GUELPH, ON – Homecoming is still two weeks away, but the excitement is already building around campus. Student ticket sales for the Gryphons Homecoming football game on Wednesday saw hundreds lined up to guarantee their spot at one of the most anticipated matchups on the entire CIS calendar. While many fans already looking ahead to next week's nationally televised matchup versus the Mustangs, the Gryphon coaches and players are focusing on an equally challenging task at hand this week: finding a way to beat the No. 8-ranked team in the country when they travel to Ottawa to face the 2-0 Gee-Gees. Kickoff is set for 1pm and can be seen live online at www.oua.tv.
 
In Week 3, the Gryphons got back to their winning ways by defeating the Queen's Gaels 38-29 at Alumni Stadium. While that was happening in Guelph, up in Ottawa the Gee-Gees were turning heads around the OUA and CIS by handing the then-No. 5-ranked McMaster Marauders their first loss of the season with a convincing 30-8 victory in Ottawa. That signature win by the Gee-Gees has helped vault them into the CIS Top 10 rankings. If the Gryphons are going to find a way to leave Ottawa with a win this weekend, they will need to start by finding a way to slow down the Gee-Gees star quarterback.
 
Derek Wendel is in his fifth and final season with the Gee-Gees and has already solidified himself as one of the top QB's in the league. Last season, Wendel became the CIS single-season record holder in completions (216), attempts (346) and total yards (3,136). This season, the Belleville native has picked up where he left off and through two games, ranks 2^nd in the CIS with 415.0 passing yards per game. Last Saturday versus the No. 5-ranked Marauders, Wendel completed 74.5% of his passes (35-for-47) for 441 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also intercepted three times by the McMaster defence. Wendel is also Ottawa's leading rusher on the season with 102 yards on the ground through two games. Not only is Ottawa's QB their leading rusher…their running back is their leading receiver.
 
Third year running back Bryce Vieira has hauled in a team-high 18 receptions through two games for the Gee-Gees. While Gryphon linebackers will be busy keeping an eye on him out of the backfield, the Gryphons secondary will be looking to shut down the brother of one of U of G's linebackers. Mitchell Baines, brother of Guelph linebacker Riley Baines, is a senior receiver for the Gee-Gees and one of the team's biggest threats on offense. Last season versus the Gryphons, Mitchell had 5 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. This year, Mitchell is third in the CIS with 124.5 receiving yards per game.
 
Despite some impressive offensive numbers from the Gee-Gees, it was the Gryphons offence who were equally impressive when the two teams last met. In Guelph's 48-26 victory over Ottawa in 2015, Gryphons quarterback James Roberts had a signature performance, going 25-of-35 for a career-high 391 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT. In the losing effort, Ottawa QB Derek Wendel was 31-of-53 for 471 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT.
 
When the Gryphons (2-1) and Gee-Gees (2-0) square off this weekend, putting up impressive stats will be the last thing on the minds of the players on coaches. The only stat their worried about is ensuring their team is the one with a '3' in the win column come 4pm on Saturday afternoon.