Varsity blues hope to bounce back versus Mac at home

The Varsity Blues are poised and ready to turn in another outstanding performance this weekend – similar to the one that led to an upset over the former No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees two weeks ago – when they host the McMaster Marauders in an action-packed day at Varsity Centre.

Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. this Saturday. Live stats and streaming will be available through [url]www.varsityblues.ca.

U of T will be honouring nine graduating players in a special pre-game presentation, while also hosting Minor Football Day and celebrating the 1974 Yates Cup champion Varsity Blues football team at halftime.

Toronto holds a 27-17-1 head-to-head record over McMaster since their first meeting in 1945. However, the Blues last win over the Marauders came on Sept. 21, 1996 when U of T came away with a 30-13 victory.

Fourth-year quarterback Andrew Gillis has had a breakout year thus far and is on pace to lead Toronto to their second highest offensive output in the past 15 years. The Markham, Ont., native has thrown for a career-high 809 passing yards over six games played, ranking him sixth in the OUA.

Rookie running back Aaron Milton of Whitby, Ont., has also shown he can compete with the top talent in the country and he leads the team with 241 rushing yards.

Linebacker and Mississauga, Ont., native Wilkerson DeSouza, who currently leads the CIS with 41 solo tackles, will need to put forth another solid perfomance for Toronto on the defensive side of the ball if they are going to stop the nation’s top offence.

McMaster is 5-2 and sit tied with the Western Mustangs (5-1) for second place in the OUA standings. They are coming off a big 43-35 win over Guelph last Thursday and have totalled the most points for (249) in the CIS.

Kyle Quinlan of South Woodslee, Ont., leads the Marauders and is ranked second among OUA quarterbacks, averaging 244 passing yards per game. Burlington, Ont., native Joseph Nemet leads the team with 470 rushing yards, while Michael Dicroce of Hamilton, Ont., averages 104 receiving yards per game.

TICKETS are $10 for adults, $5 for youth and non-U of T students, U of T students and children 12 and under are free. Advance sales are available through http://www.ticketbreak.com or by calling 1.866.9.GET TIX (943-8849).

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