An abundance of turkey and gravy across the country left us with a depleted slate of Canadian university football, but that didn’t deny us some memorable results. Laval overcame early struggles to beat Concordia, Laurier fended off the Gee-Gees to maintain their undefeated record, and a couple of Atlantic blowouts delivered memorable stat lines.
Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking possible playoff matchups. It will run for the full season through the Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday, Nov. 25.
Waterloo Warriors, 19 — McMaster Marauders, 31
It was far from an offensive shootout in Hamilton, as neither side managed more than 250 yards of offence. However, McMaster rode a strong second-quarter showing to victory, including a safety, two field goals and a Brayden Kelly rushing touchdown. Nana Yaw Serbeh and Carter Blad made key interceptions in the second half to fend off the Warriors, though Waterloo defensive end Tyson Hergott was able to continue his own torrid defensive pace with two more sacks.
Carleton Ravens, 16 — Queen’s Golden Gaels, 35
The victorious Gaels managed just 75 yards passing courtesy of Russell Weir but didn’t need another inch thanks to their dominant ground attack. Jared Chisari carried 26 times for a whopping 238 yards but Anthony Soles did the finishing, adding 98 yards of his own and all three of the team’s touchdowns. Carleton QB Tristan Lefebvre and his top target Kaseem Ferdinand continued to put up numbers in the loss but struggled to find the endzone. Tristan Ready hauled in the Ravens’ only major early in the first quarter and it was all downhill from there.
Toronto Varsity Blues, 57 — York Lions, 3
York had one of their best offensive showings of the year, with Brayden Jupe tossing for 219 yards and Owen Webb adding another 83 yards. Yet the two quarterbacks still combined for three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes from Luca Pante and Brayden Parker. The Varsity Blues put up their points early despite a pair of turnovers from Scott Barnett, as Christoper Joseph collected 92 yards and a touchdown through the air and Jake Oseen chipped in 89 yards and two majors.
Montreal Carabins, 36 — McGill Redbirds, 14
Jonathan Senecal continues to put up huge numbers in his quest for a Hec Crighton Trophy, throwing for 316 yards, a touchdown, and an interception against McGill while rushing for another 74 and two scores on the ground. Carl Chabot and William Legault shone in the Carabins receiving corps, collecting six receptions each for 101 and 93 yards respectively, while Simon Larose hauled in a touchdown. Running back Brandon Ciccarello continued to be a rare bright spot for the Redbirds, rushing 17 times for 118 yards in the loss.
Acadia Axemen, 9 — St. FX X-Men, 42
X-Men quarterback Silas Fagnan had himself a day in a rout of the Axemen, connecting on 17-of-23 pass attempts for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Ben Harrington hauled in four of those throws for 150 yards and a pair of scores while running back Malcolm Bussey was as effective as usual, contributing 136 yards and a touchdown on the ground. There wasn’t much for Acadia to be thankful for this weekend, save for a sack from Spencer Richard and three field goals from Thomas Veinot.
Bishop’s Gaiters, 63 — Saint Mary’s Huskies, 7
There is doing it by committee and then there is what the Gaiters did on Saturday, as Bishop’s had eight different ball carriers combine for 405 rushing yards against SMU with not a single one crossing the hundred-yard mark. The Mexican menace Marco Briones led the way with 98 yards and three touchdowns in this one, but David Chaloux added 95 yards, O’Shae Ho-Sang had 85, and Gino Carpineta chipped in 65 and a score. Quarterback Mason McGriskin ran in a major of his own and tossed two touchdowns in the blowout before backup Xavier Gervais added another. A 106-yard kickoff return touchdown from Joshua Jack, who also caught four passes for 68 yards, was the only bright spot for the Huskies.
Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, 38 — Ottawa Gee-Gees, 30
Taylor Elgersma continues to be dynamite under centre for Laurier, throwing for 257 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while rushing for two scores in this one, but it was Quentin Scott who shone in this narrow victory. The Golden Hawks’ back ran 15 times for 194 yards, including the deciding touchdown, and out-rushed Gee-Gees’ workhorse Amlicar Polk, who finished with 112 yards and a major. Ottawa QB Josh Janssen had a solid outing, tossing 233 yards and two touchdowns to get his team close to an upset, but Raidan Thorne foiled the late onside kick attempt, the cherry on top of a game in which he caught nine passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Concordia Stingers, 7 — Laval Rouge et Or, 23
Arnaud Desjardins had a rough Thanksgiving, tossing an uncharacteristic three interceptions including one to Jacob Belair in the first quarter that set up a go-ahead touchdown for Concordia’s Franck Tchembe. From there, it was all Rouge et Or, as Guillaume Cauchon took a missed field goal 110 yards to the house to kickstart the victory. Jacob Lessard collected a pair of picks on a bad day for Olivier Roy, while Kevin Mital moved into second place in RSEQ history with his 22nd career receiving touchdown. He has two weeks remaining to score the three necessary to equal the all-time record.
The Guelph Gryphons (OUA), Western Mustangs (OUA), Windsor Lancers (OUA), Sherbrooke Vert et Or (RSEQ), and Mount Allison Mounties (AUS) were all on a bye this week, as was the entire Canada West conference.
U Sports standings
Canada West (CW)
No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies 4-1
No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds 4-1
No. 9 Alberta Golden Bears 4-1
Manitoba Bisons 2-3
Regina Rams 1-4
Calgary Dinos 0-5
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
No. 1 Western Mustangs 6-0
No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 6-0
No. 8 Windsor Lancers 5-1
Queen’s Golden Gaels 3-3
Guelph Gryphons 3-3
Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-3
Carleton Ravens 2-4
Toronto Varsity Blues 2-4
McMaster Marauders 2-5
Waterloo Warriors 2-4
York Lions 0-7
Réseau du Sport Etudiant (RSEQ)
No. 2 Montreal Carabins 6-0
No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or 5-1
Concordia Stingers 2-3
McGill Redbirds 1-5
Sherbrooke Vert et Or 0-5
Atlantic University Sport (AUS)
No. 5 St. FX X-Men 6-0
No. 10 Bishop’s Gaiters 4-2
Mount Allison Mounties 2-3
Saint Mary’s Huskies 1-4
Acadia Axemen 1-5
