Wendel, Morgan and Nieuwesteeg named Football Players of the Week
HAMILTON, Ont. - The following athletes have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Players of the Week for the period ending September 8, 2014.
HAMILTON, Ont. - The following athletes have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Players of the Week for the period ending September 8, 2014.
OFFENCE: Derek Wendel (Belleville, Ont.) – 3rd yr. – Ottawa
Going up against the ninth-ranked team in Canada, Wendel put together an incredible afternoon and led the Gee-Gees to a come-from-behind upset of the Queen's Gaels.
Wendel threw for 401 yards, three touchdowns, completed 35/52 of his pass attempts, and rushed for 104 yards; the 35 completions were second most in school history.
The Gee-Gees trailed Queen's by 14 in the fourth quarter, but scored 21 unanswered points en route to a 37-30 victory.
Wendel is now averaging 371 passing yards per game as the Gee-Gees sit tied for first in the conference at 2-0.
DEFENCE: Brendan Morgan (Pickering, Ont.) – 3rd yr. – Queen's
Despite losing to the Ottawa Gee-Gees, Morgan recorded game highs with 10 solo and 11.5 total tackles. Morgan now ranks sixth in the CIS in tackles, and will need another strong performance in Week 3 when the archrival Western Mustangs come to Kingston.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Ryan Nieuwesteeg (Niagara Falls, Ont.) – 3rd yr. – Guelph
With his team trailing 18-17 against the underdog Toronto Varsity Blues, Ryan Nieuwesteeg returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown, and changed the complexion of the game as Guelph scored 33 unanswered points in an eventual 50-18 blowout.
On the afternoon, the third-year Niagara Falls native returned nine punts for 175 yards; an average of 19.4 yards per return.
