This weekend featured a rematch of last year’s Yates Cup, a couple of recent playoff teams getting their first wins of the season, a double overtime game on the prairies, an epic AUS blowout, and a monster performance from 2024 CFL Draft pick Matthew Peterson.
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.
No. 1 Western Mustangs, 28 — No. 4 Laurier Golden Hawks, 43
Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Taylor Elgersma shredded Western’s defence in this upset win, completing 24-of-29 pass attempts for 385 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 22 yards and two scores. Evan Hillock had a strong day under centre for the Mustangs, posting 322 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception as his team had to shelve its usually dominant running game after falling behind 17-2 at halftime. This was Western’s first regular season loss since 2021 and Laurier’s first regular season win over the Mustangs since 2006.
Boynton calls game 😤
The Huskies earn their first win of the year in Double overtime.
Huskies 44
Dinos 40#HuskiePride | #PowerofthePack pic.twitter.com/jb1BfEbtn1— Huskie Football (@skhuskies) September 14, 2024
Calgary Dinos, 40 — Saskatchewan Huskies, 44
The Huskies saved their season with their performance in this instant Canada West classic, which featured 84 points, 994 yards of offence, and ended in double overtime. Ryker Frank ran for 223 yards and three touchdowns for Saskatchewan, while the Dinos got yet another defensive touchdown as Connor Jones returned a fumble 30 yards for a score. The game-winner in overtime came courtesy of first-year running back Javin Boynton, who punched it in from three yards out.
Mount Allison Mounties, 7 — St. FX X-Men, 34
The three-time defending Loney Bowl champions finally got their first win of the season as Silas Fagnan threw for 270 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and also carried the ball nine times for 80 yards and one score. Nolan Cheeseman was the leading receiver for Mount Allison as he made nine grabs for 123 yards, though it was Kirk Jean-Baptiste who scored the team’s lone touchdown. Ben Hadley went four-for-four on field goals for the X-Men, including a career-high 55-yarder in the second quarter.
McMaster Marauders, 24 — Guelph Gryphons, 29
Guelph has already matched its win total from last season as Marshall McCray put this one away with a late one-yard touchdown run. The Gryphons leaned on their ground game as Donavin Milloy, Tristan Aboud, and Caleb Sargeant combined for 163 yards and a touchdown along the ground, though Aboud also hit Willem Arseneau for a 19-yard score. Keagan Hall had an impressive day under centre for McMaster despite the loss, throwing for 379 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Coast to Coast 🛫
Keyshawn Reid can’t be stopped as he takes the kickoff home. pic.twitter.com/QCswVKk1gP— Carleton Ravens Football (@CURavensFB) September 14, 2024
Carleton Ravens, 42 — Toronto Varsity Blues, 12
The Ravens finally got in the win column as Elijah Barnes hit Kaseem Ferdinand for two touchdowns and Matthew Morin scored twice along the ground to open a 31-3 lead early in the third quarter. Toronto managed 328 yards of net offence but were unable to find the end zone in front of their home crowd, having to settle for four field goals from Sam Henke. Keyshawn Reid poured it on late for Carleton as he returned a kickoff for a 107-yard touchdown.
No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or, 45 — McGill Redbirds, 12
Arnaud Desjardins hit Olivier Cool for three touchdown passes in the first half, reinforcing their connection as arguably the most dangerous in the country. Laval’s defence was smothering, recording seven sacks — including 2.5 from William Quenneville — and holding the Redbirds to a measly 192 yards of total offence. Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald threw for 150 yards and one touchdown in the loss and also led his team in rushing, carrying the ball nine times for 39 yards.
Acadia Axemen, 7 — No. 7 Bishop’s Gaiters, 70
If there was any doubt about the Gaiters being the new powerhouse in the AUS, the 40-0 halftime lead they built in this game should eliminate it. Justin Quirion threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns before Xavier Gervais threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in a relief role, while O’Shae Ho-Sang, Gino Carpineta, and Jonathan-James Francois combined for 248 yards and one touchdown along the ground. Logan McNamee scored the lone touchdown for the Axemen on a 19-yard touchdown pass from younger brother Connor McNamee late in the fourth quarter.
Concordia Stingers, 18 — No. 2 Montreal Carabins, 30
The Stingers kept this one close until late in the fourth quarter when Lucas Dembele scored on an 18-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the game to seal it for the Carabins. Olivier Roy threw for 213 yards in the loss, while Jonathan Sénécal threw for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions for Montreal while adding a team-leading 56 yards along the ground. Top-ranked 2025 CFL Draft prospect Jeremiah Ojo made another two sacks for the Carabins and now leads all of U Sports with 5.5 on the year.
HE’S DONE IT AGAIN! 🤯
For the third time in two games, @queensgaels Iain St. Arnault takes a missed FG back to the house. 🏈
💻 https://t.co/WxijGspfkD#QuestForTheCup | #QUEvsOTT pic.twitter.com/X5Rxu1aeXS
— Ontario University Athletics (@OUAsport) September 14, 2024
No. 8 Queen’s Gaels, 48 — Ottawa Gee-Gees, 20
The Gee-Gees made this game interesting in the second quarter as they erupted for 20 points after initially falling behind 21-0, though the Gaels ultimately dominated as they scored three non-offensive touchdowns. Iain St Arnault returned a missed field goal 117 yards, Jeremy Hiscox returned an Ottawa fumble 19 yards for a score, and Keegan Vanek intercepted Ben Maracle for a 64-yard pick-six. The Gee-Gees also got a defensive touchdown as Patrick Cumberbatch intercepted Alex Vreeken and returned it 28 yards to the house.
FB | A WILD FINISH IN MANITOBA 🦬
Alberta opts to go for the win after scoring a late TD, but Nick Conway breaks up the 2-pt convert 🙅♂️@MBBisons hold on for a 24-23 win, improving to 3-0 for just the second time since 2001! pic.twitter.com/Sohwg9DmHn
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) September 14, 2024
No. 9 Alberta Golden Bears, 23 — No. 6 Manitoba Bisons, 24
Matthew Peterson was brilliant along the ground for the Golden Bears as he ran 28 times for 201 yards, though it wasn’t enough to hand Manitoba its first loss of the season as Nick Conway broke up a pass on a last-minute two-point conversion, which would have given Alberta the lead. Maya Turner made all three of her field goal attempts for the Bisons, while Mula Yitna caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Tachinski and Breydon Stubbs ran in a score from three yards out. Alberta will need to improve its discipline moving forward after taking four penalties for unnecessary roughness in the loss.
No. 5 Windsor Lancers, 29 — York Lions, 0
Windsor’s stifling defence held the Lions scoreless in this one, while Matteo Trifon and Colby Ginn scored touchdowns and Brady Lidster went five-for-six on his field goal attempts. Despite the loss, this was a significant improvement for York as they dropped this same matchup by a score of 69-0 just one year ago.
UBC Thunderbirds, 14 — No. 10 Regina Rams, 12
The Rams suffered their first loss of the season as Isaiah Knight, who recently caught the attention of NFL scouts, ran for 103 yards for the Thunderbirds and Dane Kapler and Derek Engel scored on short touchdown runs. Regina had several opportunities to take the lead in the fourth quarter, though the team lost two late fumbles to squander potential scoring drives. Jevon Garwood, Olivier Savard, and Marshall Erichsen combined for 131 rushing yards in the loss, while Regina’s lone touchdown came on a three-yard run from quarterback Noah Pelletier.
The Saint Mary’s Huskies (AUS), Waterloo Warriors (OUA), and Sherbrooke Vert et Or (RSEQ) were on bye this past week.
Atlantic University Sports (AUS)
Bishop’s Gaiters 3-0
Saint Mary’s Huskies 2-1
Mount Allison Mounties 1-2
St. FX X-Men 1-2
Acadia Axemen 1-3
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Laurier Golden Hawks 3-0
Windsor Lancers 3-0
Guelph Gryphons 4-1
Western Mustangs 3-1
Queen’s Gaels 2-1
Ottawa Gee-Gees 2-2
Toronto Varsity Blues 1-2
Carleton Ravens 1-3
McMaster Marauders 1-3
Waterloo Warriors 0-3
York Lions 0-3
Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Laval Rouge et Or 3-0
Montreal Carabins 3-1
Concordia Stingers 1-2
McGill Redbirds 1-2
Sherbrooke Vert et Or 0-3
Canada West
Manitoba Bisons 3-0
Regina Rams 2-1
Alberta Golden Bears 1-2
UBC Thunderbirds 1-2
Calgary Dinos 1-2
Saskatchewan Huskies 1-2
