Mustangs travel to Kingston to face rivals
After claiming their first victory of the 2014 football season on Saturday with a 61-0 victory over the York Lions, the No. 3 CIS ranked Mustangs (1-0) will now travel to Kingston to go head-to-head with their long-time rivals in the Queen’s Gaels (1-1). In fact Saturday’s contest will be the 90th time that Queen’s and Western have lined up opposite one another on the gridiron.
Saturday`s match up is sure to be an exciting one, with the Gaels looking to earn some payback for last year’s 50-31 loss to the Mustangs at Western’s Homecoming—a game which drew a sell-out crowd of 12,185—as well as for their 51-22 defeat at the hands of the purple and white in the 2013 Yates Cup final.
Western, on the other hand, will be looking to start an early winning streak after registering their seventh straight season-opening victory this past weekend against York. Interestingly enough, the last team to hand the Mustangs a loss in their first game of the season was Queen’s in 2007, and while the Gaels won’t have an opportunity to spoil Western’s season opener this year they will certainly be looking to throw a wrench in any plans for an early Mustangs roll.
But in order to do so, they’re going to have to stop Western’s potent offence and solve their strong defence, both of which got off to a strong start against the Lions on Saturday.
Leading the Mustangs offence in the first game of the 2014 campaign was third-year quarterback Will Finch. Finch threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday`s game, completing 21 of 25 passes to help Western get their season started with a 61-0 win over the Lions.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Mustangs were led by sophomore defensive back Jesse McNair and third-year defensive back Malcolm Brown, as the duo racked up four tackles each to keep the Lions offence from entering the Mustangs end zone through the four frames of action.
Mustangs kicker Zack Medeiros will suit up for his second career OUA game this Saturday after making his Mustangs debut against the Lions. Medeiros made his mark in his first OUA start, going 4-6 on field goals while adding three singles and six extra points for 21 total points on the afternoon.
Queen’s heads into Saturday’s match-up fresh off of a tough 37-30 loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees last weekend that brought their record to 1-1. The Gaels opened the season on September 1 with a 39-30 road victory over Windsor.
Source: Western Mustangs Sports Information
The Gaels will host the No.3 Western Mustangs this Saturday at Richardson Stadium, with kickoff set for 1pm. Queen’s, coming off a loss from last weekend’s game, will be hoping to improve their record this weekend against Western. The Gaels will look to flip last year’s results, in which Western beat Queen’s in the regular season and the Yates Cup.
Last weekend the Gaels fought hard against the Gee-Gees, with Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) leading Queen’s on offence, finishing the game with over 300 yards and two touchdowns through the air. On the receiving end, the combined efforts from Jonah Pataki (Wallaceburg, Ont.) and Curtis Carmichael (Scarborough, Ont.) helped the Gaels stay competitive in the game. Pataki received one of McPhee’s touchdown throws and added another score on the ground where he totaled 157 yards. Carmichael was the go-to receiver on Saturday, with a game-high 134 yards on eight receptions, including a touchdown. On defence, Luke McQuilkin (Burlington, Ont.) made 8.5 total tackles, whileFrederic Kinkead (Quebec City) had a 38 yard interception return and four solo tackles.
Western will be entering the game this Saturday coming off a big win against York last weekend, blanking the Lions 61-0.
Source: Queen’s Golden Gaels Sports Information
BATTLE OF TORONTO
University of Toronto pride is on the line as the Varsity Blues football team battles long-time city rival, York, for the Argo Cup this Saturday, September 13 at Varsity Centre.
The University of Toronto Student’s Union and St. George Round Table have been working around the clock to promote the 45th annual meeting between the Blues and Lions. All students and fans are invited to a pre-game rally, beginning at 11 a.m. at the south end of Devonshire Place.
Kick off is set for 1 p.m. U of T students are FREE with a valid T-Card. Advance tickets are on sale here. The game will also be streamed live and live stats will be available at OUA.tv.
Both the Blues and Lions will both be after their first win of the season in Week 3. Toronto holds a 27-17-0 head-to-head record over their York counterparts since their first meeting in 1970. U of T defeated the Lions 56-35 last year at York Stadium and has won five of the last six meetings with their uptown rivals.
Fourth-year quarterback Simon Nassar (Toronto) currently ranks fifth in the province, averaging 266 yards per game. Second-year receiver Llevi Noel (Toronto) leads the OUA with 18 catches, sitting second with 285 yards after Week 2. Corey Williams tops Toronto’s defence with 12.5 tackles in the first two contests.
York’s offence will be hungry to get some points on the board. Sophomore quarterback Todd Hoover has started both games for the Lions, for 12-for-29 for 112 yards.
The Blues will be looking to contain fourth-year linebacker Hussein Hazime, who ranks second in the OUA with 19.5 tackles and three sacks.
(Source: University of Toronto Varsity Blues Sports Information)
City bragging rights are on the line on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 13) as the York University Lions football team heads downtown to face the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the 45th Red & Blue Bowl at Varsity Centre.
Kick-off is set for 1pm and tickets can be purchased online here. The game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
The Lions and Blues will both be looking for their first wins of the season in Week 3. York has had a challenging start to its season with losses to Ottawa and Western, which are both currently ranked among the CIS Top 10 (the Gee-Gees are No. 8 and the Mustangs No. 3). Toronto, meanwhile, was defeated by Laurier and No. 7 Guelph.
The Varsity Blues hold 27-17-0 head-to-head record over their uptown counterparts since the first meeting in 1970. The Lions won the last Argo Cup to be handed out at Varsity Centre in 2012, by a score of 36-24, and U of T defeated the Lions 56-35 in the most recent match-up last year at York Stadium.
The Lions will benefit from the return of starting quarterback Nikko Stamatis (Toronto), who made his first career start in Ottawa in Week 1 but missed last week with an injury. He played only the first half against the Gee-Gees, going 8-of-17 for 90 yards.
Second-year receivers Adam Adeboboye (Toronto) and Jarrett Carson (Brossard, Que.) have been bright spots for the Lion on offence and are currently ranked one-two, respectively, on the team in receptions and yards.
On defence, the Lions have been led by fourth-year linebacker/defensive end Hussein Hazime (Toronto), who is ranked second in the OUA in tackles (18) and third in sacks (three).
For the Blues, fourth-year quarterback Simon Nassar (Toronto) currently ranks fifth in the province, averaging 266 yards per game. Second-year receiver Llevi Noel (Toronto) leads the OUA with 18 catches, sitting second with 285 yards after Week 2.
Corey Williams (Mississauga, Ont.) tops Toronto’s defence with 12.5 tackles in the first two contests.
Saturday’s game is the second of four road games for the Lions this season. They will also play Laurier in Waterloo, Ont., in Week 6 and Queen’s in Kingston, Ont., in Week 8.
(Source: Alyson Fisher, York Lions Sports Information)
GRYPHONS IN NATION’S CAPITAL
Coming off wins in their first two games of the season, the Gee-Gees look to overpower the Guelph Gryphons at home on Saturday. Because of the 2-0 start the Gee-Gees find themselves as the number eighth ranked team in this week CIS Top Ten – the first time they’ve been nationally ranked since 2011.
Guelph enters Saturday’s matchup with a 1-1 record after a tough week one loss to no. 4 McMaster in which they led the entire game until the Marauders tied it late in the fourth quarter and won it in overtime. Guelph rebounded last week with a 50-18 drubbing of the University of Toronto. It was a tight game until the second half when Guelph left U of T in the dust by outscoring them 36-6 in the latter half of the game.
In their 10 trips to the red zone, Guelph has converted nine times. The Gee-Gees will look to halt that success as they did in the fourth quarter last week against Queen’s in which they forced a turnover in the red zone and turned it back for the winning score.
A big part of the Gee-Gees’ success thus far has been their quarterback Derek Wendel. He leads the CIS in passing yards (741), touchdown passes (seven), and is fourth in completion percentage (75.6 per cent). He also leads all quarterbacks in rushing, averaging 10 yards per carry.
The Gee-Gees are focused on producing a consistently sound, complete game this week. Coach Barresi has been unsatisfied with the way his team has showed greatness in one quarter and then been lacklustre in the next.
Another key this week for the Gee-Gees can certainly be the pressure they get on the Gryphons’s quarterbacks. They’ve collectively recorded seven sacks in two games and have allowed an average of nearly the same decently low total of 227 passing yards that Guelph averages. With Saturday’s forecast calling for rain and temperatures in the mid tens, that passing average could drop.
Given those possible conditions, Guelph’s stingy rushing defence could come into play. They’ve only allowed an average of 58 yards in the first two games, good enough for best in the CIS among teams who’ve played two games. However, it may be a tough task to contain the Gee-Gees running game as they’ve averaged almost five times more rushing yards than Guelph has allowed.
Kickoff is 1 p.m. from Gee-Gees Field. The game can also be watched live on OUA.tv.
(Source: Ottawa Gee-Gees Sports Information)
BATTLE OF WATERLOO:
WATERLOO – Following a tough loss in Week 2 to the Windsor Lancers, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team will look to return to the win column on Saturday afternoon when they host the Waterloo Warriors in their home opener at University Stadium.
The Laurier/Waterloo matchup on the OUA schedule, otherwise known as the Battle of Waterloo, has been dominated by the purple and gold in recent years. Over the past ten meetings, the Golden Hawks are a perfect 10-0 against the Warriors, including last season’s 41-10 victory at Warrior Field. During Laurier’s 10-game winning streak, the Hawks have only allowed Waterloo to score more than 20 points on two occasions while scoring 40 or more points in five of those meetings. The string of victories has also run Laurier’s overall record against the Warriors to an impressive 38-14-1 all-time.
This season’s matchup, like many over the past 10 years, favours the Golden Hawks as both teams enter their third game of the year. Entering play on Saturday, the Hawks have averaged 43.5 points per game and have a 1-1 record while the Warriors have lost their first two games, averaging just seven points during those contests.
However, you only need to go back two years, the last time University Stadium hosted the Battle of Waterloo, for proof that the unex pected can happen when these two teams meet. In that game back in 2012, a stunned Laurier squad had to battle for each and every point they earned, eventually coming away with a narrow 12-0 win on the strength of four field goals from kicker Ronnie Pfeffer of Kitchener, Ont.
Fans unable to attend Saturday’s showdown at University Stadium will be able to catch all the action live on OUA.tvand can listen to the game on RadioLaurier.com.
HAWKS TO WATCH
– RB Dillon Campbell enters the game with a sizeable advantage in the CIS rushing title race through two weeks of the season. The 5-8 native of Whitby, Ont., is averaging 11.5 yards per carry, good for 470 yards, more than halfway to his rushing total of 867 yards last season.
– DB Chris Ackie of Cambridge, Ont., and DL Ese Mrabure-Ajufo of Mississauga, Ont., will p lay their first games since being listed among the Top 10 CFL Draft prospects for 2015. Look for both players to put on big performances as they aim to live up to their rankings of 12 and 17 respectively.
– QB James Fracas faces the team that he won his very first CIS game against last season. After starting the year on the bench, the Waterloo, Ont., native and graduate of Sir John A. Macdonald SS, got his first career start and led Laurier to a 41-10 victory.
– K/P Ronnie Pfeffer has gotten off to the best start of his career in 2014 as he leads the CIS in average yards per punt at 45.1 through two weeks of the season. His 29 points are also second best in the nation and he sits just eight points shy of becoming the fifth Golden Hawk to record 200 points in his career.
(Source: Jamie Howieson, Wilfrid Laurier Sports Information)
It will be a clash of unbeaten teams when the Carleton Ravens make their first ever appearance at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday, looking to upset the Marauders, who have moved up to 4th-spot in the latest CIS national football rankings.
The Ravens come to Hamilton after enjoying their bye week in the OUA schedule, so they should be well-rested and well-schooled in the game plan, having had an extra week to prepare. After going winless in 2013, Carleton got 2014 off to a good start after an impressive 33-14 road win versus the Waterloo Warriors in week-one.
Marauder Coach Stefan Ptaszek expects a battle from the youthful Ravens. “”They are an extremely athletic group coming off a bye and with a week one victory behind them,” said Ptaszek. “Carleton will be very prepared to play and is extremely dangerous.”
Carleton Coach Steve Sumarah has the program moving in the right direction, and he can call on an experienced quarterback in Jesse Mills, who has some talented options among the backs and receivers. With a roster of mostly first and second-year players, the challenge for Carleton remains matching the physical maturity of its OUA opponents.
The Marauders were able to spread out the playing time and the touches in last week’s victory at Waterloo, and both starting quarterback Marshall Ferguson and his back-up Asher Hastings were able to put points on the scoreboard for McMaster. Six different Marauders found the endzone and the team got 24 points from the foot of Tyler Crapigna.
The McMaster receiving corps has gotten off to a fast start in 2014 and for the second week in a row, Marauder Max Cameron has made the honour roll for the OUA Plays of the Week with a circus catch in the game at Waterloo. If you missed it, you can view it at the LINK
On the defensive side, the Marauders played with purpose and maintained their effort when it would have been easy to coast. Limiting Waterloo to just 143 yards of total offense bodes well for the continued growth of the defense.
Source: Bill Malley, McMaster Sports Information
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