GUELPH, Ont. - Reigning OUA Defensive Player of the Week, A.J. Allen and the rest of the No. 7-nationally ranked Guelph Gryphons (1-1) are off to Kingston on Friday (Oct. 8) as they look to get back into the win column taking on the No. 6-nationally ranked and undefeated Queen's Gaels (3-0). On the heels of a tightly contested 14-12 defeat at the hands of the Windsor Lancers last Saturday, the Gryphons will look to regain their form on a field where they experienced a ton of magic in their last visit.

Turning the calendar back to October 10, 2019, the last time the Gryphons and Gaels met, Guelph left Richardson Stadium with an incredible 27-24 come-from-behind victory in overtime. Highlighted by a walk-off 25-yard field goal from Eric Stranz, the Gryphons engineered a 103-yard touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter to tie the game, before winning it in OT.

Back to present day, Guelph will look to recreate those good feelings on Friday as they try to hand Queen's their first loss of 2021. In order to do so, the Gryphons will need to contain Gael's running back Rasheed Tucker. Coming in as the current OUA Offensive Player of the Week, Tucker leads the entire conference in rushing with 418 yards through three games. Guelph will need all of their big bodies up front to try and win the line of scrimmage. The likes of Jeremy Kapelanski and Josh Campbell will play a key role up front in trying to slow up Tucker, while A.J. Allen, Justin Lauzon and Jared Beeksma form one of the best linebacking units in the country.

With their ability to pound the ball on the ground, the Gael's passing game has not had to be used a lot, which has led to Queen's coming into Friday last in the OUA in passing yards per game (148.7 ypg). If the Gryphons are to leave Kingston with a victory on Friday, chances are pretty good that Guelph will have found a way to force Queen's away from the run game and put the ball in the hands of 3rd-year quarterback, James Keenan.

So far this season, the Gaels have played in each of the OUA's first three weeks, while the Gryphons have only played twice as a result of their bye week being Week 1. Having defeated then No. 1-ranked Western 23-21 in their season opener, the Gryphons have certainly shown how good they can be despite last weekend's setback. Meanwhile, Queen's has done nothing but win so far this season defeating Carleton 18-6, Ottawa 30-7 and Toronto 35-11.

Allowing just 8.3 points per game in their first three contests, the Queen's defence has been nearly impossible for their opponents to crack in 2021. Looking at the stats, the Gaels have been tremendous against the run, but have found themselves susceptible against the pass. Allowing 245 yards through the air per game, the Queen's defence currently ranks 10th in the OUA in that category. At the quarterback position, Guelph was led to victory over Western by rookie Shawn Lal, however, the Abbotsford, B.C. native was unable to make the start last week in Windsor due to injury, resulting in both Ettore Casati III and DeAndre Rose getting snaps. All three quarterbacks are playing out their first year of eligibility. If the Gryphons are going to be able to move the ball through the air in Kingston, they will need to have a solution for OUA sack leader Anthony Federico. Already with five sacks through three games, Federico has proven to be a major problem for every offensive line he has faced.

Looking back through the series between these two teams, neither side has found a way to win two straight games against each other since the Fall of 2012. With the Gryphon's having won their most recent match-up, Guelph will be looking to snap that trend on Friday. Over their last six contests, the Gryphons and Gaels have exchanged victories with each side winning three times.

Friday night's contest between the Gryphons and Gaels is scheduled to get underway at 6:00pm from Richardson Stadium in Kingston and can be streamed live online at OUA.tv.