Friday, Oct. 27
Laval (46), Concordia (14)
With files from: Laval Rouge et Or
The Rouge et Or secured the home advantage for all RSEQ playoffs on Friday night, taking the Concordia Stingers 46-4 in Montreal.
Laval thus put their hand on a 12th regular season title in 13 years, the only one having escaped during this period being that of last year. The Reds will face Sherbrooke’s Vert & Or next Saturday at the TELUS-Laval University Stadium in the RSEQ semi-final.
Tied 7-7 early in the first quarter, the Rouge et Or took advantage of four turnovers to score 32 unanswered points, including 18 in the second, to confirm a seventh win this season, a fifth in a row.
“I am very happy. It was a game that scared us a bit, because of all the emotions left on the field against Montreal last week and a possible relaxation. But we had a good week of training, which allowed us to offer a great performance today, “said Laval head coach Glen Constantin.
Given the high score, the Rouge et Or was able to offer playing time to the majority of its staff on Friday. In particular, the three ball carriers Alexis CƓtƩ, Vincent Breton-Robert and Philippe Lessard-VƩzina shared the task. In the case of the last two, it was a first university match.
“We’ve seen young players tonight, and that’s important for us. Especially with a high score, you do not want to relax because it is in these moments that injuries occur, “said Constantine.
Now that the next duel is confirmed against the Foxes, the coach said that the past was not guarantor of the future, and that the two gains against the Vert & Or in the regular season do not mean anything. “We’ll have to cover our backs, because Sherbrooke is coming off a week off. We will have to be vigilant, “said the pilot of the Reds.
Laval did not waste time. From their first possession, they crossed 80 yards in 11 games and Benjamin Garand-Gauthier completed the job with a run of three yards for the major.
The visitors had the opportunity to add after Mathieu Betts had recovered a ball dropped at the line of 10 bees. Hugo Richard was however stopped on a third and 3, at the door of the opposing goals.
Concordia capitalized on this turnaround. Jean-Guy Rimpel was going for a spectacular 84-yard run. Then, the pivot Adam Vance himself carried the object on 11 yards for a major that brought the two teams back to the starting grid.
The remainder of the game belonged to the Rouge et Or. Dan Tshiamala first took another ball lost by the Stingers and slipped 73 yards for the major. Then, at the start of the second commitment, the Laval attack flew over 50 yards, a push that came to fruition with a touchdown of Hugo Richard, his seventh of the season. It was then 21-7.
An empty ball from the Stingers led to the first of three consecutive downs by David CƓtƩ, 22, 38 and 24 yards. A touch of safety was inserted through these kicks, to carry the mark to 32-7.
The fourth lost Concordia ball and taken over by Betts was going to offer another touchdown to Laval, Benoit Gagnon-Brousseau’s work on a catch of 14 yards. The score was 39-7.
Laval and Concordia traded in the fourth quarter, Qwintyn Rice for the Bees and Philippe Lessard-VĆ©zina for the Reds, a career first for the latter.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Photo: Marc Bourget
PLAYOFF – Guelph (30), Ottawa (8)
Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees
Unlike their prior two matchups, the Gee-Gees were unable to keep up with a streaking Guelph Gryphons team as their season ended in the OUA quarterfinals at Gee-Gees Field.
After putting up an impressive 20 unanswered points in the first quarter, the Ottawa offence stalled in what became a 30-8 win for the visiting Gryphons. A series of turnovers and mistakes in the redzone throughout the game cost the Gee-Gees a trip to the OUA semifinals next week.
For the second season in a row, the Gee-Gees lost their playoff-game starting quarterback to injury, forcing their backup to close out the game. Alex Lavric passed for 118 yards before a injury to his throwing hand pushed fellow rookie Ryan Astrom to the helm of the Ottawa offence. Astrom was able to move the ball fairly effectively passing for 105 yards and running for 25.
Ultimately, it was the same pitfalls that have been plaguing the Gee-Gees in their losses this season that led to the loss on Saturday.
āWe werenāt executing very well,ā said Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi. āI told the group that you have to pay attention to details and we didnāt. We moved the ball into position, but the little things hurt us ā¦ I blame myself for that.ā
Despite two short passing touchdowns given up, the Gee-Gees secondary that has been strong all season limited James Roberts effectively, holding him to 147 yards in the game.
Fifth-year captain Ty Cranston intercepted Roberts midway through the game, giving the Gee-Gees a total of 14 interceptions on the season to top the OUA. For Cranston, after his final game in garnet and grey, he had nothing but high-praise for his group in the secondary.
āThese guys are unbelievable,ā he said. āTheyāre some of the best athletes Iāve ever played with, some of the best weāve had here. Some of these guys are going to be playing much longer than their university career. It was fun to play with them, they made it easy on me.ā
Going forward, although the Gee-Gees lose some key pieces to both their offence and defence next year, there is an overwhelming sense of optimism going forward.
Fourth-year running back Bryce Vieira is unsure of his path coming into next year, but regardless of whether or not he is manning the backfield in 2018, he has the utmost confidence going forward.
āWe have a lot to look forward to,ā said Vieira. āLavric got put in so young, but now he has a season of experience under his belt. We have a lot of o-linemen that are going into their second or third year. Weāre only going to get more complete in the years to come.ā
PLAYOFF – Queen’s (9), McMaster (12)
Source:Ā Michael Grobe, McMaster Athletics
Lyons rushes into record books
HAMILTON (October 28, 2017) – The No. 7 McMaster Marauders outlasted the Queen’s Gaels for a 12-9 OUA quarterfinal football win Saturday at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Jordan Lyons of Burlington, Ont. tied an OUA playoff record for carries, registering 39 and rushing for 319 yards. That mark was also the second most all-time in a playoff game in Canadian University football history.
McMaster put up all of their points in the opening half, and then relied on their defence to hold on for the victory, as Queen`s posted three field goals in the second half with multiple opportunities to strike.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:
McMaster`s Eric Blake (Hamilton) intercepted Queen`s quarterback Nate Hobbs of Mississauga, Ont., with 1:20 remaining in the game, essentially sealing the result. The Gaels, who had been hanging around with good field position in the fourth quarter, were driving down the field after getting the ball back on the 55-yard line. Four plays later, Blake picked off Hobbs at the 35-yard line and returned the ball six yards.
That interception allowed McMaster to wind the clock down to three seconds left on the clock setting up Queen`s desperation pass which fell incomplete to end the game.
ONE FOR THE AGES:
Lyons’ 319 rushing yards and 39 carry performance ranks as one of the best single-game performances in Canadian university football’s history. His 39 carries ties Dillon Campbell (Laurier) for most carries in an OUA playoff game (against McMaster in 2015). The 319 yards is the second-most yards rushed for in a playoff game, just eight yards short of Davie Mason (Ottawa), who posted 327 against Guelph in 2008. It also ranks as 11th all time (playoffs & regular season) in Canada.
McMaster alumnus, Jesse Lumsden holds the school record for most rushing yards in a single game, finishing with 344 vs. Waterloo back on Sept. 11, 2004. Lyons’ performance was just 25 yards shy of that mark.
POINTS AT A PREMIUM:
Veteran receiver Dan Petermann of Stoney Creek, Ont., hauled in a 24-yard pass from Jackson White of Cambridge, Ont. to record the game’s only touchdown, giving the Marauders a Ā 7-0 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Burlington, Ont.’s Adam Preocanin chipped in a 12-yard field goal with the defence adding a safety to make the score 12-0 at the half.
Queen`s Nick Liberatore of Dartmouth, NS., kicked three field goals (27, 30 and 33 yards) to round out the game’s scoring at 12-9. He tallied two of his kicks in the third quarter.
Liberatore had a fourth field goal set up, which would have tied the game, but hit the left upright for a missed attempt.
BEND DON’T BREAK:
Queen`s stuck around the entire game, and looked at times like they would break the McMaster defence for a big play. Blake`s interception, along with a sack by veteran defensive end Mark Mackie of London, Ont., late in the game, snuffed out key late drives by the Gaels. Blake, playing in his second game of the season, also had five total tackles. Hassan Barry of Cambridge, Ont., led the team with six. Will Hudson of Oakville, Ont., and Jake Heathcote of Hamilton both had two pass break ups, with four others contributing one.
NUMBERS GAME:
Queen`s Hobbs finished the game with a game high 227 yards passing, completing 18 of 47 attempts while his McMaster counterpart was 12 for 26 for 154 yards and a touchdown strike to Petermann. Both quarterbacks had an interception.
Petermann posted the game’s only touchdown, tallying 62 yards, with 51 coming in the opening half. Ā Chris Osei-Kus of Brampton, Ont., was the game’s top receiver, hauling in 105 yards in the loss.
Queen`s Jake Puskas of Thunder Bay, Ont., had 10 carries for 49 yards.
LOOK SMART WITH FRIENDS:
Lyons 319 yards were a career high for the second year running back. His previous high came earlier this year when he collected 176 yards against the York Lions back on September 30. Lyons surpassed his career high total late in the second quarter against Queen’s, putting up 197 yards in the first half alone. Ā He also earned his career high total in an unusual way. Sitting at 165 yards, Lyons would pick up 12 yards for his career high, but ended up fumbling the ball in the process.
UP NEXT:
McMaster travels to Waterloo, into hostile territory, to battle the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA semi-final matchup. McMaster is aiming to upset the No. 5 Golden Hawks in a rematch of last week’s final game of the regular season, which saw Laurier drop McMaster 40-15. With a second look, the Marauders look to rebound and punch their ticket into the 110th Yates Cup. set for November 11th.
QUOTABLE:
McMaster Linebacker Eric Blake
On his crucial fourth-quarter interception
“Our offence couldn’t really get it going in the fourth quarter, so it fell to our group to step up and make a play, and get that momentum coming back our way. Our coach put us in a great position to make a play, and we did the rest. It was my first of the season, and it felt great to get it in that moment.”
McMaster Running back Jordan Lyons
Reflecting on his output Saturday
“I don’t know if I’ve ever reached 300 yards in a game, even in high school. I didn’t really know how many yards or carries I had. I was so much into the flow of the game. All I really cared about was getting the win today and keeping us playing for another week.”
Praising the offensive line
“They did a hell of a job getting up on the linebackers today, and that did a lot to key up some of the big runs. They opened big holes for me, and I made the most of them.”
Coach Greg Knox
Assessing the game as a whole
“We showed some grit and resilience that we didn’t last week. The offence did an excellent job moving the ball in the first half. We’re still having trouble putting the ball in the end zone, but when the group needed to perform today, they came through.”
On Blake and his interception
“We ask him to do a lot, and he responded well today. He always gives his best, so it was great to see him make a play like that when it counted.”
Defensive End Mark Mackie
On watching the dramatic third-down call in the fourth quarter
“I’m jumping up and down, yelling “first down, first down,” doing anything I can do to influence the action on the field. It all means so much more, because it’s not just potentially the end of your season, but it could be the end of your career. My heart is still pounding in my chest.”
“We’ve always been a bend-don’t-break kind of defence, and I think we matched up really well with them today. We had to limit the long drives, and on offence, we had to finish. We’re a great team, and I think we proved it out there today. We like to ground-and-pound, and we’re having a fun day when it’s a scrappy game like that.”
“The mentality is always “next man up.” Eric’s been around for a little while, but he hasn’t really gained that game experience. But that was a massive play, and really changed the momentum of the game for us. Kudos to him, and we’re going to need him going forward, but when you have injuries like us, you need that.”
Watching Lyons rack up the yards
“We’re jumping on that guy’s back today. He showed up to play, and he led us today. It was an unbelievable performance. He was gritty all game, finding the holes. When you have a guy balling out like that, it gives your whole team energy. Not to mention, on a cold day like this, if the offence can hold the ball, it does a lot. Because as a defence, you’re not remotely tired and you’re licking your chops.
Facing Laurier again
“You want every game bad, but Laurier has had our number. It’s going to come down to whether we can pull together and have a gritty performance. We’ve got to get ahead of it this week and build some momentum.They got us last week, but it’s all about who comes to play on Saturday.”
Photos Mona Ghiz
MTA (26), SMU (25)
Source: Dominic Nolasco, SMU Communications
(HALIFAX, NS)āThe Saint Mary’s Huskies dropped their AUS regular-season finale to the Mount Allison Mounties 26-25 Saturday afternoon at Huskies Stadium.
The Mounties opened the scoring with a 38-yard pass from quarterback Jakob Loucks (Cornwall, ON) to receiver Malik Richards (Brampton, ON) and kicker Ryan Lambert (Grimbsy, ON) converted the PAT for a 7-0 MTA lead with 10:07 left in the first quarter.
The Huskies answered back with two Brian Hope (Port Coquitlan, BC) field goals from 41 and 34-yards out and SMU trailed 7-6 after 10 minutes.
Both Lambert and Hope traded field goals in the second quarter, from 34 and 26 yards out respectively and the Mounties led 10-9 with 7:31 left in the first half.
Loucks and Richards hooked-up again on a 9-yard toss and catch, extending Mount Allison’s lead 17-9 with 5:55 left in the second quarter.
A 2-yard touchdown run by Leonard Mantuila (Edmonton, AB) saw the Huskies trail 17-16 with just under three minutes in the half.
Saint Mary’s took the lead on a 15-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the half and took a 19-17 halftime lead.
Both kickers were responsible for the only scores of the third quarter when Hope added his fifth field goal from 20-yards out and Lambert’s 17-yarder saw SMU lead after three quarters 22-20.
Hope’s sixth and final field goal from 42-yards out were the last points for Saint Mary’s and the Huskies took a 25-20 lead with 14:19 left to play.
The Mounties were not to be outdone and used a four-play, 69-yard drive to take the lead 26-20 on a Chris Reid (Brampton, ON) 16-yard scamper which found the end zone with 1:24 left in the game, as the Mounties failed on the two-point conversion.
Saint Mary’s had one last drive from their own 39-yard line with 73 seconds left.
Penalties against both teams saw the Huskies with the ball at the MTA 51-yard line.
On the next play, SMU fumbled the ball on a 16-yard pass and Mount Allison recovered at their own 35-yard line and ran out the clock for the win.
The Mounties end their season at 4-4 and lost the tie-breaker with StFX for the final play-off spot.
Saint Mary’s drops to 5-3 and will host the 4-4 StFX X-Men Saturday, November 4th at 2 pm in the 2017 Subway AUS Football Semi-final from Huskies Stadium.
Photo courtesy Bryan Kennedy
Bishop’s (14), StFX (27)
Source: StFx X-men
ANTIGONISH – The two-time defending Atlantic University Sport football champion StFX X-Men will have an opportunity to keep their crown. With a 27-14 victory over the Bishops Gaiters Saturday afternoon at Oland Stadium, the X-Men clinched a playoff berth.
They also secured the fourth Bigg Bowl – a trophy that goes to the winner of the Gaiter-X-Men football match-up.
The X-Men defense led the way as they took the lead after the first quarter. After an open-field tackle by linebacker Kadel King penned the Gaiters deep in their own zone, punter Vincent Dube conceded a safety that gave the X-Men a 2-0 edge.
After another strong defensive stand by StFX, the Gaiters surrendered another safety to make it 4-0 for the home side.
Early in the second quarter, on a drive keyed by a Dylan Fisher 37-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant, Jonathan Heidebrecht gave the X-Men a 7-0 lead with a 28-yard field goal. A few minutes later, after an X-Men drive stalled on a sack by Jeremy Magan-France, Heidebrecht connected from 35 yards to make it 10-0.
With the Gaiters trying to cut into the deficit, X-Men defensive back Nathaniel Fermin intercepted Dylan Tucker. On the subsequent drive, StFX tacked on a single point off a missed Heidebrecht field goal attempt from 27 yards.
The X-Men led 11-0 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, the visitors got on the board with a 103-yard drive in just more than two minutes. A couple plays after quarterback Stephen Casey connected with receiver Cecil Belanger for 65 yards, running back Trey Millings scored on a seven-yard scamper. With a Dube point after, the Gaiters trailed 11-7.
The X-Men answered on their next drive, with Fisher scoring, from two yards out, on a quarterback sneak. The key play was a reception over the middle from Greg McDonald. With a Heidebrecht conversion, the X-Men led 18-7.
Shortly after, defensive back Jonah Williams returned an interception to the Gaiter 10. After a big sack by Charles Belanger, the X-Men had to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Heidebrecht to make it 21-7. On the next Gaiter possession, Williams soared to intercept a deep pass attempt.
Early in the fourth quarter, Heidebrecht split the uprights from 33 yards to make it 24-7.
Keyed by a 33-yard pass from Casey to Zach Graveson, the Gaiters responded with a 12-yard TD run from Eric Gagnon. With the Dube point after, Bishops trimmed the StFX lead to 24-14.
On another Heidebrecht field goal, from 39 yards, the X-Men went up 27-14.
Late in regulation, with the Gaiters trying to rally, Justin Holland intercepted a Casey pass. On a second-and-15, from deep in their own zone, Jordan Socholotiuk rushed for a key first down on a 20-yard dash. The All-CanadIan help kill the clock with several carries, as time wound down in the game. Socholotiuk, the Subway player of the game, finished with 121 yards on 25 carries.
Fisher finished 27-for-39 with 291 yards, while Julien-Grant was the top receiver with eight catches for 86 yards. Casey, who replaced Dylan Tucker at QB, finished six-for-15, for 143 yards, and three interceptions.
Ryan David had a team-high three receptions (25 yards) for the Gaiters, while Cecil Belanger collected 72 yards on two catches. Bishops running back Trey Millings rushed for 76 yards on 14 carries.
Defensively, Tyler Cordeiro led the X-Men with seven tackles and one sack, while Maxx Toutant – the Gaiter player of the game – chipped in with 8.5 tackles and one sack.
With the win, the X-Men secured third place in the conference and a playoff berth. They will kick-off against the Saint Mary’s Huskies Saturday, Nov. 4 in Halifax in the AUS semifinal. The winner of that match-up will travel to Wolfville to face the Acadia Axemen in the Loney Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The Gaiters have been eliminated from playoff contention.
CrƩdit : James Hajar
McGill (17), Montreal (27)
With files from: Montreal Carabins
Montreal, October 28, 2017 – Saturday afternoon at the CEPSUM, the Carabins of the University of Montreal won the McGill Redmen 27-17 in front of 4185 fans. The troupe led by head coach Danny Maciocia timidly started the game to accelerate in the second quarter, en route to a crop of 382 rushing yards.
“Since the game had no influence in the standings, our plan was to play our 48 players because we will need everyone in the playoffs, said Maciocia. We’ve done enough to win while not showing much to our next opponents. We can now focus on series, we have a big week of work in front of us.”
The visitors defense started the game well by forcing the Carabins to clear in their first four strikes. The Reds meanwhile advanced to the field, allowing Findlay Brown to be placed 17 yards. After a quarter of the game, the Blues tried to find a solution to their attack and trailed by the score of 3-0.
After being blanked in the last five quarters, UdeM representatives finally scored points on the board, courtesy of the special teams. Khalil Kerr (Arts & Science) made a long punt return over a distance of 94 yards good for the major.
“Over the course of the week, the coaches told me that I was often hit by a touchdown and had to seize opportunities, Kerr said. I finally could find an opening and enjoy it to sneak with the ball.”
Galvanized by this explosive game, the Montreal offensive has raised its game by one notch, converting two long sequences into touchdowns. First, Reda Malki (Arts and Science) completed a series of six games with a two-yard touchdown, and quarterback Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnic) completed a long left-side offering for Regis Cibasu (Administration, HEC MontrƩal), a pass-and-race that has passed 99 yards. It was also the fourth longest pass completed in the history of the Blues. Quickly, the mark was 23-3 to the advantage of the Carabins, advance that these kept until half-time.
Calmer during the third period of play, the attack of the Carabins left all the place to his kickers. In addition to picking up a point over a single, FĆ©lix MĆ©nard-BriĆØre (Landscape Architecture) broke a team record held by MichaĆ«l Shousha since 2006, crossing the 12,400-yard mark on punt returns.
“I was taken by surprise when I heard the announcement of the record, I had never paid attention to that, said MĆ©nard-BriĆØre who concluded another remarkable encounter by performing 12 kicks for 557 yards. It was a great time to live, especially here in front of our fans in my last regular season game.”
The other kicker, Michaƫl Arpin, also stood out by scoring a 37-yard distance a bit later. While they held the lead by 24 points, the Blues saw the Redmen register a touchdown before the end of the third quarter on a long pass 29 yards quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos for Mathieu Soucy. With 15 minutes remaining in the match, the score was 27-10 for the Carabins.
The Redmen did not give up in the fourth quarter. In addition to stopping the locals repeatedly, they scored a touchdown in the air with just over five minutes to go to the game. Following a long aerial game, quarterback Sinodinos joined his receiver Mikaƫl PichƩ-Ayotte in the right flank. He continued his run 15 yards farther into the end zone for the touchdown. As time began to play against them, the Redmen, still threatening to attack, saw their last offensive push being stopped by the interception of Junior Noisy (DESS in management, HEC Montreal).
Samuel Caron made way for Dimitri Morand in the third quarter after scoring 10 of 15 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The quarterback visitor was well done in the defeat. Sinodinos completed 27 of his 43 attempts for 343 yards and two touchdowns. He has however launched three interceptions, the other two half-defensive Vincent Jacques (Journalism) and the linebacker Marc-Antoine Dequoy (Computer).
The Carabins complete their regular schedule with a record of six wins and one setback, for second place in Quebec. In the semi-finals, Danny Maciocia’s men will play Concordia Stingers next Saturday at 2 pm at CEPSUM. Laval’s Rouge et Or will be visited by Sherbrooke’s Vert et Or in the RSEQ’s other semi-final.
Alberta (53), Calgary (3)
Source:Ā Justin Mackenzie; Dinos Communications
CALGARY ā The No. 1-ranked University of Calgary Dinos closed out their 2017 regular season with a lopsided 53-3 loss to the Alberta Golden Bears at McMahon Stadium Saturday afternoon.
After the loss, the Dinos end the regular season with 7-1 record and claim first place in the Canada West standings heading into next weeks playoffs against either Saskatchewan, or a rematch of this weekend’s game against Alberta.
The Dinos put out a relatively rookie lineup for the game, selecting to leave some key veteran players out of the game such as Hunter Karl and Adam Laurensse in what looked to be an apparent rest game before the playoffs begin.
It was all Golden Bears right from the beginning as they limited the Dinos to a single point after the first quarter and only had a safety from then on to gift the Dinos another two points giving them the least amount of point scored in a game for the regular season this year. While the Dinos offence lacked, Alberta thrived, putting up their second highest score total for the season and also biggest margin of victory with a 50 point spread.
Turnovers were what ultimately hurt the Dinos, forfeiting eight, which prevented the them to gain any sort of momentum.
“Those four turnovers in the first half were really critical,” Coach Wayne Harris said. And indeed they did, as three of the four drives resulting from those turnovers ended in Golden Bear points.
“Those really need to be eliminated if we want any chance of success in the playoffs.”
Alessandro Molnar did most of the limited damage for the Dinos with the running game. Over nine opportunities he collected 70 yards with his longest run of 26 yards. Brendon Thera-Plamondon also stepped up in the absence of Hunter Karl in the lineup managing 74 yards on eight catches.
For Alberta, it was familiar face Ed Ilnicki who powered his way through the Dinos defence with 159 yards on the ground which was good enough for him to be crowned the new single season all-time rushing leader in Canada West. Tylor Henry also had a stellar game, catching four touchdown passes and recording 159 yards in the air.
Next week, the Golden Bears will now have to play the waiting game as they hope to be right back at McMahon Stadium for a rematch in the first round of the CW playoffs depending on the results of the Manitoba vs Saskatchewan game played Saturday night. The Dinos, whether its against Saskatchewan or Alberta will be back at McMahon next Saturday to open the 2017 playoffs. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.
Rams unable to recover from second-quarter outburst by UBC, end up losing 44-15 to Thunderbirds. https://t.co/TCFT7WeGae
— U. of Regina Rams (@reginarams) October 29, 2017
Regina (15), UBC (44)
Source: Regina Rams
Manitoba (36), Saskatchewan (32)
Source: Saskatchewan Huskies
SASKATOON ā The University of Manitoba Bisons spoiled the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Canada West playoff hopes with a 22-point comeback in a 36-32 win Saturday night at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.
Down 22-0 halfway through the third quarter, the Bisons scored all 36 points in the final 15 minutes of the game. Kyle Patchell’s four-yard touchdown reception gave Manitoba the victory and their first lead of the game with 15 seconds left.
Saskatchewan needed a 37-point victory to win a tie-break with the University of Alberta Golden Bears for the final Canada West playoff spot. Ā Alberta defeated the University of Calgary Dinos by 50 points earlier on Saturday afternoon forcing the Huskies into the lofty must-win situation.
Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan finish the Canada West season at 2-6 and miss the playoffs. It is the first time since 2001 the Huskies are not in a postseason spot. It is the second straight playoff miss for the Bisons.
After trading early possessions, defensive back Bowan Lewis blocked a Bison punt to give the Huskies good field position. Quarterback Kyle Siemens connected with wide receiver Mitch Hillis for a 60-yard touchdown catch and run with 3:07 to go in the first quarter.
A few series thereafter, defensive back Brooks Falloon jarred the ball from Bison running back Jamel Lyles, allowing rookie tailback Shakur Harris to secure his first career touchdown with a 37-yard dash into the end zone at 5:38 in the second.
Halfway through the third, the Huskies put together a seven-play drive resulting in a six-yard touchdown run by Harris. The Huskie drive featured six rushes by Harris.
Up 22-0 after Harris’ second major, Marcel Arruda-Welch took the ensuing kickoff 75-yards to the Huskie end zone to get on the Bisons’ on the board.
From there, Manitoba took over the momentum of the game. The Bisons’ defence forced the Huskies to turnover the ball on downs and the Bisons’ Lyles punched in the ball a one-yard dash at 1:51 in the third quarter.
The Huskies answered with Harris’ third touchdown on a six-yard dash to close the third quarter and a Sean Stenger 46-yard field goal at 11:40 in the fourth.
Manitoba added two more touchdowns to seal the comeback a Trysten Dyce six-yard catch and a Macho Bockru 31-yard catch.
Des Catellier completed 24-of-32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Lyles led the Bisons on the ground with 169 yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown. Jesse Walker lead the receiving for Manitoba, finishing with 6 catches for 84 yards.
Siemens finished 26-for-47 for 377 yards and one touchdown. Hillis, who is now the Canada West all-time receiving yards leader at 2961, was his main target racking up 219 yards on 13 catches. Rookie Harris recorded 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 21 carries in the game. He also added 56 receiving yards.
Source: U Sports (Box Scores)
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CFC Youth Game Spotlight: Powerhouse Alberta OT demonstrates maturity and immense potential
