Saturday, September 15,
1pm
Alumni Field, University of Windsor
Guelph Gryphons vs Windsor Lancers
Online: www.oua.tv
GUELPH, Ont. – It's easy to think about what could have been. For the Guelph Gryphons football team, that's not an option. The Gryphons sit at 1-2 in the OUA standings, undoubtedly disappointed that their two losses have come by a combined three points.
After a narrow defeat to Ottawa last Saturday in the nation's capital, the focus quickly changes to another important matchup on the road, this time at Windsor's Alumni Field against the Lancers.
"It's hard to lose a couple of games that were so close because we feel our record could be much different," head coach
Todd Galloway said of a one-point difference at McMaster in the season opener and the 12-10 defeat to the Gee-Gees last weekend. "But one of the things I really appreciate about this group is that they won't let that disappointment affect them. They work hard and will do everything they need to while preparing for Windsor this week.
"It's about what's ahead. The players, coaches, and staff are all looking forward to this Saturday."
There should be reason for optimism. The Gryphons have been among the best defensive teams in the OUA through three weeks, allowing just 46 points (2
nd in the OUA at 15.3 points allowed per game). Guelph manufactured another fine effort on defence in Ottawa, with fifth-year linebacker
Luke Korol once again setting the standard for the team. Korol had a team-best 11 tackles last weekend and now ranks fourth in the OUA in tackles per game with 7.0. The Gryphons also added another three sacks last weekend, including 1.5 from towering 6-8 rookie defensive end
Tavius Robinson.
"Our defence has played teams tough so far through the first three games," said Galloway. "I look for them to continue to give opponents trouble."
In fact, it was the Guelph offence that looked threatening with a few big plays last week in Ottawa. The Gryphons have established the run well so far this season, tying Waterloo for most rushing yards per game at 176. But fourth-year quarterback
Theo Landers offered a glimpse of the team's potential through the air against the Gee-Gees, connecting with receiver
Zeph Fraser on a huge 85-yard touchdown and then finding third-year man
Kian Schaffer-Baker for a potential catch of the year hookup. Schaffer-Baker suited up for the first time this season and contributed right away, making an incredible one-handed grab over the middle on a pass from Landers. The Gryphons would like to see much more of that going forward.
"Our offence is building chemistry, which is allowing us to make big plays," said Fraser, who feels the unit will be tough to handle going forward. "Every week in practice, the intensity is getting higher. I feel like being 1-2 (record wise) is fueling us to achieve greatness for the rest of the season."
The team will have some good memories of the last time they played Windsor, when Guelph set the all-time school record for points scored in a one-sided 81-10 win at home last season. But the Gryphons are hardly underestimating a Lancer team that has shown an ability to score points. The Windsor offence is led by third-year quarterback Sam Girard, who ranks second in the OUA in passing yards per game (335 ypg) and passing touchdowns (9), behind only Waterloo's Tre Ford (361.7 ypg, 12 TDs). Girard has spread those 9 scores around to a deep wide receiver corps that includes Tristan Carter (19 catches for 217 yards, 2 TDs), Brandon Speller (16 for 126, 2 TDs), Alex Bornais (14 for 287 yards, 3 TDs), and Kaeden Walls (9 for 209 yards, 2 TDs).
"We'll have to have a really good day in terms of our execution if we want to win," said Galloway. "Windsor has some dangerous weapons and they will be just as hungry as we are to win a game in front of their home crowd. It will be a big challenge for us but everyone is ready."
Gryphon Team Statistics
Gryphon Individual Statistics
Lancers Team Statistics
Lancers Individual Statistics
U of G Homecoming is Saturday, Sept. 22 with the Gryphons hosting the Queen's Gaels at Alumni Stadium! Game time is 1pm.
