Around U Sports: Windsor Lancers score last-minute touchdown to avoid Ottawa upset

By
John Hodge
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Photo courtesy: Connor Skyes/Windsor Athletics

We have officially reached the midway point of the U Sports regular season and this weekend featured many sensational finishes, including a game-winning field goal in Halifax, the Redbirds barely holding on to upset Concordia, Carleton coming up just shy against the Marauders, and Manitoba getting two late touchdowns to remain undefeated on the season.

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.

Ottawa Gee-Gees, 18 — No. 6 Windsor Lancers, 21

The Lancers narrowly avoided a massive upset in front of 5,241 fans at Alumni Stadium when Danny Skelton hit Liam Talbot for a 25-yard touchdown on the second-last play of the game to secure the win. Ottawa only had four points midway through the fourth quarter but scored two late touchdowns courtesy of Romeo Lussier and Charles Asselin. Most of this game would have been a bore to sit through but the final quarter was one of the best of the season in all of Canadian football.

Regina Rams, 6 — No. 9 Alberta Golden Bears, 30

Noah Pelletier hit Renzel Arinaza for a late touchdown pass to break the shutout for Regina but this game was all Golden Bears. Alberta’s two-pronged backfield of Matthew Peterson and Ope Oshinubi combined for 194 rushing yards and two scores, while Eli Hetlinger threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Erik Torhjelm to seal the win. Fourth-year defensive back Charlie De Land also blocked a field goal attempt from Isaac Wegner late in the second quarter, helping keep the Rams off the board by halftime.

St. FX X-Men, 19 — Saint Mary’s Huskies, 17

The X-Men almost doubled Saint Mary’s offensive production but needed a 34-yard field goal from Ben Hadley in the final minute of regulation to escape Huskies Stadium with a win. St. FX committed five turnovers as Silas Fagnan threw three interceptions, though he also hit Caleb Tremblay nine times for a game-high 188 yards and one touchdown. Malik Williams was easily Saint Mary’s top offensive performer as he carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards and one score.

Saskatchewan Huskies, 24 — UBC Thunderbirds, 38

Anton Amundrud connected with Daniel Perry nine times for 150 yards and two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as UBC controlled the line of scrimmage in front of 9,000 fans at Thunderbird Stadium. Isaiah Knight rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns for the home side, while Ryker Frank — who ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns in Saskatchewan’s win over the Calgary Dinos last week — was held to only 23 yards on 10 carries. UBC has now won back-to-back games following a 0-2 start.

McGill Redbirds, 21 — Concordia Stingers, 17

Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald threw a touchdown pass to David Kabwe and ran a score in himself to help McGill build a 21-0 lead after three quarters. The Stingers got four sacks from Samuel Morissette and two late touchdowns from Caleb Faulkner and El-Andre Abbey but the comeback ultimately fell short as McGill held on to complete the upset. After finishing the past three years at 1-7, the Redbirds are now off to a 2-2 start in 2024.

No. 1 Laurier Golden Hawks, 39 — Waterloo Warriors, 23

Laurier started slowly against the winless Warriors following last week’s emotional win over Western as Taylor Elgersma threw for 438 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, connecting with Ethan Jordan, Jace Atkinson, and Raidan Thorne for scores. Nick Orr threw for 249 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a losing effort while adding nine carries for 56 yards along the ground.

McMaster Marauders, 36 — Carleton Ravens, 34

Keagan Hall had a brilliant day under centre for the Marauders, completing 33-of-44 pass attempts for 423 yards and three touchdowns and adding a score along the ground to help keep McMaster in the playoff hunt at 2-3. The Ravens scored 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback as Elijah Barnes was intercepted by Ethan Stuart and Josh Cumber. Ethan Rocha was Carleton’s best player of the day as he ran for 130 yards and a score.

York Lions, 19 — Toronto Varsity Blues, 17

The Lions earned their first non-forfeiture win since 2019 as Avontae McKoy ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to generate an eight-point lead. Toronto scored in the final minute of the game as Kaleb O’Donoghue hit Dane Hurley for a 15-yard touchdown pass, though they were unsuccessful on the ensuing two-point convert and onside kick. After being outscored 560-42 to finish 0-8 last season, York is now 1-3 through the first half of the season with a scoring differential of 125-42.

No. 7 Bishop’s Gaiters, 62 — Mount Allison Mounties, 0

A crowd just shy of 3,000 left Alumni Field feeling disappointed after the home squad suffered a massacre at the hands of the new AUS powerhouse: Bishop’s. O’Shae Ho-Sang scored two touchdowns along the ground for the Gaiters, while Mathieu Payette, Cherif Camara, and Joseph Manga cashed in defensive majors, and Cedric Maurice returned a missed field goal 129 yards for a touchdown. Barring a miracle, Bishop’s will finish atop of the AUS standings for the first time since moving to the conference in 2017.

No. 10 Guelph Gryphons, 18 — No. 8 Queen’s Gaels, 24

Nathan Falconi caught seven passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns for the Gaels, accounting for almost half of his team’s yardage through the air. Liam Sutherland, Ashton Miller-Melancon, and Justin Pace each intercepted Gryphons’ quarterback Tristan Aboud, while second-year defensive lineman Oliver Jackson got home for 2.5 sacks. Guelph’s play of the game came late in the first quarter when Donavin Milloy ripped off a 99-yard touchdown along the ground.

Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 2 — No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or, 29

Laval’s defence was dominant from start to finish in this one, limiting the Vert et Or to a measly 144 yards of total offence and forcing 11 punts. Arnaud Desjardins continued making a push for Hec Crighton Trophy consideration, throwing for 332 yards and two touchdowns to Olivier Cool, who already has eight on the season. The Rouge et Or had 18,778 fans on hand for this victory, an exceptional draw considering the archrival Montreal Carabins weren’t the visiting team.

No. 5 Manitoba Bisons, 22 — Calgary Dinos, 17

Manitoba’s perfect season was at risk with the team facing an 18-7 deficit heading into the fourth quarter but two touchdown runs from quarterback Jackson Tachinski helped the team improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2007. The Dinos outgained the visitors by just over 100 net yards but were unable to consistently finish drives, including their final possession of the game after penetrating deep into Bisons’ territory for a potential game-winning score.

The Acadia Axemen (AUS), No. 4 Western Mustangs (OUA), and No. 2 Montreal Carabins (RSEQ) were on bye this past week.

Atlantic University Sports (AUS)

Bishop’s Gaiters 4-0
Saint Mary’s Huskies 2-2
St. FX X-Men 2-2
Acadia Axemen 1-3
Mount Allison Mounties 1-3

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Laurier Golden Hawks 4-0
Windsor Lancers 4-0
Queen’s Gaels 4-1
Western Mustangs 3-1
Guelph Gryphons 3-2
McMaster Marauders 2-3
Ottawa Gee-Gees 2-3
York Lions 1-3
Carleton Ravens 1-4
Toronto Varsity Blues 1-4
Waterloo Warriors 0-4

Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)

Laval Rouge et Or 4-0
Montreal Carabins 3-1
McGill Redbirds 2-2
Concordia Stingers 1-3
Sherbrooke Vert et Or 0-4

Canada West

Manitoba Bisons 4-0
Alberta Golden Bears 2-2
Regina Rams 2-2
UBC Thunderbirds 2-2
Calgary Dinos 1-3
Saskatchewan Huskies 1-3

John Hodge
John Hodge
John Hodge is a Canadian football reporter based in Winnipeg.

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