Three U Sports conferences opened their regular season football schedules this past weekend as Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), and Atlantic University Sport (AUS) hit the field with nine games of action.
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. 23.
Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 14 — Montreal Carabins, 45
Jonathan Sénécal, the reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner and U Sports male athlete of the year, picked up where he left off for the Carabins, throwing for 280 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the win. Montreal defensive lineman Jeremiah Ojo, who made the recent edition of the 2025 CFL Draft prospect rankings, got off to a hot start with 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Sherbrooke went 1-7 last year and, though the Carabins are a powerhouse, this surely wasn’t the start they were hoping for this season.
Acadia Axemen, 14 — Mount Allison Mounties, 15
Second-year receiver Nolan Cheeseman had a standout performance for the Mounties, making 14 catches for 136 yards, while teammate Kirk Jean-Baptiste caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from CJ Valenti. Acadia scored the second-fewest points in all of U Sports last season and got off to a slow start through the air offensively with Nick Kennedy and Dante Tabacu combining for 78 passing yards and one interception. Mount Allison kicker Beynon McKeen missed a 32-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter but the play went for a rouge, which served as the game-winning point.
Carleton Ravens, 25 — Guelph Gryphons, 38
The Gryphons got off to a strong start under new head coach Mark Surya as the team put up 297 rushing yards courtesy of Donavin Milloy, Marshall McCray, and Caleb Sargeant, the latter two of whom scored touchdowns. Kaine Stevenson and Willem Arseneau caught touchdown passes from Tristan Aboud and McCray, respectively, while third-year defensive back Gianni Green returned an interception 74 yards for a score. Matthew Morin had a strong performance in a losing effort for the Ravens, rushing 17 times for 114 yards.
Bishop’s Gaiters, 18 — Saint Mary’s Huskies, 11
The Gaiters outgained Saint Mary’s by a whopping 350 net yards but needed a last-minute touchdown run from O’Shae Ho-Sang to secure the victory. Gabriel Royer, who went unselected in the 2024 CFL Draft before returning to school, was a nightmare on Bishop’s defence, making seven tackles, three sacks, and one pass breakup, while Laval transfer Jaurès Goké recorded six tackles for loss. Michael Petroschke had a tough day for the Huskies, taking seven sacks and throwing for 164 yards with three interceptions.
Queen’s Gaels, 21 — Windsor Lancers, 25
The Lancers won this early-season OUA heavyweight matchup thanks in large part to fourth-year defensive back Robert Springer, who picked off Alex Vreeken three times. Danny Skelton only threw for 147 yards but hit Javonni Cunningham and Daniel Hector for touchdowns and ran one in himself from 12 yards out to open the scoring. Jared Chisari, who went unselected in the 2024 CFL Draft, picked up where he left off last season for the Gaels, recording 21 carries for 166 yards.
Laurier Golden Hawks, 31 — McMaster Marauders, 14
Third-year running back Brayden Kelly scored an early touchdown for the Marauders, after which it was all Golden Hawks. Tanner Nelmes, who went unselected in the 2024 CFL Draft, led the way for Laurier, rushing for 139 yards and one touchdown. Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Taylor Elgersma had a modest day through the air with 218 yards and an interception, though he scored two rushing touchdowns. McMaster drew a respectable crowd for this one as 5,500 fans made their way to Ron Joyce Stadium.
Laval Rouge et Or, 36 — Concordia Stingers, 11
The Rouge et Or dominated this rematch of last year’s RSEQ semifinal as Arnaud Desjardins threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 27 yards. Second-year linebacker Christopher St-Hilaire got home for two sacks as Laval’s defence held the Stingers to 167 yards of net offence and forced three fumbles, recovering one. Concordia quarterback Olivier Roy threw for 110 yards and led his team in rushing, recording three carries for 44 yards.
Western Mustangs, 38 — Ottawa Gee-Gees, 11
A 75-yard touchdown run from Ottawa running back Charles Asselin cut Western’s lead to 13-10 early in the second quarter but it was all Mustangs from there as the perennial powerhouse recorded 416 yards of net offence. Keon Edwards and Keanu Yazbeck both had over 100 yards along the ground, while Seth Robertson caught a touchdown pass from Jerome Rancourt. Western’s defence feasted on turnovers as Josh Gillam, Chris Cameron-Kogler, and Jordan Murphy each picked off Josh Janssen.
Toronto Varsity Blues, 31 — Waterloo Warriors, 29
Coming off a disappointing 2023 season, the Varsity Blues won their opener for new head coach Darrell Adams, who spent the past eight years on Waterloo’s coaching staff. As of the publishing of this article, the box score was not available.
The three-time reigning AUS champion St. FX X-Men opened the season with a bye week, as did the York Lions (OUA) and McGill Redbirds (RSEQ). Canada West will open its season this coming week as the Regina Rams visit the Calgary Dinos, the Alberta Golden Bears visit the UBC Thunderbirds, and the Saskatchewan Huskies visit the Manitoba Bisons.
Atlantic University Sports (AUS)
Bishop’s Gaiters 1-0
Mount Allison Mounties 1-0
St. FX X-Men 0-0
Acadia Axemen 0-1
Saint Mary’s Huskies 0-1
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Guelph Gryphons 1-0
Laurier Golden Hawks 1-0
Toronto Varsity Blues 1-0
Western Mustangs 1-0
Windsor Lancers 1-0
York Lions 0-0
Carleton Ravens 0-1
McMaster Marauders 0-1
Ottawa Gee-Gees 0-1
Queen’s Gaels 0-1
Waterloo Warriors 0-1
Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Laval Rouge et Or 1-0
Montreal Carabins 1-0
McGill Redbirds 0-0
Concordia Stingers 0-1
Sherbrooke Vert et Or 0-1
Canada West
Alberta Golden Bears 0-0
Calgary Dinos 0-0
Manitoba Bisons 0-0
Regina Rams 0-0
Saskatchewan Huskies 0-0
UBC Thunderbirds 0-0
