September 6, 2012
GAELS AND GOLDEN HAWKS CLASH IN UNIVERSITY RUSH ACTION
HAMILTON, Ont. - The No. 6 Queen’s Gaels will look for their second win of the season, while the Laurier Golden Hawks will look to rebound from a shutout defeat in week one as the teams kick off the 11th season of University Rush live on theScore. The Gaels will travel to University Stadium for the match-up under the lights on Saturday, September 8 at 8 p.m., presented by Wilson Sports Equipment Canada.
The Gaels are fresh off a dominant performance, downing the York Lions 48-13 to open the season.
Veteran running back Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.) stole the show for Queen’s in the season opener, racking up three touchdowns and 149 yards rushing. Quarterback Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) was strong under centre in the win, going 16-for-29 for 181 yards and a touchdown pass to Abbotsford, B.C. native Justin Chapdelaine.
While the Queen’s offence did their part in the season-opening win, the defence was strong, giving up just two second half touchdowns through the air, and amassing six sacks as a team. Defensive linemen Cory Dyer (Gananoque, Ont.) and Derek Wiggan (Toronto) set the tone up front, combining for 12 tackles and three and a half sacks.
Thanks in large part to rookie kicker Dillon Wamsley; the Gaels are potent on special teams as well. The London, Ont. native was named OUA special teams player of the week after going 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 48-yarder in the first quarter, and 5-for-5 on extra points. He averaged 36.3 yards on nine punts, including two that went over 50 yards. He also averaged 52.5 yards on kickoffs, with three traveling over 60 yards.
Don’t let the week one statistics fool you. Despite that fact that Granberg has 149 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, Gaels head coach Pat Sheahan feels his offence provides a well balanced attack.
“I’m happy with the distribution of the ball on offence,” said Sheahan. “We missed a few shots down the field last week but overall put in a good day's work."
The Laurier Golden Hawks will be looking for a different result in this week’s University Rush clash on theScore, after falling 19-0 to Toronto in week one. The shutout loss was the first for the 2011 OUA quarter-finalists since the 1984 season.
Defence was the strength of the Golden Hawks in week one. The defensive back duo of Felix Odum (Pickering, Ont.) and rookie Anthony Petrucci (Sarnia, Ont.) had a big day, accounting for seven tackles and six tackles, including a sack, respectively. The defence kept the team in the game; each Toronto touchdown saw the Hawks’ defence backed-up inside their own 10-yard line after special teams miscues.
The slow-starting Laurier offence may have a great deal to do with experience. With the departure of 2011 starting quarterback Shane Kelly and CFL draft pick Shamawd Chambers and the move of Anton Bennett (Toronto, Ont.) from running back to receiver, there will be many unfamiliar names in the Laurier line-up.
Saturday’s game will see first-year quarterback Travis Eman (Brampton, Ont.) make his home debut for Laurier. Eman joined the Golden Hawks after a taking a red-shirt season with NCAA Division 1 Furman University and had an abbreviated training camp. In his OUA debut, Eman had 122 yards passing on 8-for-27, and added a team-high 62 yards rushing in nine attempts.
"We need to compete hard and really dig down," said Head Coach Gary Jeffries. "We're a young team, but if we make something happen early on, I think we can gain some confidence and get a real momentum going."
This year’s meeting of the Gaels and Golden Hawks will mark the 16th match-up all-time between the two schools. The Gaels lead the series 8-7, including three play-off wins. Queen’s took the 2011 match-up by a 58-35 score plus a 14-10 play-off win, giving them a 3-2 edge in the last five meetings between these two historic programs.
Will Laurier be able to rebound from a surprising defeat in week one? Will the Gaels Ryan Granberg continue his dominance on the ground? Will Laurier pull even in the all-time series? Watch University Rush on theScore to see the answers and some fast-paced, action-packed OUA football, Saturday, September 8 at 8 p.m.
QUEEN’S LEADERS
Passing
Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont)
16 completions, 29 attempts, 181 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
Ryan Mitchell (Toronto, Ont.)
4 completions, 7 attempts, 43 yards
Rushing
Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
20 attempts, 149 yards, 3 touchdowns
Jesse Andrews (Arnprior, Ont.)
5 attempts, 26 yards
Receiving
Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.)
3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown
Giovanni Aprile (Toronto, Ont.)
4 receptions, 43 yards
Defence
Cory Dyer (Gananoque, Ont.)
6 solo tackles, 2 sacks
Derek Wiggan (Toronto, Ont.)
4.5 total tackles, 1.5 sacks
Will Moodie (Kingston, Ont.)
4 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
LAURIER LEADERS
Passing
Travis Eman (Brampton, Ont.)
8 completions, 27 attempts, 122 yards
Rushing
Travis Eman
9 attempts, 62 yards
Defence
Felix Odum (Pickering, Ont.)
7 solo tackles
Anthony Petrucci (Sarnia, Ont.)
6 solo tackles, 1 sack
Asante Mizan (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
6 solo tackles, 1 sack
Drew Galpin (Kitchener, Ont.)
6 solo tackles
