September 12, 2006
NO. 3...AND COUNTING
OTTAWA (CIS) - A man named Champagne helped Laval remain the toast of CIS football.
Receiver Samuel Gregoire-Champagne had seven catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a hard-fought 25-21 season-opening win over arch-rival Montreal on Sunday to help the Rouge et Or remain the No. 1 team in Canada for a third consecutive week.
Trailing 21-18 in the fourth quarter, Gregoire-Champagne gave a capacity Quebec City crowd of 18,120 reason to cheer after making good on an 81-yard score with six minutes 14 seconds remaining.
Fans were also left cheering a Laval defence which caused four interceptions among eight turnovers.
Laval, which had its CIS-record 19 -game win streak end in the 2005 Mitchell Bowl after a two-point loss to Saskatchewan, has defeated Montreal eight times in nine meetings since the Carabins joined the CIS in 2001.
The No. 1 Rouge et Or (1-0) visits the McGill Redmen (0-1) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET) in one of 13 games scheduled this weekend, 12 on Saturday. Laval defeated McGill 10-2 back on Sept. 29, 1996 to claim its first-ever CIS victory, and has since compiled a 14-3 overall record against the Redmen.
The Saskatchewan Huskies remain No. 2 in the CIS following a 38-14 win over provincial rival Regina, their eighth consecutive success against the Rams.
Scott Stevens rushed 27 times for 190 yards and a pair of scores as the 2-0 Huskies went on a 9-0 run in the first quarter and scored 15 unanswered points in the third frame.
Saskatchewan visits Simon Fraser (0-1) on Saturday. The Clan is winless in its last 10 outings dating back to 2004.
The undefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees move up one spot to assume the No. 3 ranking following a 29-19 road win against the defending Vanier Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
Josh Sacobie threw two touchdown passes in a 1:39 span of the third quarter as 2-0 Ottawa overcame a 12-3 deficit to end Laurier's 21-game win streak against OUA opponents dating back to the 2003 season. Gee-Gees player-of-the-game Davie Masson rushed for a game-high 153 yards.
Ottawa hosts the 2-0 McMaster Marauders Saturday (7 p.m. ET) at Frank Clair Stadium.
The Montreal Carabins drop one spot to No. 4 following the nail-biting road loss Sunday to top-ranked Laval.
The Carabins put up 305 yards of net offence against the three-time Quebec champions but were hurt by eight turnovers, the last one an interception in the Rouge et Or end zone as time expired.
Montreal (0-1) is at home Saturday (1 p.m. ET) to the Concordia Stingers (1-0). The Carabins, riding a 15-game win streak against opponents other than Montreal, have defeated the Stingers four straight times.
McMaster jumps one spot to No. 5 this week.
The nation's second-most potent offence behind Windsor produced 651 yards in net attack and running back Andre Sadeghian had 119 yards rushing with three touchdowns in a 60-9 win over Waterloo.
The 2-0 Marauders may have their toughest road test yet in a Saturday date (7 p.m. ET) with No. 3 Ottawa. McMaster is 6-0 overall versus Ottawa since the Gee-Gees re-joined the OUA in 2001.
The Manitoba Bisons are at No. 6, up one spot from last week after scoring 10 touchdowns and setting numerous team records in a 77-7 road win over Simon Fraser in Chilliwacks, B.C.
Manitoba, 2-0, established new benchmarks for points in a game, margin of victory, points in a half (41), first downs (34) and majors as quarterback Jon Mackie had three touchdowns off 15 completions for 276 yards.
The Bisons host the 0-2 Calgary Dinos on Saturday (1 p.m. CT).
Acadia moves up one spot to No. 7 coming off a 34-9 home win over Mount Allison to open the AUS season.
Acadia's Ivan Birungi's 24th career touchdown catch came in the fourth quarter to put the fourth-year receiver from Pickering, Ont., just one off the AUS all-time record with seven conference games remaining.
Axemen quarterback Chris Judd passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns.
Acadia (1-0) travels to Halifax for a Friday night date (7 p.m. AT) with Saint Mary's, which finds itself 0-1 for the first time since 1999 following a two-point loss to StFX.
The No. 8 Golden Hawks are finding their Vanier Cup title defence difficult after the reigning national champions dropped a 29-19 home game to Ottawa, before dropping three spots in the Top 10.
The scoreboard read 21-12 Gee-Gees in the fourth quarter when Laurier quarterback Jamie Partington found Dustin Heap for a 15-yard touchdown and flash of comeback hope. This lasted five seconds as the special teams allowed a 49-yard return for a score on the ensuing on-side kick.
Ryan Lynch rushed 20 times for 113 yards for the Golden Hawks, which travels for a Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) game against York (0-2).
The UBC Thunderbirds remain at No. 9 despite coming off a bye week in the seven-team Canada West. UBC beat Calgary 22-16 in week one, out-scoring the Dinos 17-7 in the fourth quarter.
The Thunderbirds (1-0) are at Alberta (1-1) Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. MT). UBC's last win over the Golden Bears came in Edmonton on Oct. 25, 2002 (32-7).
An unlikely source kept the Bears among Canada's elite at No. 10 for the second straight week.
Linebacker-kicker Scott Stevenson's third field goal of the day came from 22 yards with four seconds left in regulation as Alberta recorded a 17-15 win at Calgary last Saturday. Stevenson, a surprise pick to kick out of training camp, is now five-for-six on the season.
Golden Bears freshman tailback Tendayi Jozzy rushed 28 times for 187 yards to sit second in the nation with 359 rushing yards after his first two conference games.
Alberta (1-1) hosts No. 9 UBC (1-0) Saturday (2 p.m. MT).
CIS Football Top 10 (#3)
Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a first-place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Football Top Ten Committee is made up of 15 media members from across Canada. A total of 10 national rankings will be released for the 2006 season, with the final Top 10 being released once all teams have completed the regular season.
Pts (1st place) Last week
1. Laval (1-0) - 149 (14) - 1
2. Saskatchewan (2-0) - 130 (1) - 2
3. Ottawa (2-0) - 116 - 4
4. Montreal (0-1) - 107 - 3
5. McMaster (2-0) - 79 - 6
6. Manitoba (2-0) - 76 - 7
7. Acadia (1-0) - 54 - 8
8. Wilfrid Laurier (1-1) - 49 - 5
9. UBC (1-0) - 28 - 9
10. Alberta (1-1) - 15 - 10
Other teams receiving votes: Concordia (12), StFX (7), Queen's (6), Western Ontario (3)
CIS Football Week 3 Schedule (all times LOCAL)
Friday, Sept. 15
7 p.m. Acadia at Saint Mary's
Saturday, Sept. 16
1 p.m. Waterloo at Toronto
1 p.m. Laval at McGill
1 p.m. Concordia at Montreal
1 p.m. UBC at Alberta
1 p.m. Calgary at Manitoba
2 p.m. Windsor at Queen's, The Score
2 p.m. Laurier at York
2 p.m. StFX at Mount Allison, EastLink
7 p.m. Guelph at Western
7 p.m. McMaster at Ottawa, Rogers (8 p.m.)
7 p.m. Bishop's at Sherbrooke, RDS
7 p.m. Saskatchewan at Simon Fraser
-CIS-
(Source: Michel Bélanger, CIS Communications Manager)
(Photo: Ottawa running bach Dave Masson flashes a double-bicep pose, letting the rabid faithful at Laurier's University Stadium know what the scoreboard says. Photo by OUA.)
Receiver Samuel Gregoire-Champagne had seven catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a hard-fought 25-21 season-opening win over arch-rival Montreal on Sunday to help the Rouge et Or remain the No. 1 team in Canada for a third consecutive week.
Trailing 21-18 in the fourth quarter, Gregoire-Champagne gave a capacity Quebec City crowd of 18,120 reason to cheer after making good on an 81-yard score with six minutes 14 seconds remaining.
Fans were also left cheering a Laval defence which caused four interceptions among eight turnovers.
Laval, which had its CIS-record 19 -game win streak end in the 2005 Mitchell Bowl after a two-point loss to Saskatchewan, has defeated Montreal eight times in nine meetings since the Carabins joined the CIS in 2001.
The No. 1 Rouge et Or (1-0) visits the McGill Redmen (0-1) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET) in one of 13 games scheduled this weekend, 12 on Saturday. Laval defeated McGill 10-2 back on Sept. 29, 1996 to claim its first-ever CIS victory, and has since compiled a 14-3 overall record against the Redmen.
The Saskatchewan Huskies remain No. 2 in the CIS following a 38-14 win over provincial rival Regina, their eighth consecutive success against the Rams.
Scott Stevens rushed 27 times for 190 yards and a pair of scores as the 2-0 Huskies went on a 9-0 run in the first quarter and scored 15 unanswered points in the third frame.
Saskatchewan visits Simon Fraser (0-1) on Saturday. The Clan is winless in its last 10 outings dating back to 2004.
The undefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees move up one spot to assume the No. 3 ranking following a 29-19 road win against the defending Vanier Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
Josh Sacobie threw two touchdown passes in a 1:39 span of the third quarter as 2-0 Ottawa overcame a 12-3 deficit to end Laurier's 21-game win streak against OUA opponents dating back to the 2003 season. Gee-Gees player-of-the-game Davie Masson rushed for a game-high 153 yards.
Ottawa hosts the 2-0 McMaster Marauders Saturday (7 p.m. ET) at Frank Clair Stadium.
The Montreal Carabins drop one spot to No. 4 following the nail-biting road loss Sunday to top-ranked Laval.
The Carabins put up 305 yards of net offence against the three-time Quebec champions but were hurt by eight turnovers, the last one an interception in the Rouge et Or end zone as time expired.
Montreal (0-1) is at home Saturday (1 p.m. ET) to the Concordia Stingers (1-0). The Carabins, riding a 15-game win streak against opponents other than Montreal, have defeated the Stingers four straight times.
McMaster jumps one spot to No. 5 this week.
The nation's second-most potent offence behind Windsor produced 651 yards in net attack and running back Andre Sadeghian had 119 yards rushing with three touchdowns in a 60-9 win over Waterloo.
The 2-0 Marauders may have their toughest road test yet in a Saturday date (7 p.m. ET) with No. 3 Ottawa. McMaster is 6-0 overall versus Ottawa since the Gee-Gees re-joined the OUA in 2001.
The Manitoba Bisons are at No. 6, up one spot from last week after scoring 10 touchdowns and setting numerous team records in a 77-7 road win over Simon Fraser in Chilliwacks, B.C.
Manitoba, 2-0, established new benchmarks for points in a game, margin of victory, points in a half (41), first downs (34) and majors as quarterback Jon Mackie had three touchdowns off 15 completions for 276 yards.
The Bisons host the 0-2 Calgary Dinos on Saturday (1 p.m. CT).
Acadia moves up one spot to No. 7 coming off a 34-9 home win over Mount Allison to open the AUS season.
Acadia's Ivan Birungi's 24th career touchdown catch came in the fourth quarter to put the fourth-year receiver from Pickering, Ont., just one off the AUS all-time record with seven conference games remaining.
Axemen quarterback Chris Judd passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns.
Acadia (1-0) travels to Halifax for a Friday night date (7 p.m. AT) with Saint Mary's, which finds itself 0-1 for the first time since 1999 following a two-point loss to StFX.
The No. 8 Golden Hawks are finding their Vanier Cup title defence difficult after the reigning national champions dropped a 29-19 home game to Ottawa, before dropping three spots in the Top 10.
The scoreboard read 21-12 Gee-Gees in the fourth quarter when Laurier quarterback Jamie Partington found Dustin Heap for a 15-yard touchdown and flash of comeback hope. This lasted five seconds as the special teams allowed a 49-yard return for a score on the ensuing on-side kick.
Ryan Lynch rushed 20 times for 113 yards for the Golden Hawks, which travels for a Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) game against York (0-2).
The UBC Thunderbirds remain at No. 9 despite coming off a bye week in the seven-team Canada West. UBC beat Calgary 22-16 in week one, out-scoring the Dinos 17-7 in the fourth quarter.
The Thunderbirds (1-0) are at Alberta (1-1) Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. MT). UBC's last win over the Golden Bears came in Edmonton on Oct. 25, 2002 (32-7).
An unlikely source kept the Bears among Canada's elite at No. 10 for the second straight week.
Linebacker-kicker Scott Stevenson's third field goal of the day came from 22 yards with four seconds left in regulation as Alberta recorded a 17-15 win at Calgary last Saturday. Stevenson, a surprise pick to kick out of training camp, is now five-for-six on the season.
Golden Bears freshman tailback Tendayi Jozzy rushed 28 times for 187 yards to sit second in the nation with 359 rushing yards after his first two conference games.
Alberta (1-1) hosts No. 9 UBC (1-0) Saturday (2 p.m. MT).
CIS Football Top 10 (#3)
Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a first-place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Football Top Ten Committee is made up of 15 media members from across Canada. A total of 10 national rankings will be released for the 2006 season, with the final Top 10 being released once all teams have completed the regular season.
Pts (1st place) Last week
1. Laval (1-0) - 149 (14) - 1
2. Saskatchewan (2-0) - 130 (1) - 2
3. Ottawa (2-0) - 116 - 4
4. Montreal (0-1) - 107 - 3
5. McMaster (2-0) - 79 - 6
6. Manitoba (2-0) - 76 - 7
7. Acadia (1-0) - 54 - 8
8. Wilfrid Laurier (1-1) - 49 - 5
9. UBC (1-0) - 28 - 9
10. Alberta (1-1) - 15 - 10
Other teams receiving votes: Concordia (12), StFX (7), Queen's (6), Western Ontario (3)
CIS Football Week 3 Schedule (all times LOCAL)
Friday, Sept. 15
7 p.m. Acadia at Saint Mary's
Saturday, Sept. 16
1 p.m. Waterloo at Toronto
1 p.m. Laval at McGill
1 p.m. Concordia at Montreal
1 p.m. UBC at Alberta
1 p.m. Calgary at Manitoba
2 p.m. Windsor at Queen's, The Score
2 p.m. Laurier at York
2 p.m. StFX at Mount Allison, EastLink
7 p.m. Guelph at Western
7 p.m. McMaster at Ottawa, Rogers (8 p.m.)
7 p.m. Bishop's at Sherbrooke, RDS
7 p.m. Saskatchewan at Simon Fraser
-CIS-
(Source: Michel Bélanger, CIS Communications Manager)
(Photo: Ottawa running bach Dave Masson flashes a double-bicep pose, letting the rabid faithful at Laurier's University Stadium know what the scoreboard says. Photo by OUA.)
