Ottawa, ON – On Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24) in Ottawa, the Gryphons secured a second place finish in the OUA standings as well as a first round bye in the playoffs with a 44-12 win over the No. 10-ranked Carleton Ravens. For a fourth straight year, the Gryphons finish the regular season with a 7-1 record. Quarterback James Roberts threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while the Gryphon defence held the Ravens without an offensive touchdown in the game. The Gryphons are the No. 2 seed in the OUA and will now play at home in an OUA semi-final game on Saturday, November 7^th while Carleton (5-3) will enter the playoffs as a No. 5 seed and will travel to Kingston to face Queen's.
 
The Gryphons were able to get off to a great start on Saturday against Carleton thanks to some solid defence and some big plays in the passing game. Shortly after James Roberts found Ryan Nieuwesteeg to convert on a 2^nd and 15, it was time for Jacob Scarfone to make another memorable catch in what has been an unforgettable season for the third year receiver. This time, Scarfone was able to come up with a one-handed grab on a 34-yard completion to set the Gryphons up with a 1^st and Goal. Running back Johnny Augustine would punch it in from there as the Gryphons held an early 10-0 lead at Ravens Field.
 
After having already forced a fumble on the previous Carleton possession, the Gryphon defence was at it again on the ensuring Ravens drive, this time causing Carleton running back Jahvari Bennett to cough it up. The Gryphons would recover on the Carleton 32-yard line, and as the saying goes, the Gryphons would go for the jugular on the very next play. A 32-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Ryan Nieuwesteeg gave the Gryphons a 17-0 lead heading to the second quarter. For Nieuwesteeg, who has found the endzone twice this season on punt returns, it marked his first receiving TD of 2015.
 
Last week, the Gryphon defence held Windsor to just 58 yards passing. This week, the Ravens weren't having much fun either trying to move the ball through the air against the Gryphons. In the second quarter, Ravens quarterback Jesse Mills would have his pass tipped by All-Canadian Curtis Newton and then picked off by former OUA All-Star John Rush. The two standout linebackers, as they have all season, were leading the way for the Gryphon D. With Carleton's offence being held off the scoreboard, Guelph's lead would grow to 27-0 after James Roberts picked up his third touchdown pass of the opening half. This time, Roberts showed some nice pocket presence and athleticism to avoid the rush, step up and throw on the move. For the second time on the day, Roberts had himself a 32-yard touchdown pass, this time to Jacob Scarfone. It was a dominant opening 30 minutes for the Gryphons in all three phases of the game, as they took a 27-2 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
The Ravens were finally able to find the endzone in the third quarter on a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown from Tunde Adeleke. But the way the Gryphon defence was playing, it seemed as though scoring on a big play on special teams may be the Ravens only hope of finding pay dirt. Late in the third quarter, Curtis Newton was at it again, helping the Gryphons come up with their second INT of the game. Newton was able to sniff out a Carleton screen pass and came up with his second INT on the season before taking it back 36-yards to the Ravens 20-yard line. A few plays later, Roberts and Scarfone would connect for a 20-yard touchdown, giving the Gryphons a 34-12 lead. For Roberts, it was his fourth TD pass of the day. For Scarfone, who finished the day with 5 receptions, 125 yards and 2 TD, it was the exclamation mark on a tremendous 2015 season. Scarfone finishes the regular season with 57 catches, 940 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers put him amongst the CIS leaders in each category (T-3^rd in receptions, 2^nd in yards, 2^nd in TD). His 57 catches this season are also the second most in school history for a single season (behind only Frank Marouf's 60 catches back in 1991).
 
In the final quarter, Roberts tied a career-high with his fourth touchdown pass of the game, connecting with Johnny Augustine for a 46-yard TD strike. Gabriel Ferraro's third field goal of the day came late in the game and capped the scoring as the Gryphons rolled over the Ravens 44-12.
 
Roberts finished the day 14-26, 327 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT. Augustine finishes the season tied for 2^nd in the country with 12 rushing touchdowns on the year. Ryan Nieuwesteeg returned 12 punts for 117 yards and in the process, set a new school record with 838 punt return yards on the year. His 838 punt return yards on the season are the second highest total in CIS history, next only to Laurier's Dillon Heap who had 912 in 2009.
 
The Gryphons will have next week off after having earned a first round bye. The OUA playoff picture is as follows:

(1) Western --- First Round Bye
(2) Guelph --- First Round Bye

OUA Quarter-finals:
(6) Laurier @ (3) McMaster
(5) Carleton @ (4) Queen's

* Note: the Gryphons will face the highest ranked team to come out of the quarter-final matchups.