GUELPH, ON -
James Roberts (offence),
Riley Baines (defence) and
Ryan Isenor (special teams) have been named the
Gryphon Football Players of the Game for Week 3 of the 2017 season.
Offensive Player of the Game
#4 James Roberts (Quarterback)
The Guelph Gryphons were in desperate need of a win -- so their quarterback made sure it happened. Roberts put his stamp on Guelph's record-breaking 82-10 win over Windsor almost immediately after kick off Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The fourth-year man from Cambridge, ON came out firing and found receivers Zeph Fraser, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Kade Belyk for touchdowns, all by the 8:24 mark of the first quarter. Roberts was surgical in that opening 15 minutes, completing all nine of his pass attempts for 169 yards and the three scores, setting the tone for what would ultimately be Guelph's single-game school-record point total. He was lifted in the second half for backup Theo Landers but still finished the day 16-for-21 for 302 yards, while tying his single-game career high of four touchdown passes. There was actually some question as to whether Roberts would play after he twisted his knee in overtime of a Labour Day night game at Western. He went down on the first Guelph overtime series but made his way back to the field Saturday for one of the best performances of his Gryphon career.
Defensive Player of the Game
#35 Riley Baines (Linebacker)
The Gryphons may have exploded offensively last Saturday but it was a ferocious defence that kept the Windsor Lancers down. Baines was a standout for the unit in the one-sided affair. The third-year player from Ottawa, ON was a monster among the Gryphons' linebacker corps, recording four solo tackles, three assisted tackles and one sack. Baines currently ranks third on the team with 13 tackles and also has the lone interception for Guelph through three games.
Special Teams Player of the Game
#20 Ryan Isenor (Returner)
Isenor had shown flashes of speed and shiftiness in Guelph's first two games of the season. Against the Windsor Lancers, the first-year player from Delhi, ON went off. The game was filled with explosive plays and tons of
offence but
Isenor's 125-yard return for a touchdown stood out. Windsor attempted a field goal early in the third quarter but the kick was no good.
Isenor caught the miss 15 yards behind the goal line and took off down the left sideline, blowing by the many Lancer players trying to get a piece of him. They couldn't and the speedy receiver/returner had the first touchdown of his OUA career.
Isenor almost broke another return for a score, showing incredible elusiveness. He would finish the day with a staggering 268 return yards, while adding two catches for another 26 yards. Isenor leads the Gryphons with 488 all purpose yards through three weeks.
