U Sports GOTW [Monday – Stats] RECAP (4): Waterloo 4-0, clip Ravens wings

 

Saturday, Sept. 16

UBC (31), Saskatchewan (10)

Source: UBC Thunderbirds

VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (2-1) got a tremendous performance from their defence, limiting the seventh ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (2-1) to just three second half points while Michael O’Connor passed for more than 400 yards in a 31-10 win at a jam-packed UBC Homecoming at Thunderbird Stadium.

The ‘Birds never trailed while entertaining a crowd of 9,542, the third largest crowd in Canada West football history.

Up by a field goal at halftime, UBC scored majors on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to take a three-score lead while the Huskies couldn’t manage to respond.

O’Connor finished the game 26-of-36 for 431 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Trivel Pinto finished the game with 242 all-purpose yards, including a 60-yard catch-and-run, and his first touchdown of the season.

“I can’t say enough about him, I’m a big fan of this guy,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill about his star receiver. “As long as he continues to mature and make good decisions he could be the first overall pick in the draft.”

It was vindication of sorts for Pinto who was ejected from last week’s game late in the first half.

“I was just happy I could finish the game,” said Pinto. “I messed up last week, it was a silly play by me. I was just happy I could finish and play for my teammates and happy we got the win.”

The ‘Birds offence wasted no time out of the gate as Michael O’Connor threw deep to Alex Morrison on their first play from scrimmage for a 93-yard touchdown as UBC took the 7-0 lead less than five minutes in. After the two teams traded punts, the Huskies put together a touchdown drive starting at their own 46-yard line capped off by a four-yard Colton Klassen rush to tie the game.

The ‘Birds re-took the lead for good early in the second quarter when O’Connor once again quickly moved the ball downfield setting up a 13-yard Greg Hutchins field goal. Late in the half after Pinto’s 60-yard reception, O’Connor looked for Will Watson in the end zone but the ball was picked off by Saskatchewan’s Brooks Falloon.

But UBC’s defence came up big yet again and forced the Huskies to punt keeping the ‘Birds in front 10-7 at the half. After the teams traded punts to start the second half, O’Connor engineered an efficient six-play, 53-yard drive with Ben Cummings scoring a seven-yard rushing touchdown, his first of the season to put the ‘Birds up 17-7 midway through the third.

On UBC’s next possession, O’Connor threw a 45-yard pass to Trey Kellogg getting the ball down to the Saskatchewan 33-yard line. After calling his own number for a first down run, O’Connor went back to Pinto for the major score as the ‘Birds took a three-possession lead for the first time in the game.

Hutchins added a 29-yard field goal six minutes into the fourth quarter to open up a 20-point lead and added a late punt single.

Huskies kicker Sean Stenger hit a 42-yard field goal to eclipse the 200-point mark in his Canada West career, the 26th player in history to do so. The historic kick put up the only points for the Huskies beyond the first quarter.

Saskatchewan quarterback Kyle Siemens was kept to 265 yards passing and no touchdowns.

“Our defence played lights out,” said third-year defensive back Stavros Katsantonis. “We were very well-prepared coming into this game, coach (Pat) Tracey drew up a great game plan for us and we executed on all facets.”

While Nill also praised his defence, he was left wanting more on the offensive side of the ball.

“We’re going to be okay offensively, we’re still putting in a new system, but it’s just frustrating when we don’t finish,” said the veteran head coach. “I’m not talking about us being a .500 team here, I want us to be at the top and we have to finish when we have the chance.”

UBC was without receiver Marcus Davis due to injury but others certainly picked up in his absence including running back Ben Cummings who finished the game with 181 yards rushing.

The win moves the T-Birds into a tie for second in the Canada West with Saskatchewan and Regina. The ‘Birds hit the road for a date with the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton next Saturday, September 23.

BOX SCORE

 

Regina (28), Alberta (18)

Source: Regina Rams

Mitchell Picton caught two first-half touchdown passes as the No. 6-ranked University of Regina Rams took a 28-18 victory over the Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium.

The score stayed 21-12 in favour of the Rams for the entire second half until the final two minutes of the game, when the teams traded touchdowns. Sam Varao jumped on a fumbled ball in the Alberta end zone to put the Rams up by 16 but just four plays later, Golden Bears quarterback/punter Brad Baker found Colby Miller in the end zone with 1:15 still remaining on the clock.

Alberta had a chance to make it a one-score game, but a pass on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete and the Rams took possession after an attempted onside kick to seal the win.

It was the seventh time in Picton’s career that he’s ended up with multiple touchdown catches, and the fifth-year slotback is now tied with Jason Clermont for second on the school’s all-time list with 19. Picton finished with seven catches for 69 yards, while Kyle Moortgat (pictured) was the game’s leading receiver with career-high totals of 11 catches and 107 receiving yards. Rams quarterback Noah Picton completed 30 of his 42 pass attempts for a total of 334 yards as he moves from eighth all the way up to fifth on Canada West’s all-time passing yardage list. Atlee Simon finished with 15 rushes for 85 yards, the longest of which was on a 23-yard jaunt late in the game that eventually resulted in Varao jumping on the ball in the end zone for a major.

Nicholas Dheilly had a sack for the Rams (2-1) and also applied heavy pressure to Baker on a play early in the first quarter which resulted in an intentional grounding call and a safety. Danny Nesbitt and Cole Benkic each had five solo and three assisted tackles, while Nesbitt and Zack McEachern also shared a sack early in the fourth.

Baker finished 18-for-36 for Alberta, but connected for seven passes of at least 20 yards and piled up 311 passing yards. Nathan Rowe led the Golden Bears (0-3) with five catches for 105 yards, while Ed Ilnicki had 60 yards rushing. Aaron Chabaylo and Trevyon Walsh each led Alberta’s defence with seven solo and four assisted tackles, while Chabaylo, Blake Adams, and Jacob Narbonne all had sacks for the Golden Bears.

The Rams will now prepare for their second consecutive home game with Manitoba (0-3) coming to town next Saturday. Alberta will also be at home next weekend with a game against a UBC team that’s 1-1 heading into Saturday night’s game against Saskatchewan.

NOTES: Saturday’s game was the first as defensive coordinator for Alberta’s Paul Dawson, who had the same role for the Rams from 2001 to 2015 … Dheilly now has at least a share of a sack in all three of Regina’s games this season.

NOAH BREAKS 8000
Noah Picton went past the 8000-yard mark in career passing during the first quarter, becoming just the eighth quarterback in Canada West history to hit that milestone. He moved all the way up to fifth place over the course of the game, and now sits in fifth place with 8318 passing yards. Ahead of Picton is Teale Orban (9449), Darryl Leason (8800), Billy Greene (8626), and Greg Vavra (8401). Picton also cracked Canada West’s top five in career pass completions (591).

MITCH MAKING MOVES
Mitchell Picton‘s two touchdown receptions give him 19 for his career. As mentioned earlier, he’s now tied for second in University of Regina history in the category with the legendary Jason Clermont – and he’s just two behind Chad Goldie’s record of 21. Picton also moved past Brenden Owens for sixth place on the U of R’s all-time list in both completions and receiving yards.

SHARK ON THE SPOT
Sam Varao – affectionately known as “Shark” to his Rams teammates – had a huge play for the team late in the fourth quarter with the Rams up by only nine. Atlee Simon went on a fantastic 23-yard run all the way down to Alberta’s two-yard line before Golden Bears defensive back Reggie Schoeppe poked the ball loose from behind. Varao was able to pounce on the ball just before Alberta’s Shaydon Philip, notching his second career touchdown and putting the Rams up by 16 with just under two minutes to go.

BOX SCORE

Calgary (76), Manitoba (17)

Source: Calgary Dinos

WINNIPEG – The defence set the table and the offence cashed in as the third-ranked University of Calgary Dinos ruined the Manitoba Bisons’ Homecoming party with a 76-17 win Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Field.

The defence picked up eight sacks, forced four fumbles, hauled in two interceptions, and scored a pair of touchdowns itself, while two more Calgary touchdowns came on the very first play after a turnover. Quarterback Adam Sinagra and the offence were gifted a short field through most of the contest and made the most of it to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Calgary’s 456 yards of total offence was the lowest total of their three games on the year, but the offence was surgical when given the opportunity. Four times Sinagra went downfield to Michael Klukas, who averaged better than 32 yards per reception and scored two touchdowns. Alessandro Molnar scored his first career touchdown late in the contest, while Robert Stewart and Josiah Joseph added rushing TDs along the ground. Hunter Karl picked up his fourth TD in two weeks, while defensive lineman Joel Van Pelt caught a touchdown pass with the short yardage team on the field.

It was the defence that really salted the game away, however. Seconds after Joseph’s TD had put the Dinos up 10-3 late in the first quarter, Brett Wade knocked the ball out of Manitoba pivot Theo Deezar’s hands, and Boston Rowe scooped it up and took it 11 yards into the end zone, sparking a crazy sequence.

After the Rowe TD, the Bisons turned it over on downs, leading to a TD by Robert Stewart. Wade forced another fumble on the next Manitoba drive, leading to Klukas’ first major, from which the Dinos recovered the ensuing kickoff. That, in turn, led to Van Pelt’s TD. In total, a 10-minute stretch starting late in the first quarter saw the Dinos score 44 points on just 27 offensive plays while the Bisons ran just eight offensive plays during the same span.

“The defence had a very good game,” said Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris. “Anytime you limit your opponent to under 150 yards passing and, with the exception of one play, held the run game in check, you know that all 12 guys did an outstanding job. We got some breaks and took advantage of them. The guys came in with high emotion today, they were fired up but under control. From there, we made some big plays, got some turnovers, scored some defensive points, and that usually means you’re going to have some success.”

The one blemish for the Calgary defence was the lone bright spot for the Bisons as Jamel Lyles found a hole and scampered 75 yards to the end zone five minutes into the fourth quarter. Any momentum the Bisons may have gotten from that play was clearly snuffed out just over two minutes later when Nick Statz picked off Deezar and ran it back 62 yards to the end zone.

Niko Difonte rounded out the scoring with three field goals on the afternoon in a penalty-filled contest, with 36 flags thrown costing the teams more than 300 yards combined.

Sinagra tossed three touchdown passes on 15-for-23 passing for 263 yards. Deezar managed to go just 11-for-30 for 141 yards on the day as the Dinos brought pressure all afternoon. Jack McEwen had three sacks on the day, and all of his 4.5 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage. Cory Robinson added a pair of sacks, with Rowe, Michael Schmidt, and Wade picking up one each.

The Dinos and Bisons will meet again at McMahon Stadium on Oct. 14. Up first, the Dinos will host the Saskatchewan Huskies at Homecoming on UCalgary’s Alumni Weekend next Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff goes at 4 p.m. at McMahon Stadium, and they know they’ll be in for a test against the Huskies.

“There are still things we can do better, and we know they won’t all be these kinds of games,” said Harris. “I did like when we had the opportunities to make big plays in the first half, we did that, and that put us in a good position.”

NOTES: The Dinos totalled 29 points off turnovers in the contest … the 76-point performance is the most for the Dinos since defeating Alberta 80-18 Sept. 17, 2015 … DiFonte’s 48-yard field goal was the longest for the Dinos since Aaron Ifield hit from 51 yards on Oct. 30, 2010 and is tied for the sixth-longest in Dinos history … the eight sacks in a single game is the best Calgary total since the 1995 season (8, at Saskatchewan) and one off the school and conference record of nine … the Dinos now own five of the top six scoring totals in Canada West history, dating back to 1995 …

BOX SCORE 

 

Concordia (68), McGill (16)

Source: Concordia Stingers

Quarterback Trenton Miller threw a school record six touchdown passes to lead the Concordia Stingers to a 68-16 victory over the McGill Redmen before a boisterous Homecoming crowd at Concordia stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Miller connected with wide receiver Sam Nadon for three TD strikes (14, 15 and 16 yards). He also found Vince Alessandrini for a five-yard major, Jarryd Taylor for a 12-yard touchdown and Yanic Lessard on a 44-yard pass-and-run score.

With the six touchdowns, Miller broke a school record set in 1998 when quarterback Sean Hoas threw five TDs in a game versus the Laval Rouge et Or. The conference record is seven touchdowns in a game by Laval quarterback Hugo Richard who picked apart the Bishop’s Gaiters’ defence on Oct. 19, 2014.

In only three quarters of play, Miller completed 23 of 31 passes for 472 yards.Overall the Stinger offence rolled up 30 first downs, 589 yards and nine touchdowns.

Also having a big impact was running back Jean-Guy Rimpel who carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He now has five TDs on the season. The ninth and final touchdown of the game came on a four-yard run from Glody Musangu.

Rounding out the scoring was kicker Andrew Stevens who made all nine converts and kicked a 37-yard field goal.

The Stingers defence also had an exceptional day with interceptions by Khadeem Pierre and Alexandre Dadaille. There were several sacks including two from Lukas Redguard who also recovered a fumble. Linebacker Alex Renaud was the leading tackler in the game with 7.5.

The Stingers’ win-loss record improves to 2-1. They travel to Quebec City to meet the Laval Rouge et Or next Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised by TVA Sports.

BOX SCORE

 

Guelph (43), Toronto (6)

Source: Guelph Gryphons

TORONTO – With the Gryphon football team having now officially reached the halfway point of the regular season, things are certainly trending in the right direction following a second straight lopsided victory. With the Gryphons 2017 Homecoming clash versus McMaster now just seven days away, it’s a good time to be clicking on all cylinders.

Saturday afternoon (Sept. 16) at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, the Gryphons improved to 2-2 on the season with a convincing 43-6 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (1-3). The Gryphons, who entered the game fresh off of an 81-10 win over Windsor, finished the day with 500 yards of offence while limiting U of T to just 157.

“We were able to make some good things happen today in all three phases,” said Gryphons head coach Kevin MacNeill. “We had tremendous focus today and I thought our defence really set the tone and allowed us to settle in as a team.”

The Gryphon defence forced a total of four turnovers on the day (2 INT, 2 fumbles) and held the Varsity Blues to just 21-yards rushing and 142 yards passing. Fourth year linebacker Luke Korol finished the day with a team-high 9 tackles to go along with 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. Derek Drouillard and Nick Parisotto both came up with interceptions in what was a defensive clinic from the Gryphons from start to finish.

Offensively, fifth year receiver Jacob Scarfone provided the game’s biggest plays. Scarfone hauled in a 36-yard touchdown in the 1st quarter to give the Gryphs an early 10-0 lead. Scarfone would later provide the exclamation point on the victory by connecting with quarterback James Roberts for another long touchdown, this time a 55-yarder, which pushed U of G’s lead to 43-5. Scarfone, who finished the day with 4 catches for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns, was one of two Gryphon receivers to eclipse the 100-yard plateau, with second year standout Kian Schaffer-Baker leading the team with 9 receptions for 132 yards. Roberts finished the day with 333 yards pass, just 58-yards shy of matching a career-high. Roberts now has 9 touchdown passes on the year, most amongst quarterbacks in the OUA.

On the ground, Johnny Augustine and Jamal Hooker combined for 159 yards rushing, with Augustine twice finding the end zone.

For Gryphons kicker Gabe Ferraro, a new career-high was reached on Saturday afternoon as the All-Star kicker connected on a personal best five field goals on the day, with the longest coming from 43 yards out.

The Gryphons (2-2) will now prepare to host the McMaster Marauders (2-1) on Saturday, September 23. Tickets for the Gryphons annual Homecoming game are available online with the game broadcast live on TV on Rogers Cable 20 and online at www.oua.tv. Kickoff is set for 1pm at Alumni Stadium.

BOX SCORE 


Laurier (40), Queen’s (17)

Source: Brittany Almeida, Sports Information Intern, Queen’s Gaels

KINGSTON, Ont. (September 16, 2017) – The Queen’s Gaels (0-3) suffered a 40-17 defeat at Richardson Stadium to the defending Yates Cup Champion Laurier Golden Hawks (3-0) in front of a home crowd of 4,657 on Saturday afternoon.

GAME FLOW
The Gaels punted to Laurier to start the game, and the Golden Hawks drove up the field. A big tackle by Nelkas Kwemo (Montreal) forced a Laurier punt. A pair of rushes from Jonah Pataki (Wallaceburg, Ont.) showed promise for the Gaels drive, but it wasn’t enough for Queen’s, and Laurier responded with a touchdown. A botched snap wouldn’t see the extra point converted and the Golden Hawks took an early 6-0 lead on Queen’s.

The Gaels came out flying and answered back after a 42-yard throw from Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) found Jeremy Pendergast (Kingston, Ont.). On Laurier’s one-yard line, Jaeden Washington (Woodbridge, Ont.) bulldozed his way into the end zone for a Gaels touchdown, and Nick Liberatore (Dartmouth, N.S.) converted the extra point to give the Gaels a 7-6 edge in the closing minutes of the opening quarter.

The first minute of the second quarter, however, saw Golden Hawks quarterback Michael Knevel find Kurleigh Gittens Jr. deep for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Hawks climbed in front of the Gaels 13-7.

With the Hawks up 13-10 defensive lineman, Cam Lawson (Caledon, Ont.) came up big for Queen’s with a fumble recovery to put Gaels on Laurier’s 28-yard line. On the first offensive play, Hobbs found Chris Osei-Kusi (Brampton, Ont.) for his first career receiving touchdown and Queen’s was back in front 17-13.

During Laurier’s next drive, a pair of flags had Queen’s deep in their own end. Jason Shamatutu (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) was clutch on defence, blocking a touchdown pass in the Gaels endzone, followed shortly by a Wesley Mann (Almonte, Ont.) interception in the red zone.

Laurier finished off the first half strong adding a field goal first then with a minute left in the quarter; the Golden Hawks were able to get a touchdown and another extra point to take the lead on Queen’s 23-17.

A 42-yard punt return from Benjamin Arhen (Brampton, Ont.) looked promising for the Gaels, but the drive was snubbed early, and the Hawks pulled off a 52-yard field goal in the last seconds to close the half and lead Queen’s 26-17.

After neither team was able to score for most of the third quarter, it was Laurier who got on the scoreboard with a touchdown to extend their lead to 33-17 over Queen’s.

From there, Laurier tacked on another Golden Hawks touchdown and the game finished 40-17 for Laurier.

BY THE NUMBERS
368 – Punting yards by Nick Liberatore
91 – Kick return yards from Benjamin Arhen
1st – First career receiving touchdown by Chris Osei-Kusi
11 – Total tackles from James Donald
399 – Passing yards from Laurier quarterback Michael Knevel
48 – Rushing yards from Nate Hobbs

FINAL SAY
“For about 28 minutes of that game, we were right there with what looks like the best team in the league right now. It was just unfortunate that we had two two-and-outs and we had the shanked punt, and it cost us 10 points, lost the lead and we never really recovered.” – Head coach Pat Sheahan.

UP NEXT
The Gaels will take on the road as they travel to London to take on the No. 4 Western Mustangs on Saturday at 7 pm, watch the game live on OUA.tv. Queen’s next home game is Thursday, October 5 against Waterloo for tickets head to www.gogaelsgo.com/tickets.

BOX SCORE

 


McMaster (24), Ottawa (7)

Source: McMaster Marauders

HAMILTON (September 16, 2017) – McMaster`s Jackson White of Cambridge, Ont., threw for two touchdowns and 255 yards to lead the No. 9 McMaster Marauders to a 24 -7 win over the No. 8 Ottawa Gee Gees in OUA football action.

McMaster exploded for 22 points in the second half, including 15 in the third quarter to secure their second win of the season. McMaster is now 2-1 with four points, good for fifth place in the OUA standings. The loss is Ottawa’s first of the season, with their record falling to 3-1 for fourth place.

White, appearing in his first career start for the Marauders at quarterback, had a slow start, tossing two interceptions in the first half. He rebounded in the third quarter, moving the ball much more efficiently and leading to a 15-point outburst.

The first-year quarterback was also a dual threat on offence, rushing for a game high 76 yards on the ground on 16 carries.

McMaster’s defence continued its dominant play, holding Ottawa to four points until it’s offence was able to settle down and find its groove in the second half. As a team, the Marauders broke up a season-high seven passes, recorded four sacks (for a 25 yards) and limited Ottawa to just 138 total offensive yards, including just 70 in the first half.

Nolan Putt of Caledonia, Ont., intercepted Ottawa’s Alex Lavric of Mississauga, Ont., giving him two for the year. He is tied with Robbie Yochim of Kelowna, B.C. for the team lead.

McMaster`s Dylan Astrom of Peterborough, Ont., also contributed a touchdown on the ground with a one-yard quarterback sneak in his only play at pivot.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: McMaster trailed 4-0 at halftime, but that all changed on the Marauders first possession of the third quarter. White orchestrated a five-play, 67-yard drive, which was capped by a six-yard toss to Tommy Nield of Guelph, Ont. Although, Adam Preocanin of Burlington, Ont. missed the convert, the Marauders led 6-4 and would not look back from there.

LOOK SMART WITH FRIENDS: White spread the ball throughout the entire receiving corps. Seven receivers contributed, with four players recording three or more catches. Fifth-year receiver Dan Petermann of Stoney Creek, Ont., led the way with five receptions for 67 yards. Nield posted 60 yards from four receptions.

HOT HOT HOT: Game time temperature was 30 degrees, however on the field the student-athletes had to deal with a hot and humid 38 degrees, which kept the hydration coordinators busy all game.

STREAK BROKEN: Preocanin was a perfect 29 for 29 for his career in extra points before having his streak broken today on a blocked convert after McMaster’s first touchdown. One of Ottawa’s linemen was able to get a hand up and narrowly misdirected the ball away from the uprights.

PENALTY TROUBLE: The game featured 32 penalties for a total of 283 yards, of which McMaster recorded 194 from 17 penalties. The biggest culprit for McMaster was the first half, which saw the Marauders commit 10 penalties totalling 129 yards.

UP NEXT: McMaster will take on the Guelph Gryphons at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont. Kickoff is set for 1:04pm in the Homecoming encounter. Guelph is coming off a 43-6 win over Toronto and holds a 2-2 record. In their last meeting, the Marauders topped Guelph 17-11 at home in the OUA quarterfinal last October.

QUOTABLE:

On the key to defence’s continued success:

“It’s preparation, attention to detail and focus. That’s what we hear from the staff and ourselves every week. That’s our number one priority, and we’ve been holding to it.”

On competition among the defensive backs:

“We’re competitive, and we talk about it. If you drop something, you’re going to hear about it. But at the same time, you know that you can’t get too hung up on a drop, and that you’re going to get another chance.

“We sent the pressure and we knew that, as DBs, if we stayed back, eventually we’d make plays and we’d keep the field position for our offence.”

On trusting the offence:

“We trust the process. That’s what the offence tells us every game, to trust their process and  believe that they’ll get us there. We know that they’ll eventually get it going, and today they really did.”

McMaster head coach Greg Knox on assessing the game

“We limited our mistakes. We played with more confidence, and hopefully, although we’re a young and inexperienced team, we’re learning from those mistakes. We responded well in the second half and came out with some pepper.

“Defensively, we had a strong effort like we expected to. Offensively, we battled, and when push came to shove, we put points on the board when we had to.”

The challenge in grinding down the game late

“It’s a frustrating and painful proposition to be defending empty sets and three-down football. But you’re just trying to keep them out of the end zone. You’re going to bleed a little bit, but at the end of the day, the job is to deal with the scoreboard. And I think we did that, and responded in the second.”

On Guelph

“We expect every game to be tough. We’re taking these one at a time. It’s their Homecoming, and we got them a couple of times last year. They’re going to be loaded up for that, but that’s fine, because so are we.”

On White

“He progressed well over the course of the game. The challenges with these quarterbacks is that they’re young. We did a good job helping him manage the game, and his decisionmaking got better as the game went on.

“He’s a throwback type of kid and a resilient one, so I expected that from him.”

WHITE

Dealing with a tough start

“Yeah, obviously, we didn’t start the way we wanted to in the first half. The first pick sailed on me, and I felt a bit nervous. But after that, I felt like we got things rolling. We got down into the red zone twice, but we miscommunicated and when I threw that pick, it hurt going into the break.

“But Coach Knox got us fired up at half, and I thought that we, as an offence, had a great half in the second, probably our best half of the year. Obviously, you have to give credit to the defence, allowing just the four points in the first half, and racking up those safeties.”

On making the most of the penalties

“One of the biggest plays for us came when we hit Petermann on that little out, and he was hit out of bounds giving us another 15 yards. We made that work for us.”

Grinding for the Win Late

“You always want to go as fast as you can go. But in that spot, you want to pound the rock and sustain drives, keep the defence off the field for a while.”

 

BOX SCORE


Western (59), Windsor (7)

Source: Western Mustangs

WINDSOR, Ont. – The Western Mustangs were nothing short of dominant on Saturday afternoon, controlling both sides of the ball in a 59-7 win over the Windsor Lancers at Alumni Field. 

“Our defence played a whale of a game, they really gave us lots of opportunities,” said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. “We still need to be a little bit more consistent on offence. There were things there… we’ve got to block the run a little bit better, we were better in the second half but had dropped passes, and when we didn’t drop passes we had some bad reads.

“We’re not there yet, but the defence gave us lots of opportunities. Overall, I think we got some good play from the guys on offence, but we just need to be a little more consistent.”

Western now improves to 4-0 on the year and sit tied for first place in the OUA standings alongside the Waterloo Warriors, while Windsor falls to 0-4 this season. 

The Mustangs defence shined on Saturday and had their strongest game of the season, holding the Lancers to just 76 total yards on 58 plays, and refusing to even allow a first down until the second half.  

“Coach Marshall said at the beginning of the week that we wanted to focus on execution and getting better. Looking back on it we dropped some interceptions, there were a couple of fumbles we could have recovered, and that always keeps you going,” said Mustangs linebacker Nick Vanin.

“You’re never as good as you think until you watch film. We’ll find things to nitpick and get better going forward as we get into the toughest part of the season.”

Western’s offence put up 697 yards in the win, including 320 yards passing from Chris Merchant, who completed 20 of 30 passes with one touchdown and one interception. The quarterback not only led the Mustangs passing attack but also finished with 90 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Veteran fullback David Mackie led the Mustangs receivers in the win, catching six passes for 98 yards as the Western offence made passes out to the flats a featured part of the game plan.

“Our big focus this week was to make Western better,” said Mackie. “We want to go out there and beat our opponents, whether it’s McMaster, Windsor, or whoever we face. Our big focus was on making Western better and one thing we worked on was hitting those flats routes, whether it was to me or other backs, and we did that.”

Running back Cedric Joseph got involved in the pass game as well, recording three receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 80 yards and one score.

Western’s offence got off to a strong start on Saturday, utilizing their running backs and fullbacks as receivers coming out of the backfield to march down the field and cap off their opening drive with a 12-yard field goal from Marc Liegghio.

The Mustangs continued to throw passes into the flats on their next drive, with Merchant finishing things off with a 15-yard swing pass to Joseph to make it 10-0 for the purple and white.

A conceded safety from the Lancers and a single from Liegghio extended the Western lead to 13-0 before Stevenson Bone scored on a quarterback keeper from the one-yard line to make it 20-0 for the Mustangs midway through the second quarter.

Western would add another 13 points to the board before the end of the half, with a trio of safeties and a one-yard touchdown run from Joseph making it 33-0 for the Mustangs heading into the third quarter.

After the Lancers conceded a safety on their first drive of the half, the Mustangs found the end zone on their next two drives, with Yannick Harou scoring on a three-yard run before Merchant scored on a 54-yard rush to extend the Western lead to 49-0.

A 14-yard run from Bone and a 22-yard field goal from Liegghio rounded out the scoring for the Mustangs, while Marcus Kentner put the Lancers on the board late in the fourth, to make it a 59-7 final for Western.

The Mustangs will return home for their next matchup as they’ll welcome the Queen’s Gaels to TD Stadium on Saturday, September 23. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and fans can watch live on Rogers Cable channel 368 and OUA.tv, or listen on Radio Western 94.9 FM and Newstalk 1290 CJBK.

BOX SCORE

(Photo: Marc Lafleur / Carleton Ravens)

Waterloo (45), Carleton (43)

Source: Waterloo Warriors

The Waterloo Warriors football team could have just enjoyed 3-0 while it lasted.

They were already leaps and bounds ahead of the external expectations: 3-0 for the first time in a decade, after back-to-back 0-8 seasons. And they were already behind the adversarial eight-ball on Saturday afternoon in Ottawa: On the road, in a hostile homecoming environment, against the Carleton Ravens – a team that’s received at least one vote in 18 of the last 21 national top-10 polls. And they were already dealing with some gameplan-changing injuries: one half of the ultra-effective quarterbacking platoon, rookie Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/), was inactive due to an injury, as was veteran fullback Mitch Kernick (Elmira/).

Then, at halftime, they were already behind – and behind big – on the scoreboard. There were poorly-timed penalties. Costly turnovers. A freight train in the Carleton backfield named Nathan Carter, who rushed for 224 yards in the half. So, trailing 30-10 after two quarters, the Warriors could have just enjoyed 3-0 while it lasted.

But they were already orchestrating a program-defining comeback for the ages.

When the dust settled on a frenetic second half, the Warriors had roared all the way back to claim an impossible 45-43 victory over the Ravens at MNP field, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 1998.

“We had a terrible first half,” said Waterloo head coach Chris Bertoia. “(But) our players answered the challenge in the second half. It validated our staff’s belief in their ability and their character. These guys are playing for each other, while believing in their own abilities.”

Taking every snap in the absence of Ford, veteran Lucas McConnell (Waterford/) played likely his finest game in four years as a Warrior, connecting on 29 of 43 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a major score on the ground. Behind McConnell, Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) exploded in the second half, scoring on runs of 52 and 60 yards – in back-to-back drives – en route to 138 yards rushing.

Receiver Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) returned from injury to haul in 10 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, while Richmond Nketiah (Brampton/) caught 7 balls for 114 yards and his league-leading fourth receiving touchdown of the year. On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Reid (Sault Ste. Marie/) and Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) were wrecking balls from the linebacker spot, notching a combined 14.5 tackles.

Meanwhile, the Ravens lost their chance to claw back to .500, dropping to 1-3 on the season. Carter finished with a single-game school record 274 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, but was held to just 50 yards and no scores in the second half. Carleton pivot Michael Arruda went 20-39 for 348 yards and 3 TD, while Phil Iloki made 5 catches for 147 yards and a score in a losing cause.

Buried in the gaudy stat lines and comeback narratives was a dominant first half from the Ravens. Waterloo was not without its chances, but when the youthful Warriors made mistakes, Carleton was quick to capitalize. In a three-drive span overlapping the first and second quarters, the Ravens’ defence turned three turnovers (one via downs and two via fumbles) into 17 unanswered points.

Nketiah’s 6-yard touchdown reception made the score 20-10 with two minutes to play in the half, but Carter took exactly one play – an 87-yard touchdown run – to steal back the momentum. Another turnover on downs and a field goal later, and the Warriors were down by 20 at the half.

After the clubs combined for three punts to start the third quarter, Waterloo turned the contest on its head. In a game that included 1,314 offensive yards, none ended up being bigger than the eight that McConnell earned on a do-or-die, third-and-goal scramble to the goal line to make it 30-17. It opened the floodgates for Waterloo, and was the catalyst to an outrageous stretch of offensive football that rendered MNP park silent.

On the next Waterloo drive, it was two straight catches from Ternowski – a 49-yard jaw-dropping juke clinic, followed by an 8-yard TD grab to cut the lead to 6. Then, it was Pellerin’s two thunderous TD runs – sandwiched around a 72-yard bomb from Arruda to Iloki – to make the score 38-37 Waterloo. And finally, it was Lam Diing (Kitchener/), climbing the ladder and snatching a 23-yard McConnell lob in the endzone.

The final tally on the Waterloo explosion: Five drives, 10:57 of possession, 24 plays, five touchdowns. In a span of 19:57, the Warriors had outscored the Ravens 35-7.

Still, though, the game hung in the balance through 59 minutes and 48 seconds, when a last-minute touchdown catch from Wilson Birch set up Carleton to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion. But just as they did a week ago against Toronto, the Warriors defense made the game-deciding play – this time, it was Lautero Frescha who burst into the Carleton backfield and sacked Arruda before he could get the ball off, cementing Waterloo’s fourth straight victory.

The win sets up the most anticipated Battle of Waterloo in recent memory, as the Warriors will return home to host the 3-0 Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, September 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm at Warrior Field, and will be broadcast live on oua.tv and Rogers TV Cable 20.

BOX SCORE

 

Friday, Sept 15

Montreal (28), Sherbrooke (1)

With files from: Montreal Carabins

Montreal, September 15 – For the second consecutive game, the CEPSUM stadium sold out to witness another Carabins victory at the Université de Montréal. On Friday night, the Carabins worked hard offensively and eventually win a third victory in 2017, this time 28-1 at Sherbrooke.

“It was not our best performance this evening, especially in the attack, but there is still a positive aspect, we won,” said Bleu head coach Danny Maciocia at the end of the meeting. This is the kind of match that will perhaps force us to work even harder and thus be useful. ”

The Carabins quickly emerged from the blocks, displaying a varied and threatening attack. The kicker Louis-Philippe Simoneau (Arts and Sciences) finished the sequence in a beautiful way by achieving a long placement of 46 yards, its longest of the season. The two defenses showcased, so that the mark after the first quarter of play was 3-0 in favor of the Blues. In the second, Simoneau added three points to the board, this time for a distance of 20 yards. Both teams missed a placement and scored one point. The Vert et Or, trapped deep in their area, then offered a safety touch to the premises. After 30 minutes, the Carabins had a slim lead of eight points.

In a second half of the game, the Blues managed to register their first touch of the match in the fourth quarter only. After a great offensive push, quarterback Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnique) joined the receiver Guillaume Paquet (Administration, HEC Montréal) in the left flank. The latter, completely alone, crossed the last six yards separating him from the goal area. At the end of the game, Caron concluded another good night of work by scoring a touchdown on the ground, while he kept the ball on an option game. Le Vert et Or never managed to cross the Montreal defense coverage of the night and the Blues eventually reaped the win to remain at the top of the Quebec rankings.

“We started a bit slowly on defense, but we adjusted and we made a great collective effort,” said linebacker Samuel Rossi (Kinesiology). We are confident since the beginning of the season, we work as a team and this cohesion helps us to make good games. ”

Caron completed 30 of his 42 assists for 355 yards, a touchdown as well as an interception, his first of the season. He also accumulated 68 yards and a major on the ground over eight ranges.

“There are sometimes games that are not as good as others, tonight our performance has been lacking at times,” said Caron. At least that’s something we can control and correct as soon as we get back to training. ”

His opponent Conor Sinclair successfully distributed seven of his 15 passes sent for only 69 yards and two interceptions, namely Jordan Perrin (Certificate in Creativity and Innovation) and Rossi. The latter also made a sack of the watch during his working night.

It would take time, but Montreal’s powerful aerial attack came in the last quarter. Louis-Mathieu Normandin (Administration, HEC Montréal) was the most flamboyant with 122 yards thanks to six catches. His colleagues Kevin Kaya (Preparatory Year) and Guillaume Paquet (Administration, HEC Montréal) respectively had 84 and 78 yards respectively.

The Carabins kicker also looked great. Veteran Félix Ménard-Brière (Landscape Architecture) made eight punts for total gains of 367 yards, an average of about 46 yards per punt.

Next Friday, the Carabins will play a final game before getting their second and final week off. For the occasion, Danny Maciocia’s team will head to the other side of the mountain to face the McGill Redmen starting at 7 pm.

BOX SCORE

 


Bishop’s (32), MTA (31)

Source: MTA Athletics

The Bishop’s Gaiters earned their first AUS regular season win in dramatic fashion Friday night as they defeated the Mount Allison Mounties 32-31 in double overtime at Alumni Field.

It was a low scoring start to the game as the teams only managed 13 points between them in the opening half of play.  The Mounties opened the scoring on a Ryan Lambert field goal in the 2nd quarter.  Bishop’s answered with a field goal of their own and then added a touchdown to take a 10-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Mounties did the early scoring in the 2nd half, first tying the game when Jakob Loucks hit Quinn LeBlanc for his first of 3 touchdowns on the night.  The Mounties struck again when Loucks again found LeBlanc, this time in the end zone to make the score 17-10 for the home side.  LeBlanc completed the hat trick when he scored from 7 yards out to run the score to 24-10 for the Mounties.

The Bishop’s Gaiters, however, would not go quietly into the night. The purple and white drove the length of the field to score with 2 minutes remaining to make the score 24-17. After the Mounties were forced to punt the Gaiters got the ball back with less than a minute to play.  The Gaiters scored on the final play of regulation to bring the score to 24-24 and to force overtime.

Bishop’s had the first possession of overtime and once again scored to take a 31-24 lead.  Needing to score to keep the game alive, Mounties QB Jakob Loucks hit Malik Richards from 35 yards out for a touchdown.  This sent the game to double overtime.

The Mounties defense forced a field goal attempt for the Bishop’s which sailed wide but as the ball sailed out of the back of the end zone, the Gaiters collected a single point and a 32-31 lead.  The Mounties were unable to score on their final possession and with that, the Gaiters collected their first AUS win.

The Mounties now look ahead to Homecoming Week.  The Mounties will host the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Saturday, September 23rd at Alumni Field (2PM).  The  Bishop’s Gaiters will play host to the StFX X-Men for their Homecoming game as well.

BOX SCORE

 

Photo Nick Pearce

SMU (17), Acadia (10)

Source: Dominic Nolasco, SMU Communications

(HALIFAX, N.S.)—The Saint Mary’s Huskies used 17 second-half points to come from behind and defeat the Acadia Axemen 17-10 Friday night at Huskies Stadium in Atlantic University Sport football action.

The Huskies survived two late Acadia drives and moved to 3-0 on the season.

Trailing 17-10 with 3:05 in the fourth quarter, the Axemen started from their on their own 31-yard line when a 59-yard pass play brought Acadia to SMU’s 20-yard line.

Three plays later the Axemen faced a 3rd and Goal from the 7-yard line when Saint Mary’s intercepted their pass in the end zone and returned it 10 yards to their 5-yard line.

Acadia forced a Saint Mary’s punt and took over with 21 seconds left at their 37-yard line.

A 6-yard pass and two 15-yard personal fouls gave the Axemen one last play with no time at the SMU 37-yard line.

An Acadia incomplete pass ended the game.

The Axemen scored the only points of the first-half on a 3-yard plunge by running back Dale Wright (Markham, ONT.) with 4:30 left in the 1st quarter.

DeAndre Smith (Dunn, North Carolina) put the Huskies on the board in the 3rd quarter when he intercepted Acadia quarterback Cody Cluett (Cole Harbour, N.S.) and returned the turnover 69-yards for a SMU touchdown and tied the game 7-7 with 8:24 in the quarter.

Both teams traded field goals with Acadia’s Jarett Saumure (Timberlea, N.S.) kicking a 17-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the third and SMU’s Brian Hope (Port Coquitlan, B.C.) nailed a 35-yarder with 14:51 left in the fourth.

Kaleb Scott (Mount Albert, ONT.) pushed the Huskies ahead 17-10 at the 12:28 mark in the 4th quarter when the SMU quarterback connected with receiver Tristen Giusto (Hamilton, ONT.) on a 38-yard touchdown pass.

Scott finished with 272 passing yards on 15-33 attempts while Cluettt had 153 yards passing on 11-30 attempts.

Wright had 146 yards for Acadia on the ground while Scott led Saint Mary’s with 97 yards.

Giusto finished with two receptions for 51 yards for SMU while teammates Josh Henry (Pickering, ONT.) caught three passes for 53 yards and Brandon Ihanza (Toronto, ONT.) had four catches for 80 yards.

Axemen receiver Cordell Hastings (Calgary, Alberta) had 87 yards on four catches and Caleb Ryder (Moncton, N.B.) finished with two grabs and 27 yards.

Acadia drops to 2-2 and has a bye in Week 5 while Saint Mary’s travels to 1-1 Mount Allison September 23rd at 2 p.m. Atlantic time.

 

Source: U Sports (Box scores)

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

Leave a Reply