WINDSOR, Ont. – The No. 10-ranked Guelph Gryphons have seen a pair of potential road wins slip out of their grasp early on in the 2018 OUA football season. On Saturday afternoon in sweltering conditions at the University of Windsor, the Gryphons made sure that would not happen again.
 
Guelph built up a 20-3 halftime lead and withstood a furious second half charge by the Lancers to escape Windsor with a 26-20 victory. A pair of sacks in the dying moments of the fourth quarter from Alain Cimankinda and Luke Korol helped the Gryphons preserve the win and improve to 2-2 on the season. The Lancers meanwhile fall to 0-4.
 
"We had a much better effort today. Even though we are still making too many mistakes, our guys were able to overcome that," said head coach Todd Galloway.
 
"After the game, we talked about how we've been in this position before and have been on the wrong end. Our guys kept their composure and just had the mindset that there was no way they were going to lose this game."
 
After a low-scoring opening quarter, which saw Guelph take a 2-0 lead, the Gryphons would explode for 18 points in the second quarter, with fourth-year quarterback Theo Landers creating big plays both through the air and on the ground. In the 6-3, 205 lbs native of Maple Ridge, BC, the Gryphons possess one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the conference.
 
That athleticism was on display in the second quarter when Landers ripped off a 91-yard designed run, taking it all the way down to the Windsor 2-yard line setting up Guelph with a first-and-goal. From there, bruising rookie running back Jean-Paul Cimankinda would punch it in, giving the Gryphons a 12-3 lead and giving the 6-1, 225 lbs Cimankinda the first touchdown of his university career.
 
Guelph would add to their lead later in the second quarter when Landers connected with fourth-year receiver Kade Belyk (Regina, SK) who would get a great block up the sideline and sprint 55-yards for his second touchdown of the season, pushing the U of G lead to 18-3.
 
Early in the fourth quarter of play, Guelph's All-Canadian kicker Gabe Ferraro would connect on his third field goal of the day, pushing the Gryphon lead to 26-10, but the host Lancers would not go down quietly. After a Clark Green field goal trimmed the deficit to 26-13, the Lancers would make it a one-possession game with just over nine minutes remaining after quarterback Colby Henkel found Tristan Carter for a 28-yard touchdown reception.
 
Windsor's hopes a dramatic fourth quarter comeback would be put to rest thanks to the Gryphon defence, which stood tall for the remainder of the final quarter, including a pair of crucial sacks at midfield from Alain Cimankinda and Luke Korol during Windsor's final possession of the game. For Korol, a fifth-year linebacker with the Gryphons, Saturday's performance marked the latest in a string of impressive performances. The Dundas, Ontario native was once again all over the field for the Gryphons, finishing the day with a team-high 16.5 tackles to go along with 2 sacks and 3 tackles-for-losses. As a team, the Gryphons racked up a season-high 8 sacks, with Korol, Cimankinda and Carter Wilson each finishing with 2 sacks each.
 
The Gryphons finished the day with 374 yards of total offence, while limiting Windsor to just 274. U of G quarterback Theo Landers finished the day an efficient 9-of-13 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown. Landers, who has yet to throw an interception this season, was also Guelph's leading rusher on the day, carrying the ball 11 times for 164 yards. As a team, the Gryphons ran for 233-yards, compared to just 111 yards rushing for the Lancers. Kade Belyk was the Gryphons' leading receiver with 5 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. Gabe Ferraro was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals for the Gryphs, with makes from 43, 34 and 21-yards out.
 
Three of the Gryphons' final four games of the season will now come at home, with the team returning to Alumni Stadium next Saturday (Sept. 22) for a Homecoming matchup with the Queen's Gaels. Playoff implications will certainly come into play as both the Gryphons and Gaels enter next week's game with identical 2-2 records. Both of the Gaels' losses this season have come on the road, with Queen's losing 44-18 at Laurier followed by a double overtime loss at Carleton (42-39) on Saturday (Sept. 15) in Ottawa.
 
Tickets for the 2018 edition of the Guelph Gryphons homecoming football game are still available and can be purchased online.