IN THE HUDDLE: And then there were two.

And then there were two.
November 10, 2010

For many it's a predictable Yates Cup pairing.

The Ottawa Gee-Gees are there after hanging on to beat the Laurier Golden Hawks by the slimmest of margins. The Western Mustangs are there because Greg Marshall is their head coach and he gets to Yates Cup finals as a rite of November.

Let the game begin.

Last Saturday we, the fans, were rewarded for our loyalty to this incredibly exciting -- yet still under appreciated -- level of the sport. We either went to the games or watched the doubleheader on theScore and were riveted watching in anticipation of the next big play, or the impending upset that sadly for two schools never happened.

We watched as Brad Sinopoli dropped back into the pocket and held our breath as he released long pass after long pass and we either hoped for the big play to materialize or for the knockdown or interception. We saw plenty of each.

We saw the most exciting final 14 minutes of a game that produced only three points anyone can remember. Those three points the result of an outstanding hold.

McMaster made us think upset early, scorching the 'Stangs for almost 200 yards of offence in the first quarter. Then we saw big returns and shovel passes and rouges and quarterback punts. We saw what makes Canadian football unique and you know what? Whether the team we were cheering for was making the big plays or giving them up we loved every minute of the experience.

It was one of those afternoons that make you remember why we love this game so damn much.

Yates Cup Final, Western at Ottawa:

There's an old boxing axiom that states that styles make the fight. If that's the case this year's championship game should be Ali/Foreman or Hagler/Hearns. Ottawa's air show vs. Western's ground game. That may be an over simplification of things but it's the difference in the way the offences attack their opponents that make this game extremely interesting.

As spectacular as some of the quarterbacks have been over the last handful of years in the OUA it's hard to argue that any pivot has been as out and out scary as Brad Sinopoli. Every time he drops back and begins his delivery you anticipate something big is going to happen. He's blessed with a tremendous arm and loves throwing deep, then deeper, then deeper still. If just one of those attempts works per quarter that's a fast 28 points. Western has to be able to slow him down. Laurier had outstanding coverage on two of Ottawa deep balls that still resulted in 14 points for the garnet and grey.

Ottawa will be tested by the Mustangs ground game. Nathan Riva and Jerimy Hipperson both had big games last week and Western would benefit by seeing Donnie Marshall carry the ball more than five times. Marshall has to be much smarter with the ball this week. It's tough to know what he saw on the first pick he threw in the second half, followed by another on the next series. When in doubt, take off. The kid can fly.

I'm actually hoping for another close game and hoping that Western has a lead with about 10 minutes left in the game. The reason? I want to see which prevails, Western's ability to run the ball when Ottawa knows it's coming, or the Gee-Gees' ability to strike quickly and come from behind when the 'Stangs know what's coming. That scenario is much more intriguing to me than seeing Ottawa try to milk the clock or Western forced into a passing attack.

Either way, I'm hoping for a fantastic game from two teams that deserve to be playing on Saturday. Good luck to each.

Notes: If DB hurdling ever becomes an Olympic sport Shamawd Chambers may be the gold-medal favourite...It was nice to see the shovel pass used in both games. Every time I see the play used I harken back to the Doug Flutie era with the Argos when that was a main component of the offence. In one game in Regina the club ran the usual shovel to RB Robert Drummond. Later they faked the same play to Drummond, Flutie took another two steps back, then shoveled it to Pinball Clemons who followed Drummond up the middle for about 15 yards. After the game I asked Drummond how long they had sat on that play. He told me -- paraphrasing here-- "Flutie made it up in the huddle. He got down on one knee and started drawing x's and o's on the ground like we were playing pickup ball." Vintage Flutie....This is the final column of the season. I want to thank Ward Dilse and Bryan Crawford for giving me the opportunity to do some writing for the website, and to Laura Bridgman and Samantha Magalas for their proofing. Thanks to those that commented on the columns, I hope you enjoyed them even if you didn't agree with all of the opinions. Here's to a great Yates and another successful OUA run to the Vanier!

Comments? Questions? Email Hogan at mike.hogan@oua.ca

So much for the playoff drama.
November 3, 2010

It was about as dramatic as Paris Hilton starring as Lady Macbeth.

Saturday afternoon's playoff offerings were both blowouts with McMaster and Laurier advancing to the OUA semifinals. The MAC/Queen's game was close for the first half while the Laurier/Guelph game was really never in doubt. Nine turnovers will do that to you.

The Mustangs and Gee-Gees are favoured and should be favoured, but would anybody be stunned with a MAC or Hawk win? Here's a look ahead to this week's semifinals, both of which can be seen on The Score.

Laurier at Ottawa 1:00 p.m.:

It should be a dream game for fans of big plays. Ottawa features an offence that can score from anywhere on the field while the Golden Hawks defence seemingly creates turnovers at will. Laurier's passing game seems to have worked itself out but Ottawa's secondary is filled with ball-hungry vets. Both teams have incredibly dangerous returners. If there's a red flag here it's Laurier's punting game. If the Gee-Gees have a short field to work with all afternoon it may be too much for the Hawks defence. Even if Laurier doesn't score on any given series it's crucial that the Hawks move the ball and win the battle of field possession. For the Gee-Gees the key is to hang on to the football. Brad Sinopoli is outstanding but can't force things, something he tried to do too often this year evidenced by his 13 interceptions. He's a dangerous enough runner that he doesn't have to try to squeeze a pass in between multiple defenders. This is a perfect example of a game where the team with the fewer turnovers should win.

McMaster at Western 4:30 p.m.:

This one has the word classic written all over it despite Western winning the regular season matchup 50-19. McMaster blew out the defending Vanier Cup champions last week despite trying to give the game away in the first half. The Marauders fumbled at the one-yard line and hit the upright on a field goal attempt. In the second half they played a near-perfect game and dismantled the Gaels. Doing that to Western won't be as easy. Kyle Quinlan is playing as well as any QB in the country right now and the return of Michael DiCroce gives him several game breakers to work with.

Greg Marshall would like nothing more than to send his former team home for good. Western's last game was against the U of T Varsity Blues and was close for the first half. It was that point that Western began to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Now that everyone is healthy the 'Stangs feature the three-headed rushing machine of backs Nathan Riva and Jerimy Hipperson and quarterback Donnie Marshall. Marshall's arm may not scare anyone, but if MAC can't stop the run he won't have to put the ball in the air.

I'll be in Montreal for the final Argo game of the season but will be glued to The Score all afternoon. Here's hoping the games live up to expectations.

Notes:  Okay Laurier fans, when Shane Kelly's pass was intercepted on the first play of the game how many of you had a flashback to the 2007 semifinal when the Gryphons upset the Hawks?... While it was frustrating being in the car for much of the first half of the games last weekend all was not lost. The good news was that I was able to watch the entire Laurier game on PVR. I was also able to listen to the first half of the Queen's/ McMaster game on the radio before watching the cable broadcast of the second half. CHML in Hamilton was my station for the first quarter and Ted Michaels did his usual great job with Miles Gorrell solidly providing the colour commentary. An even bigger treat was listening to the second half on Queen's radio station CFRC which featured the father/son team of Tim and Will Cunningham. Tim is a veteran of the Kingston sports media scene but allowed his son steal the show. The high-schooler provided the play-by-play and was absolutely outstanding! Football is a pretty tough game to call and Will stunned me with how he described the play without forgetting the basics. Easier said than done. This kid has a great future as a play-by-play voice if he wishes to pursue it....The worst part of OUA football is watching fifth year players on the field after their team has been eliminated. Nick FitzGibbon was a blast to watch over the course of his career and it was nice to see Laurier's Gary Jeffries have a few words with the running back after the final gun has sounded.

Comments? Questions? Email Hogan at mike.hogan@oua.ca

Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?
October 27, 2010