Toronto, ON – It wasn't pretty. But the No. 5-ranked Gryphons are now 3-0 on the season. On Saturday at York University, the Gryphons football team won 49-22 over the York Lions (0-3). Running back Johnny Augustine had three touchdowns on 186 total yards (88 rushing, 98 receiving) as the Gryphons used a big first quarter to pick up their second road win of the season.
 
The Gryphons had the wind at their backs in the opening quarter and made sure to take advantage. After Johnny Augustine (Welland, ON) opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, Gryphons quarterback James Roberts (Cambridge, ON) would find Colin Booth (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) for a 21-yard touchdown to give Guelph an early 14-0 lead. Not only was York unable to sustain any drives on offence during the opening quarter, they were also unable to change field position as punting into the wind gave the Gryphons terrific starting positions on several occasions. To make matters worse for York, midway through the opening quarter, Lions quarterback Eric Kimmerly bobbled a snap, Curtis Newton pounced on it, and the Gryphons took over at the Lions 24-yard line. Four plays later, Roberts found James Ingram (Guelph, ON) who made a terrific catch in the endzone to give the Gryphons a 21-0 lead. The Gryphon defence would force a two and out on the ensuing York possession. With the wind in his face, York punter Nick Naylor would have his kick hang up and trickle out of bounds for a rarely seen 0-yard punt. That meant the Gryphons took over on the Lions 31-yard line. Three plays later, Gryphon running back Johnny Augustine had his second of three touchdowns on the day. It was 28-0 Gryphons. It was still the first quarter. It was all Gryphons early.
 
In the second quarter, that talented Gryphon defence would come up with several big plays. All-Canadian linebacker Curtis Newton (London, ON) came up with an interception early in the second quarter. On York's next possession, they would be picked off once again. This time, it was senior defensive back Iain Hutchison (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) who got his hands on one deep in his own endzone and showed some nice awareness to come down with a foot in bounds to complete the catch. The Gryphons defence had three interceptions in the game, with all three coming in the same quarter as Mackenzie Myers (Guelph, ON) also got his hands on one in the second quarter. The Gryphons led 28-3 heading into the locker room at halftime.
 
Unfortunately for the Gryphons, not only were they coming up with plenty of interceptions themselves, they were also guilty of throwing a few. Maybe more than a few. Guelph starting quarterback James Roberts threw a career high five interceptions in the game. As a result, the Lions were able to remain somewhat close to the Gryphons on the scoreboard. Guelph still had a healthy 35-10 lead heading to the fourth, but on the first play of the final quarter, the Lions would get a spark.
 
York's Jahmari Bennett (Mississauga, ON) has played a bit of everything for the Lions. From quarterback to running back to receiver. Oh yeah, he's not bad at returning kicks either. When Gryphons kicker Gabe Ferraro missed on a 35-yard field goal attempt to start the fourth quarter, Jahmari Bennett would take it back 115-yard the other way for a touchdown, trimming the deficit to 35-17. York would later add a safety and a field goal to make it a 35-22 game with 7:49 to go. But that is as close as they would get.
 
The Gryphon offence would put together an impressive 8-play, 75-yard drive to push their lead back to 20. A big 38-yard scamper by running back Daniel Palmer-Salmon (Brampton, ON) was the biggest play of the drive. Receiver A'dre Fraser (Halifax, ON) made 8 catches on the day for 92 yards and helped the Gryphons move inside the York red zone. The drive would be capped by a 1-yard QB sneak for a touchdown by Roberts to put the Gryphons up 42-22.
 
Soon after that score, Roberts would give way to backup quarterback Alex Skinner (Ottawa, ON). He would make an impact on the game by capping the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown to Jacob Scarfone (London, ON) with 2:25 to go in regulation. The touchdown was Scarfone's fourth of the season. The Gryphons finished with 472 yards of total offence on the day, compared to 300 from York.
 
The Gryphons will now return home to face the McMaster Marauders in a re-match of last year's Yates Cup. Kickoff is set for 1pm at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, September 19 with a soldout Homecoming crowd expected to be on hand.