October 3, 2009
VARSITY BLUES KEEP ARGO CUP WITH WIN OVER LIONS IN RED & BLUE BOWL
TORONTO - York University Lions quarterback Nick Coutu's career-high three touchdown passes were not enough against the University of Toronto on Saturday as the Varsity Blues defeated the Lions 45-27 in the 40th annual Red & Blue Bowl at York Stadium.
Coutu (St. Catharines, Ont.) had the best game of his career despite two interceptions. He finished the day with eight completions for 161 yards and rushed for another 76 yards on 10 carries. All three of his touchdown throws were to Johnny Peyton (Dade City, Fla.), who had his best day in a Lions uniform with four catches for 93 yards.
For the first time this season, the Lions leading rusher was Myles Daly (Ajax, Ont.), who ran for 84 yards on nine carries. Jacob Appiah (Etobicoke, Ont.) added 63 yards on 19 carries.
The Lions other points came on a Jason Marshall (Innisfil, Ont.) 70-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
It was an exciting game for York's 2009 homecoming celebration and the weather held out long enough for everyone to enjoy themselves. It was pouring rain before the opening kick-off but the skies remained clear during the game and the sun even made an appearance. The crowd was filled with hundreds of people dressed in red and white cheering hard for their Lions. As part of the festivities a trip to Cancun was awarded at half-time, free T-shirts were given out and prizes were awarded throughout the game.
On the field, the Varsity Blues (1-4) got off to a quick start, scoring their first touchdown less than five minutes in and adding another two and a field goal before the end of the quarter to blow the game open early. Several mistakes by the Lions (0-5) gave Toronto short fields on each drive as all four scoring plays began no further out than the 46-yard line. When York was able to get the ball back the team couldn't do anything with it, recording zero first downs in the quarter.
Blues quarterback Jansen Shrubb (Toronto), starting his first career game in OUA, threw the first two TD passes to Jon Wright (Belleville, Ont.) and ran for the third on a one-yard score. Shrubb finished the game with 20 completions for 322 passing yards and three touchdowns, all to Wright. Wright had 10 receptions on the day for a total of 187 yards.
Mid-way through the second quarter, the Lions punted the ball at the end of one drive but a penalty moved them up five yards and gave them the option to punt again. The Lions decided to do so but paid for it dearly as Toronto's Matt Morris (Scarborough, Ont.) returned the punt 67 yards for a touchdown to make the score 31-0.
From there York finally found its groove, starting with the Lions first touchdown of the day on a Coutu 38-yard pass to Peyton just minutes before the half.
Marshall's touchdown followed at the start of the third before Jordan Scheltgen (Surrey, B.C.) pushed the ball into the end zone from one yard out. Coutu connected with Peyton again on a stunning throw to complete a nine-play, 91-yard drive and close the gap to 38-20.
But before the Lions could get any closer, the Varsity Blues scored another touchdown on their first play of the next drive on an 80-yard pass from Shrubb to Wright. York added its final score with 2:48 left on the clock but time ran out before any more points could be scored.
“I thought the team played pretty well in the second half,” said Lions head coach Mike McLean. “But to go out and lay an egg like that in the first quarter, it's just too hard to come back from that. We have a very young team and we need to learn from this and move forward.”
The Varsity Blues have now won two straight Red & Blue Bowls and lead the overall series 24-16.
The Lions don't have much time to regroup with a game against the Western Mustangs (4-1) in London, Ont. scheduled for Thursday evening. The Mustangs were undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the country heading into Saturday's contest but dropped a 42-35 decision to the McMaster Marauders at home. Kick-off for the York at Western game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
The Varsity Blues also play on Thursday as they visit the McMaster Marauders (3-2) in a 7 p.m. start at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.
Source: York Lions
Coutu (St. Catharines, Ont.) had the best game of his career despite two interceptions. He finished the day with eight completions for 161 yards and rushed for another 76 yards on 10 carries. All three of his touchdown throws were to Johnny Peyton (Dade City, Fla.), who had his best day in a Lions uniform with four catches for 93 yards.
For the first time this season, the Lions leading rusher was Myles Daly (Ajax, Ont.), who ran for 84 yards on nine carries. Jacob Appiah (Etobicoke, Ont.) added 63 yards on 19 carries.
The Lions other points came on a Jason Marshall (Innisfil, Ont.) 70-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
It was an exciting game for York's 2009 homecoming celebration and the weather held out long enough for everyone to enjoy themselves. It was pouring rain before the opening kick-off but the skies remained clear during the game and the sun even made an appearance. The crowd was filled with hundreds of people dressed in red and white cheering hard for their Lions. As part of the festivities a trip to Cancun was awarded at half-time, free T-shirts were given out and prizes were awarded throughout the game.
On the field, the Varsity Blues (1-4) got off to a quick start, scoring their first touchdown less than five minutes in and adding another two and a field goal before the end of the quarter to blow the game open early. Several mistakes by the Lions (0-5) gave Toronto short fields on each drive as all four scoring plays began no further out than the 46-yard line. When York was able to get the ball back the team couldn't do anything with it, recording zero first downs in the quarter.
Blues quarterback Jansen Shrubb (Toronto), starting his first career game in OUA, threw the first two TD passes to Jon Wright (Belleville, Ont.) and ran for the third on a one-yard score. Shrubb finished the game with 20 completions for 322 passing yards and three touchdowns, all to Wright. Wright had 10 receptions on the day for a total of 187 yards.
Mid-way through the second quarter, the Lions punted the ball at the end of one drive but a penalty moved them up five yards and gave them the option to punt again. The Lions decided to do so but paid for it dearly as Toronto's Matt Morris (Scarborough, Ont.) returned the punt 67 yards for a touchdown to make the score 31-0.
From there York finally found its groove, starting with the Lions first touchdown of the day on a Coutu 38-yard pass to Peyton just minutes before the half.
Marshall's touchdown followed at the start of the third before Jordan Scheltgen (Surrey, B.C.) pushed the ball into the end zone from one yard out. Coutu connected with Peyton again on a stunning throw to complete a nine-play, 91-yard drive and close the gap to 38-20.
But before the Lions could get any closer, the Varsity Blues scored another touchdown on their first play of the next drive on an 80-yard pass from Shrubb to Wright. York added its final score with 2:48 left on the clock but time ran out before any more points could be scored.
“I thought the team played pretty well in the second half,” said Lions head coach Mike McLean. “But to go out and lay an egg like that in the first quarter, it's just too hard to come back from that. We have a very young team and we need to learn from this and move forward.”
The Varsity Blues have now won two straight Red & Blue Bowls and lead the overall series 24-16.
The Lions don't have much time to regroup with a game against the Western Mustangs (4-1) in London, Ont. scheduled for Thursday evening. The Mustangs were undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the country heading into Saturday's contest but dropped a 42-35 decision to the McMaster Marauders at home. Kick-off for the York at Western game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
The Varsity Blues also play on Thursday as they visit the McMaster Marauders (3-2) in a 7 p.m. start at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.
Source: York Lions
