaining in the game, making the score 28-23 after a failed two-point conversion. The Blues got the ball back in the final minute of the contest, but the Warriors’ defensive secondary had one more stop in them to salt the game away: On 3^rd and 5 from the Waterloo 47-yard line, Sequeira looked to have a completion to Jaykwon Thompson – except Sealy met the receiver just as the ball arrived, and he laid a thunderous hit on Thompson to send the ball falling to the turf, incomplete.

“When we’re down, they’re lifting us up,” said Nketiah of his team’s defense. “Those turnovers and that late hit (by Frecha), that was a game-making play.”

The Warriors will now look to move to an improbable 4-0 on the season when they travel to the nation’s capital to take on a dangerous and experienced Carleton Ravens team. Kickoff at MNP Park is scheduled for 1pm on Saturday, September 16.

BOX SCORE

 

Ottawa (26), York (17)

Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees

The Gee-Gees football team has started to put some of their offensive struggles behind them after closing out a 26-17 win at York on Saturday.

Despite not finding the end zone in their first two games, the Gee-Gees were able to punch in two touchdowns, despite dealing with some key personnel changes in the game.

Fifth-year starting quarterback Victor Twynstra returned after missing a game and a half to injury. The veteran looked comfortable in his return, but it was still a process of getting used to game action again. Twynstra passed for 158 yards and a touchdown and picked up another 74 yards rushing in the win.

The second key change for the Gee-Gees was at running back, where Donald Shaw stepped in for the resting Bryce Vieira and had a fantastic showing. Shaw proved he can be a reliable every down back, pounding the Lions defence for 135 yards and a touchdown. Shaw’s total is the most for any Gee-Gees running back since the 2014 season.

On defence, the Gee-Gees were not quite as sharp as their last two games, but were still able to limit the Lions throughout. Third-year cornerback Jamie Harry continued to impress as he had two interceptions and a team-high 8.5 tackles, his second interception sealed the win in the final seconds.

Harry’s three interceptions leads the nation and after getting another sack in the first quarter, defensive end Alain Pae is second in the country with 5.

Second-year defensive end Nicarlo Funai, a transfer from McMaster was eligible to suit up for the Gee-Gees for the first time this season. The Greely, ON product finished with a stuffed stat-line, recording 3 total tackles, a shared tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection.

Lewis Ward and Kalem Beaver also were key in Ottawa’s win. Ward was 3-4 on field goals, with a long from 40 yards for a total of 12 points. Beaver had 80 yards receiving on four catches, with an average of 20 yards per catch.

Kickoff at McMaster is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be live streaming on OUA.tv.

Source:

BOX SCORE

 

Western (29), McMaster (14)

Source: Western Mustangs

HAMILTON – The Mustangs came out on top in a battle of Top 10 teams at Ron Joyce Stadium, with No. 4 Western defeating the No. 7 McMaster Marauders 29-14 on Saturday afternoon.

The win moves the Mustangs to 3-0 early in the season and keeps them atop the OUA standings alongside Ottawa and Waterloo, while the loss drops McMaster to 1-1 on the year.

Western spread the offence around on Saturday, with both Chris Merchant and Stevenson Bone seeing action in the win. Merchant threw for 189 yards on 11 of 19 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions, while Bone connected on nine of 15 passes for 73 yards with one interception.

Andreas Dueck got the start at quarterback for the Marauders, throwing for 35 yards on 7-12 passing, with Jackson White taking over in the second half and completing 8 of 13 passes for 103 yards. White was also the Marauders leading rusher in the loss, running for 97 yards on 10 carries.

Alex Taylor led the Mustangs ground game with 105 yards on 15 carries, with Cedric Joseph adding another 45 yards and one touchdown. Malik Besseghieur continued his strong season, leading the Mustangs with 101 yards receiving and seven catches, while Harry McMaster caught six passes for 88 yards, with Taylor adding another 49 yards receiving and one touchdown.

Both teams got off to a slow start on Saturday, with a conceded safety from the Marauders providing the only points of the opening quarter to put Western up 2-0 heading into the second.

The Mustangs offence didn’t wait long to get going in the next frame, with Merchant connecting on a 44-yard pass to Alex Taylor to extend Western’s lead to 9-0 less than three minutes into the quarter.

Western’s special teams unit provided the next points for the purple and white as Fraser Sopik blocked a punt from Adam Preocanin and then recovered the ball himself to take it back for a touchdown with a little more than five minutes remaining in the quarter.

Just as the Mustangs looked like they’d take a 16-point lead into the half, the Marauders picked off a pass from Merchant and converted it into a one-yard run from Jordan Lyons on the ensuing drive to cut Western’s lead to 16-7 at halftime.

Both teams changed up their quarterbacks at the start of the third half with Bone taking over for the Mustangs for part of the half while Jackson White stepped in for the Marauders.

Bone led the Mustangs to a strong start on their opening drive, marching Western 75-yards down the field before Marc Liegghio capped it off with a 27-yard field goal to record the only points of the third quarter.

McMaster got out to a quick start in the final frame, picking off a pass from Bone on the first play from scrimmage and turning it into points on the next drive. With the Marauders in Mustangs territory on third down White called his own number and ran it in from 33-yards out to cut the Western lead to 19-14.

Western responded with a touchdown of their midway through the quarter, with Joseph picking up his third major of the year on a three-yard run to extend the Mustangs lead.

Liegghio wrapped up the scoring on the Mustangs final drive of the day, connecting on a 26-yard field goal to give the Mustangs a 29-14 win.

Next up for Western is another road contest, with the Mustangs heading down to Windsor to take on the Lancers on Saturday, September 16. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and can be seen live on OUA.tv. Fans can also tune in on Radio Western 94.9 FM or on Newstalk 1290 CJBK with Tom McConnell and legendary Mustangs coach Larry Haylor calling all the action.

BOX SCORE

 

Guelph (82), Windsor (10)

Source: Guelph Gryphons

GUELPH – If there is such a thing as a statement game, the Guelph Gryphons football team had one. On a short week, coming off two heartbreaking overtime losses, the Gryphons put on a dominating display at Alumni Stadium Saturday, defeating the Windsor Lancers 82-10.

Guelph scored 10 touchdowns on the day, improving to 1-2 on the season in the most emphatic way possible.

“Honestly, the last two weeks, we’ve played some good football,” said head coach Kevin MacNeill. “The guys have been battling hard and it was nice to see them stay focused through those first two weeks and have a good performance today.”

Guelph dropped the OUA opener to Ottawa 24-21 in double overtime and then lost a close one to Western in London, 41-34 in overtime. Those memories were erased as the Gryphons came out fast and did not give Windsor a chance to breathe, beating the Lancers for the ninth time in the past 11 meetings.

The onslaught began with quarterback James Roberts throwing an 18-yard touchdown to Zeph Fraser, the reigning OUA Offensive Player of the Week, just 2:56 in. After a safety made it 9-0, Roberts hooked up with Kian Schaffer-Baker from 41 yards out at the 6:05 mark of the first quarter. Kade Belyk made a 17-yard touchdown catch a couple minutes later and fifth-year running back Johnny Augustine carried one in from three yards out early in the second quarter, with Gabriel Ferraro‘s kick making it 30-0.

The route was officially on.

“Overtime losses are that much more difficult to take,” said Roberts, who twisted his knee late in the Western game but had no doubt he would be ready for Windsor. “Today, we wanted to really have fun, play football and play our game.”

Roberts completed all nine of his first-quarter passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns and finished the day 16 of 21 for 303 yards, while tying his career-high of four touchdown passes. He gave way to backup Theodore Landers, who ran one in from 20 yards out late in the first half for a 53-3 lead after 30 minutes of play.

Guelph’s offensive numbers were staggering as they put up 580 yards of net offence. Jacob Scarfone had six catches for 89 yards and a score, while Schaffer-Baker hauled in three, also for 89 yards and a score. Augustine rushed the ball nine times for 51 yards and two touchdowns but also added four catches for 58 yards. Jamal Hooker led the Gryphons on the ground, rushing six times for 91 yards and two second-half touchdowns.

In a game with so many huge plays, the best came from first-year receiver/returner Ryan Isenor. The Delhi, ON native took a missed Windsor field goal attempt in the third quarter and blew by the Lancers’ special teams unit for a max 125-yard touchdown return. Isenor finished the day with an incredible 268 return yards and added two catches for 26 yards.

“The O-line and receivers, I can’t thank them enough,” said Roberts. “They make my life so much easier. I think our receiving corps is the best in the country. I know they’ll always bail me out and make a play. That’s something not every quarterback has.”

MacNeill said the Gryphons had a lot of confidence after the first two weeks, despite the losses. And he was content that the defence played excellent.

“This is a team that beat us last year,” MacNeill said of Windsor, which shocked Guelph 33-29 in 2016. “We were pretty focused and definitely wanted to make a statement.

“It was clear we were ready to play and had some bad intentions.”

Despite the 72-point margin, the Gryphons weren’t perfect. Guelph was disciplined for most of the game but took a few unnecessary penalties in the second half, though the score was out of hand by then. The hosts also allowed a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter by Windsor’s Marvin Gaynor, who finished with 166 yards on the ground.

Luke Korol led the Gryphons with five solo tackles, five assists and half a sack. Orion Edwards had three solo tackles and two pass breakups, earning the Defensive Player of the Game honours for wreaking havoc on the Lancers all afternoon. First-year lineman Alain Cimankinda kept up his crazy pace with another two and a half sacks, along with three and a half tackles for losses totaling 14 yards. Rookie lineman Sandor Mod also chipped in four tackles, two of them for losses.

“We just wanted to play four full quarters,” said Roberts. “I think we did that today.”

The rejuvenated Gryphons hope to make it two straight wins when they travel to face the University of Toronto Varsity Blues next Saturday. Game time is 1 pm.

BOX SCORE

 

Acadia (38), StFX (24)

Source: Acadia Athletics

BOX SCORE

 

 

Friday, Sept. 8

Saskatchewan (43), Alberta (17)

Source: Saskatchewan Huskies

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan Huskies overcame a slow start to down the Alberta Golden Bears 43-17 in their home opener at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park Friday night.

Saskatchewan moves to 2-0 on the young season, one week after handing Manitoba a 44-23 loss in Winnipeg. Alberta drops to 0-2 after losing their opener 55-26 to the defending Hardy Cup Champion Calgary Dinos in Week 1.

Fourth-year quarterback Kyle Siemens was named the Player of the Game for the Huskies after completing five touchdown passes, three short of the Huskies’ record set in 1994. Siemens finished the game with 271 passing yards on 19-for-27 passing.

The final stats slanted heavily in Alberta’s favour, with the Bears rushing for 324 yards and finishing with 487 total yards to their name. The Golden Bears controlled possession for the majority of the game, finishing with 36:39 minutes compared to Saskatchewan’s 23:19.

“It doesn’t feel like a 43-17 win,” said Flory. “They controlled the ball in the first half. On the sidelines we kept preaching patience. The offence didn’t sustain drives in the first quarter, we have to stay on the field and help our defence out with that.”

Alberta had their running game going early, rushing for 74 yards in the first quarter — 40 more yards than the Huskies had in total offence. But they were not able to find the endzone, and Saskatchewan battled back to make it 14-6 at halftime.

The Huskies relied on Siemens in the first half, as he went 8-for-11 for a total of 104 passing yards. Siemens found Colton Klassen for the game’s first touchdown 15 minutes in before connecting with a familiar face in Mitch Hillis 9:50 into the second quarter.

Hillis finished the game with a pair of touchdowns for the Huskies, cashing in again in the fourth quarter. Both scores required a bit of creativity from the All-Canadian receiver, who broke a number of tackles on the way to his first touchdown and juggled the ball on his second.

Siemens shared the ball all night. Klassen, Chad Braun, Evan Kopchynski and Yol Piok each received their fair share of action, finishing with 26, 47, 53, and 31 yards receiving, respectively. For his part, Hillis finished with 61 yards on a pair catches—both for touchdowns.

While the Huskies found themselves leaning on their passing game, the Golden Bears pushed their agenda on the ground. The same team that had 324 passing yards and 107 rushing yards in their opener against Calgary ran for 324 yards on Friday while passing for just 168.

Ed Ilnicki shouldered the majority of those rushes, getting the ball 26 times and taking it for a total of 199 yards. Teammate Aundrey Webster got the ball 11 times, running an average of 5.5 yards to finish the night with 61 rushing yards.

The Golden Bears travel to meet the Regina Rams next weekend, while Saskatchewan is in Vancouver to face off with the UBC Thunderbirds.

BOX SCORE

 

Calgary (46,), Regina (26)

Source: Ben Matchett, UCalgary Dinos

CALGARY – Third-year receiver Hunter Karl hauled in two touchdown passes and ran for another late as the third-ranked University of Calgary Dinos pulled away for a 46-26 win over the No. 5 University of Regina Rams Friday night at McMahon Stadium.

Karl’s highlight-reel second TD of the night – a 54-yard pass-and-run from Adam Sinagra – proved to be the game-winning points, and then he ran out of field goal formation for a 17-yard score with two minutes to play to salt away the win for the Dinos, who improve to 2-0 on the young season. Regina falls to 1-1.

It was a back-and-forth affair through three quarters as two of the top quarterbacks in the nation matched each other stride for stride. Noah Picton, the reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner, aired it out 37 times, completing 25 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns for the Rams. All three touchdown tosses came from at least 28 yards out on a night the Rams didn’t enter the red zone. On the other side, Sinagra displayed the form that won him the weekly U SPORTS offensive honours a week ago with his 26-for-33, 350-yard, 3-TD performance.

“We’ve talked about committing to play a full game, and we want to make sure we match the intensity of our opponents,” said Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris. “We knew it would be tight. They have some great receivers and PIcton finds guys and takes advantage of breakdowns. We were able to clean that up a little, and it was a solid effort.”

“We know Hunter will be one of our go-to guys this year – tonight he made some critical plays that really swung the momentum toward us.”

With the Rams leading 10-6 early in the second quarter, Sinagra found Karl for a 19-yard score to give the Dinos the lead. The Rams responded with a Zack McEachern interception near midfield, and Picton capped off that drive with a 34-yard strike to cousin Mitchell Picton as the Rams went back on top at 17-14 with three minutes left in the half. Calgary responded with a touchdown on their very next drive, with Brendon Thera-Plamondon capping off a 10-play, 76-yard drive with a 5-yard catch as the Dinos took a lead into the half.

It was a lead the Dinos would not relinquish and, just 4:27 into the third quarter, Sinagra fired a dart over the middle to Hunter Karl. The lanky receiver high-stepped his way past several would-be tacklers for a 54-yard touchdown.

The Rams came storming back again, but a 12-yard Robert Stewart TD in the fourth quarter salted it away, and then Karl put the punctuation mark on the win by diving over the pylon after a 17-yard run out of field goal formation.

“I’m just doing what I’m told,” laughed Karl. “We are maintaining the ‘next man up’ mentality from last year, and guys are needing to step up. We’re happy, but the job is not done yet. We have a good match-up with Manitoba next week, and we’ll have another big test in their barn.”

Karl finished with 131 receiving yards to go with his three touchdowns, while Michael Klukas also had a 100-yard night on six catches, including a 44-yarder that set up Karl’s first score. Niko DiFonte was perfect in the field goal department, splitting the uprights from 29, 15, and 37 yards, while Jeshrun Antwi picked up 114 rushing yards as the Dinos dominated the ground game.

“We’re happy we’re 2-0, but we can’t be satisfied,” said Harris. “There’s no rest – we know everyone else will get better, and we need to get better ourselves.”

The Dinos and Rams will meet once more this season, Oct. 21 at New Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Up first, the Rams will return home for a pair of contests against Alberta and Manitoba, while the Dinos will travel to Winnipeg next week to face the Bisons at Investors Group Field Saturday.

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Source: U Sports (Box Scores)