Around U Sports: Ottawa Gee-Gees upset McMaster Marauders in OUA playoffs

Photo: McMaster Athletics

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 until the second round of the playoffs, at which point 3DownNation will produce standalone articles for each game.

Ottawa Gee-Gees, 33 — McMaster Marauders, 17

This was the only upset in the first round of the OUA playoffs, and the Gee-Gees recorded it in relatively one-sided fashion. Josh Janssen threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, while Ottawa’s defence intercepted Lucas Barresi four times. Souleymane Camara had a strong game on the ground in the win, rushing 24 times for 126 yards and one score. As the lowest-ranked team to advance in the playoffs, Ottawa will take on the top-ranked Queen’s Gaels in the OUA semifinal round next week. The Gee-Gees led at halftime when the teams met in September but lost 41-20 after being outscored 27-0 in the second half.

Laurier Golden Hawks, 41 — Western Mustangs, 58

The Golden Hawks won a high-scoring affair between these two teams last week, but the Mustangs flipped the script on Saturday. Ben Casselman threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while he, Ethan Dolby, Jack Kelly, Geoff Clubine, and Jérôme Rancourt each scored rushing touchdowns. Will Russell threw five touchdown passes in the loss, though he also tossed two interceptions. With the win, Western will host the Windsor Lancers in next week’s OUA semifinal. The Mustangs won 44-37 when the teams met during the regular-season, as Kelly and Dolby combined for 242 yards and two touchdowns along the ground.

Guelph Gryphons, 24 — Windsor Lancers, 28

Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Kareame Cotton scored a rushing touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Evan Martin in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and secure the win for Windsor. Starting in place of an injured Tristan Aboud, Marshall McCray threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the loss for Guelph. This marks the first time in three years that the Gryphons have fallen short of the OUA semifinals.

Mount Allison Mounties, 20 — Acadia Axemen, 34

This was a win-and-get-in game for both teams, and Acadia clearly wanted it more, getting out to a 30-0 lead early in the third quarter. Maximus Ramirez ran for 124 yards and one touchdown in the victory, while Mason Jude threw touchdown passes to Jase LeBlanc and Madden Ross. After suffering shutout losses in back-to-back AUS semifinals, the Axemen will look to get their first playoff win since 2019 when they visit the St. FX X-Men next week. With the loss, the Mounties fell short of the postseason for the third-straight year.

St. FX X-Men, 17 — Saint Mary’s Huskies, 48

Saint Mary’s quarterbacks Justin Shibley and Noah Glover combined for 261 passing yards and four touchdowns in the victory, while Sena Mortotsi and Keene Shigehiro rushed for 188 yards and two scores. With the loss, St. FX will host Acadia in next week’s AUS semifinal with the winner set to visit Saint Mary’s the following week. The Huskies have officially gone 8-0 for the first time since 2001, which is the last time the team won the Vanier Cup.

Saskatchewan Huskies, 24 — UBC Thunderbirds, 59

The Thunderbirds had to win this game by at least 11 points to clinch first place in the Canada West standings and they did so in dominant fashion. Trey Montour caught two touchdown passes from Drew Viotto, while Riley Michaud and Zach Patfield combined for three scores along the ground. Saskatchewan quarterback Anton Amundrud threw for 397 yards and two interceptions, the latter of which was returned 33 yards for a touchdown by defensive lineman Alex Longo.

Regina Rams, 26 — Manitoba Bisons, 15

Carter Ashman had a career day along the ground for Regina, as he rushed 29 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns to help power his team to a win. Cole Anseeuw played well in a losing effort for Manitoba, completing 23-of-29 pass attempts for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The victory locked the Rams into third place in the Canada West standings, and they’ll visit the Saskatchewan Huskies in one of next week’s two semifinal games. The Bisons will visit the UBC Thunderbirds in the other.

Laval Rouge et Or, 35 — Montreal Carabins, 3

The Rouge et Or have officially finished first in the RSEQ standings for a third-straight season and gone 8-0 in the regular-season for the first time since 2018. Montreal struggled to get anything going on offence as Pepe Gonzalez, the reigning U Sports Rookie of the Year, remained out due to injury. Laval will now host the Concordia Stingers in next week’s RSEQ semifinal round, while Montreal will host the McGill Redbirds.

Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 19 — McGill Redbirds, 49

Elliott Drapeau completed only 10 passes for McGill but five of them went for touchdowns in this blowout win. His top target on the day was converted quarterback Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald, who rushed for 91 yards, caught three passes for 99 yards, and scored four total touchdowns to tie a program single-game record. The Redbirds will now visit the Carabins in next week’s RSEQ semifinal. Jerry Momo, McGill’s star running back, may return from injury after missing the team’s last three games.

Calgary Dinos, 34 — Alberta Golden Bears, 19

The Dinos finished off the season with a win, even if it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. David Jordan threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while Evan Smith rushed 22 times for 104 yards and two scores in the win. Everett Schmuland was the defensive standout for Calgary, as he tallied 13.5 tackles and two forced fumbles. Christian Veilleux threw a touchdown pass and zero interceptions for Alberta, but he also completed less than 50 percent of his passes, as was the case in four of his six starts this season.

Bishop’s Gaiters, 17 — Concordia Stingers, 31

As of the publishing of this article, there was no box score available for this game. The win clinched fourth place in the RSEQ standings for Concordia, and the team will visit Laval in next week’s RSEQ semifinal round. The Stingers have not won a playoff game since 2008.

Canada West

UBC Thunderbirds — 6-2
Saskatchewan Huskies — 6-2
Regina Rams — 4-4
Manitoba Bisons — 4-4
Calgary Dinos — 3-5
Alberta Golden Bears — 1-7

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Queen’s Gaels — 7-1
Western Mustangs — 6-2
McMaster Marauders — 6-2
Windsor Lancers — 6-2
Guelph Gryphons — 4-4
Ottawa Gee-Gees — 4-4
Laurier Golden Hawks — 4-4
Waterloo Warriors — 3-5
York Lions — 3-5
Carleton Ravens — 1-7
Toronto Varsity Blues — 0-7

Réseau du Sport Étudiant (RSEQ)

Laval Rouge et Or — 8-0
Montreal Carabins — 6-2
McGill Redbirds — 5-3
Concordia Stingers — 3-5
Sherbrooke Vert et Or — 1-7
Bishop’s Gaiters — 1-7

Atlantic University Sport (AUS)

Saint Mary’s Huskies — 8-0
St. FX X-Men — 5-3
Acadia Axemen — 2-6
Mount Allison Mounties — 1-7