OTTAWA, Ont. – After suffering a season-opening loss at the hands of the now-No. 6-ranked McMaster Marauders, the Guelph Gryphons (0-1) will face yet another tough test as they hit the road to face the No. 8-ranked team in the country in the Carleton Ravens (1-0).  Kickoff between the Gryphons and the Ravens is set for 7pm on Sunday night (September 1) at MNP Park in Ottawa, with the game broadcast live online at oua.tv.
 
"Last weekend was not our best effort," says Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan, who made his U SPORTS head coaching debut last Sunday (Aug. 25) in Guelph's 25-10 home loss to McMaster.

"But we need to be humble in victory and humble in defeat, and there's only one thing you can do when something like that happens, and that's to work harder."
 
The Gryphons and Ravens did not meet a season ago, making Sunday night's matchup their first head-to-head meeting since October 21, 2017 when Guelph recorded a 28-23 victory. The 2019 version of the Carleton Ravens are off to a 1-0 start after picking up an 18-12 road win over the Queen's Gaels. For Gryphons head coach Ryan Sheahan, the Ravens line up as one of the more balanced teams in the conference.
 
"They have athletes at every position," says Sheahan when asked what jumped out during film review of Carleton. "Their offensive line is very big. Their defensive line is agile and aggressive. They have some premier linebackers and an impressive secondary. And their running back (Nathan Carter) is proving to be one of the special players in our league. It's one of those contests where we will need to bring our best effort but we're excited to head up there and play in what should be a great atmosphere."
 
Earlier in the week, it was announced that tickets for Sunday night's matchup at MNP Park were soldout.
 
For Sheahan, if the Gryphons are to leave the nation's capital with a victory on Labour Day weekend, a key to success will be some improvements on the offensive side of the ball. "We need to be way more efficient on offence," says Sheahan. "I thought our defence fought hard last week against Mac, but the challenge this week for us will be to sustain some drives and keep our offence on the field so that our defence can remain hungry instead of being forced to defend 60 or 70 plays a game."
 
Moving the ball with consistency against Carleton will mean accounting for the Ravens' OUA All-Star linebacker, Jack Cassar. Cassar, a 6-3, 230 lbs Mississauga native, wears No. 45 in the middle of the Ravens defence and has quickly established himself as one of the top linebackers in the conference. In Carleton's Week 1 win over Queen's, Cassar finished the game with a team-high 10.5 tackles to help limit the Gaels to 12 points.
 
Offensively, the Gryphon defence will need to shift their focus from a pass-first McMaster attack, to a run-oriented Ravens squad. Fourth-year running back Nathan Carter (Ottawa, ON) carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards last week versus Queen's and will be a focal point for the Gryphon defence leading up to Sunday night's kickoff. Carter rushed for 756 yards and 5 touchdowns a season ago and figures to once again take on a significant work load with Carleton quarterback Tanner DeJong in his first full year as the starter. For more information on the 2019 Carleton Ravens, visit page 4 and 5 of the 2019 OUA football media guide.
 
Following Sunday night's matchup in Ottawa, the Gryphons will return home for a Saturday afternoon matchup against the York Lions (1pm – Sept. 7).