GUELPH, Ont. – There is a noticeable buzz around the University of Guelph campus these days with the return of the student body and the official beginning of the fall semester. The Gryphon football has also created a buzz this week thanks to their impressive 37-20 road win over the Carleton Ravens on Labour Day weekend in Ottawa.

The No. 8-ranked Gryphons will now look to give the U of G students plenty to cheer as they return home to host the York Lions in the team's annual "O-Week" game. The Gryphons (1-1) and Lions (0-2) are set to kickoff at 1pm on Saturday (Sept. 7) at Alumni Stadium, with the game broadcast live online at OUA.tv.
 
"We loved the energy in the crowd in game one versus McMaster," says Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan, who recorded his first win as a U SPORTS head coach on September 1 at Carleton. "It was great to see so many members of the community show up to support us in our home opener versus Mac, and we're hoping that the energy is even better in our next home game because the students are back, and that's a big part of university sport. The fact that you're not only playing in front of your parents and community, but also in front of your student populace, that's something special. We feel we didn't perform well in Week 1, but we're hoping the students in attendance on Saturday can be a part of a win."

Saturday's meeting will mark the second straight season in which York has made the trip to Alumni Stadium for Guelph's "O-Week" game. Last season, the Gryphons defeated the Lions 33-18 in front of 5,669 fans.
 
If the Gryphons are to pick up their first home win of 2019, they will need to contain a talented, fifth-year quarterback on the York Lions in Brett Hunchak. Hunchak, who set a career-high in passing yards in 2018 (2,252) while throwing 11 touchdowns, was 31-of-43, 313 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT's in his last meeting versus Guelph. Through two games this season, Hunchak has averaged 227 passing yards per game with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, despite the Lions losing both games (34-17 loss at Windsor and an 18-10 home loss versus No. 10-ranked Laurier on Labour Day Monday). "I'm very impressed with their fifth-year quarterback," says Sheahan. "He's definitely one of the premier guys in our conference and has the ability to make all of the throws on the field. So, it's going to be a challenge for us as we continue to develop, to be able to handle a quarterback like this who can really spin it, who has some good athletes at his disposal."
 
While the Lions are led by a proven, fifth-year quarterback, the Gryphons are led by a defence that has stolen the spotlight early in the season. Last week at Carleton, the Gryphon defence recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns, propelling the Gryphons to a 37-20 road win over the Ravens. Third-year linebacker Jared Beeksma earned OUA Defensive Player of the Week honours for his effort at Carleton after finishing the game with a 31-yard INT returned for a touchdown to go along with 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 4 tackles. As a whole, the Gryphon defence has also recorded 7 sacks through the first two weeks of the season while limiting opponents to just 84 yards rushing per game (3rd-ranked rush defence in the OUA).
 
Offensively, the Gryphons have got off to a slow start in 2019, but found some momentum towards the end of the Carleton game with a 53-yard touchdown drive capped by a Theo Landers touchdown run. "We're excited to play, we feel like we're just startin to find a little bit of a groove and we hope that we can continue to build off of the momentum we built in a very difficult road trip to Ottawa."
 
The Gryphons play three of their next four games at home, with both Western (Sept. 21) and Ottawa (Sept. 28 - homecoming) on the upcoming home schedule.
 

---