September 6, 2005
WESTERN KICKS OFF 2005 FOOTBALL SEASON WITH BIG ROAD WIN
WESTERN 70 U OF T 1
The University of Western Ontario Mustangs reeled off 28 third quarter points and cruised to 70-1 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in OUA football’s 2005 season opener. In front of crowd of 786 at Varsity Stadium, the Mustangs took command of the contest on the ground, with running backs Randy McAuley and D.J. Bennett both scampering for over 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns each. Bennett gained 152 yards on 19 carries, with McAuley tallying 155 yards on just eight carries, which included an 84-yard touchdown run.
Western held a 21-1 advantage at the half, with the Varsity Blues failing to convert on a pair of great scoring opportunities early on. U of T kicker Joe Valtellini missed a 25-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter and after the Varsity Blues failed to find the end zone on a first-and-five, Valtellini then knocked a 12-yard chip shot wide for a single.
U of T’s scoring opportunities came on the back of Marc Gaudett. The second-year running back bulled his way to 139 yards on 22 carries to lead the Varsity Blues’ offence.
Western was also too much for U of T in the air with starting quarterback Mike Faulds connecting on 12-of-14 pass attempts for 261 yards and three touchdowns. CIS all-Canadian Andy Fantuz was his prime target, hauling in five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jay Leroy and Greg Ross also had receiving touchdowns for the Mustangs. Western’s Mike Bonk caught a touchdown pass and ran for another, while Nick Kordic had a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown to complete the Mustangs scoring.
Western finished the afternoon with 689 yards of total offence, compared to 258 from the Varsity Blues.
(Source: Adrian Bradbury, University of Toronto Sports Information)
YORK 20 WATERLOO 16
The York Lions football team jumped out to an early 18-3 lead and hung on to defeat the Waterlooo Warriors 20-16 in the 2005 OUA season opener for both teams.
In front of a crowd of 2,026 at York Stadium, Lions quarterback Bart Zemanek went 15-of-33 for 247 yards with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. York running back Andre Durie (shown above) rushed for 184 yards on 27 carries but was kept out of the endzone by the Waterloo defense. Warrior quarterback Jon Morbey was 20-of-40 for 189 yards and one touchdown.
After Ian Nichol gave Waterloo a quick lead with a 22-yard field goal, Zemanek threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Hudson and then a two-yard touchdown strike to Jocelyn Courcelles before the end of the opening quarter. Nichol would hit a pair of field goals from 19 and 17 yards to cut the York lead to 18-9 at the half. The only scoring in the third frame was a pair of singles by York's David Navo on a missed field goal and a 37-yard punt.
Morbey would pull the Warriors within four with a 16-yard touchdown toss to Eddie Gobran five minutes into the final quarter. Waterloo had success moving the ball in the late stages of the contest but was unable to find the endzone. Strong management of the clock by Zemanek and some solid runs from Durie in the final minutes of the game prevented a Warrior comeback.
(Source: Jim McLarty, York University Sports Information)
MCMASTER 29 WINDSOR 22
The #7 McMaster Marauders started off the 2005 season with a 29-22 win in front of a capacity crowd of 4,285 people in the new University of Windsor Stadium.
Adam Archibald completed 20-of-40 passes for 292 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Rookie Jordan Kozina showed great toughness and elusiveness in his first ever OUA game, rushing nine times for 71 yards, all in the second half.
The Marauders’ Jon Behie, who left the game with a sore shoulder, caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Vaughan Swart also had five receptions for 74 yards. Seven different receivers caught a pass from Archibald on the day.
For the Lancers, quarterback Jon Dent completed 17 of 28 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, with five interceptions. Running back Daryl Stephenson had to work hard for all of his yards on the ground, as he carried the ball 23 times for 82 yards.
The first half featured a mix of big plays and costly turnovers, with McMaster leading Windsor by a score of 19-14 at the break. The half was highlighted by a 45-yard Archibald touchdown pass to Behie and a 40-yard interception touchdown return by new cornerback Shaka Licorish.
In the second half, neither team was able to create much on offence until late in the fourth quarter. Dent connected with Arjei Franklin on a 75-yd touchdown play that tied the game 22-22 with five minutes to play. It was the second TD connection between the two players, as Franklin caught seven passes for 192 yards on the day. However, in their next offensive set, Dent was picked off by Mac's Jesse Card who returned the ball 79 yards for the touchdown to give McMaster the lead for good, 29-22.
(Source: Chris Black, McMaster University)
LAURIER 45 QUEEN'S 0
The Queen's Golden Gaels opened their 2005 regular season with a 45-0 loss against the defending Yates Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. A crowd of 7,500 at Richardson Stadium witnessed the first shutout of the football Gaels since a similar 45-0 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Gee-Gees on October 7, 2000.
The Golden Hawks received some offensive leadership from starting pivot Ryan Pyear, who completed 17-of-23 attempts for 212 yards before taking a rest for much of the fourth quarter. Running back Nick Cameron gained 169 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Hawks' finished with 267 yards rushing.
Laurier opened the game with a 12-play, 72-yard drive, culminating with a two-yard rushing major by Bryon Hickey. Later in the opening quarter, the Hawks capitalised on a Queen's fumble deep in their own end to add another touchdown from Pyear to take a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.
Queen's pulled starting quarterback Ali Clarkson at the start of the fourth quarter after completing five of 10 attempts for 56 yards and one interception. Freshman backup Danny Brannagan, the quarterback for Canada's 2005 World Junior Football Gold medal-winning squad, came on in relief and breathed some life into Queen's offence. Though unable to get his team onto the score sheet, Brannagan completed 10-of-16 attempts for 110 yards. Laurier added another rushing touchdown by Jon Coates before rounding out the scoring with another field goal and rouge from kicker Chris Mamo.
For Queen's, wide receiver Scott Valberg was the leading receiver with seven receptions for 72 yards. Chris Rogan gained 39 yards on the ground on eight carries, almost dead-even with Clarkson, who accounted for 40 yards on four carries.
(Source: Ian Speers, Queen’s University Sports Information)
OTTAWA 48 GUELPH 31
Sophomore quarterback Josh Sacobie threw for a game-high 376-yards with three touchdowns and scored three more on the ground as the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees knocked off the University of Guelph Gryphons 48-31, before 5,000 fans at Frank Clair Stadium on Sunday night.
Sacobie, who was making his first opening day start, completed 26 of the 34 passes including two touchdown strikes to second-year receiver David Crane. Adam Nicolson caught seven passes for a game-high 132 yards.
Guelph starter Matt Bryans went 6-of 21-for 101-yards including an 80-yard bomb to Jeff Keegan early in the second quarter.
Guelph opened the scoring with a touchdown following a Sacobie fumble on their own 30-yard line. Sacobie attempted to hand the ball off to Shanori Knibbs, but the exchange failed and the ball was recovered by Chris Decker, who ran the ball back 25-yards before handing it off to Andrew Oosterhuis. Oosterhuis ran another 55 yards into end-zone.
Ottawa replied with vengeance, scoring 14-points in the final 3:58 of the opening period. After leading the Garnet and Grey on a nine-play, 73-yard drive, Sacobie scored his first major of the season, plunging in from the one-yard line. After Guelph went two-and-out on their next possession, Sacobie marched the Gee-Gees down field for another score as he connected with Crane for his first major of the evening.
With the game tied 31-31, Ara Tchobanian put the Gee-Gees ahead for good when he booted a career-high 41 yard field goal with 13:49 to play in the game. Ottawa would add two more majors to round out the scoring.
(Source: Caroline McNicoll, University of Ottawa Sports Information)
Photo: Star running back Andre Durie of the York Lions heads up field with Waterloo Warrior defenders in pursuit. Durie racked up 184 yards on the ground in the 20-16 York win. Photo taken by Andrew Craig.
The University of Western Ontario Mustangs reeled off 28 third quarter points and cruised to 70-1 victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in OUA football’s 2005 season opener. In front of crowd of 786 at Varsity Stadium, the Mustangs took command of the contest on the ground, with running backs Randy McAuley and D.J. Bennett both scampering for over 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns each. Bennett gained 152 yards on 19 carries, with McAuley tallying 155 yards on just eight carries, which included an 84-yard touchdown run.
Western held a 21-1 advantage at the half, with the Varsity Blues failing to convert on a pair of great scoring opportunities early on. U of T kicker Joe Valtellini missed a 25-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter and after the Varsity Blues failed to find the end zone on a first-and-five, Valtellini then knocked a 12-yard chip shot wide for a single.
U of T’s scoring opportunities came on the back of Marc Gaudett. The second-year running back bulled his way to 139 yards on 22 carries to lead the Varsity Blues’ offence.
Western was also too much for U of T in the air with starting quarterback Mike Faulds connecting on 12-of-14 pass attempts for 261 yards and three touchdowns. CIS all-Canadian Andy Fantuz was his prime target, hauling in five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jay Leroy and Greg Ross also had receiving touchdowns for the Mustangs. Western’s Mike Bonk caught a touchdown pass and ran for another, while Nick Kordic had a 17-yard interception return for a touchdown to complete the Mustangs scoring.
Western finished the afternoon with 689 yards of total offence, compared to 258 from the Varsity Blues.
(Source: Adrian Bradbury, University of Toronto Sports Information)
YORK 20 WATERLOO 16
The York Lions football team jumped out to an early 18-3 lead and hung on to defeat the Waterlooo Warriors 20-16 in the 2005 OUA season opener for both teams.
In front of a crowd of 2,026 at York Stadium, Lions quarterback Bart Zemanek went 15-of-33 for 247 yards with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. York running back Andre Durie (shown above) rushed for 184 yards on 27 carries but was kept out of the endzone by the Waterloo defense. Warrior quarterback Jon Morbey was 20-of-40 for 189 yards and one touchdown.
After Ian Nichol gave Waterloo a quick lead with a 22-yard field goal, Zemanek threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Hudson and then a two-yard touchdown strike to Jocelyn Courcelles before the end of the opening quarter. Nichol would hit a pair of field goals from 19 and 17 yards to cut the York lead to 18-9 at the half. The only scoring in the third frame was a pair of singles by York's David Navo on a missed field goal and a 37-yard punt.
Morbey would pull the Warriors within four with a 16-yard touchdown toss to Eddie Gobran five minutes into the final quarter. Waterloo had success moving the ball in the late stages of the contest but was unable to find the endzone. Strong management of the clock by Zemanek and some solid runs from Durie in the final minutes of the game prevented a Warrior comeback.
(Source: Jim McLarty, York University Sports Information)
MCMASTER 29 WINDSOR 22
The #7 McMaster Marauders started off the 2005 season with a 29-22 win in front of a capacity crowd of 4,285 people in the new University of Windsor Stadium.
Adam Archibald completed 20-of-40 passes for 292 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Rookie Jordan Kozina showed great toughness and elusiveness in his first ever OUA game, rushing nine times for 71 yards, all in the second half.
The Marauders’ Jon Behie, who left the game with a sore shoulder, caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Vaughan Swart also had five receptions for 74 yards. Seven different receivers caught a pass from Archibald on the day.
For the Lancers, quarterback Jon Dent completed 17 of 28 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, with five interceptions. Running back Daryl Stephenson had to work hard for all of his yards on the ground, as he carried the ball 23 times for 82 yards.
The first half featured a mix of big plays and costly turnovers, with McMaster leading Windsor by a score of 19-14 at the break. The half was highlighted by a 45-yard Archibald touchdown pass to Behie and a 40-yard interception touchdown return by new cornerback Shaka Licorish.
In the second half, neither team was able to create much on offence until late in the fourth quarter. Dent connected with Arjei Franklin on a 75-yd touchdown play that tied the game 22-22 with five minutes to play. It was the second TD connection between the two players, as Franklin caught seven passes for 192 yards on the day. However, in their next offensive set, Dent was picked off by Mac's Jesse Card who returned the ball 79 yards for the touchdown to give McMaster the lead for good, 29-22.
(Source: Chris Black, McMaster University)
LAURIER 45 QUEEN'S 0
The Queen's Golden Gaels opened their 2005 regular season with a 45-0 loss against the defending Yates Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. A crowd of 7,500 at Richardson Stadium witnessed the first shutout of the football Gaels since a similar 45-0 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Gee-Gees on October 7, 2000.
The Golden Hawks received some offensive leadership from starting pivot Ryan Pyear, who completed 17-of-23 attempts for 212 yards before taking a rest for much of the fourth quarter. Running back Nick Cameron gained 169 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Hawks' finished with 267 yards rushing.
Laurier opened the game with a 12-play, 72-yard drive, culminating with a two-yard rushing major by Bryon Hickey. Later in the opening quarter, the Hawks capitalised on a Queen's fumble deep in their own end to add another touchdown from Pyear to take a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.
Queen's pulled starting quarterback Ali Clarkson at the start of the fourth quarter after completing five of 10 attempts for 56 yards and one interception. Freshman backup Danny Brannagan, the quarterback for Canada's 2005 World Junior Football Gold medal-winning squad, came on in relief and breathed some life into Queen's offence. Though unable to get his team onto the score sheet, Brannagan completed 10-of-16 attempts for 110 yards. Laurier added another rushing touchdown by Jon Coates before rounding out the scoring with another field goal and rouge from kicker Chris Mamo.
For Queen's, wide receiver Scott Valberg was the leading receiver with seven receptions for 72 yards. Chris Rogan gained 39 yards on the ground on eight carries, almost dead-even with Clarkson, who accounted for 40 yards on four carries.
(Source: Ian Speers, Queen’s University Sports Information)
OTTAWA 48 GUELPH 31
Sophomore quarterback Josh Sacobie threw for a game-high 376-yards with three touchdowns and scored three more on the ground as the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees knocked off the University of Guelph Gryphons 48-31, before 5,000 fans at Frank Clair Stadium on Sunday night.
Sacobie, who was making his first opening day start, completed 26 of the 34 passes including two touchdown strikes to second-year receiver David Crane. Adam Nicolson caught seven passes for a game-high 132 yards.
Guelph starter Matt Bryans went 6-of 21-for 101-yards including an 80-yard bomb to Jeff Keegan early in the second quarter.
Guelph opened the scoring with a touchdown following a Sacobie fumble on their own 30-yard line. Sacobie attempted to hand the ball off to Shanori Knibbs, but the exchange failed and the ball was recovered by Chris Decker, who ran the ball back 25-yards before handing it off to Andrew Oosterhuis. Oosterhuis ran another 55 yards into end-zone.
Ottawa replied with vengeance, scoring 14-points in the final 3:58 of the opening period. After leading the Garnet and Grey on a nine-play, 73-yard drive, Sacobie scored his first major of the season, plunging in from the one-yard line. After Guelph went two-and-out on their next possession, Sacobie marched the Gee-Gees down field for another score as he connected with Crane for his first major of the evening.
With the game tied 31-31, Ara Tchobanian put the Gee-Gees ahead for good when he booted a career-high 41 yard field goal with 13:49 to play in the game. Ottawa would add two more majors to round out the scoring.
(Source: Caroline McNicoll, University of Ottawa Sports Information)
Photo: Star running back Andre Durie of the York Lions heads up field with Waterloo Warrior defenders in pursuit. Durie racked up 184 yards on the ground in the 20-16 York win. Photo taken by Andrew Craig.
