GUELPH, Ont. - This Saturday (Sept. 16) the Guelph Gryphons football team will make the short trip down Highway 6 to Hamilton, where they will kick off Week 4 of the OUA season with a matchup against the McMaster Marauders.
 

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Location: Ron Joyce Stadium
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Time: 1pm
Tickets: mcmaster.universitytickets.com
How to watch: oua.tv
Live Updates on X (Twitter): @guelph_gryphons
 

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The Gryphons (1-2) enter Saturday's game coming off of a hard-fought loss to the U SPORTS No. 6-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks that saw the U of G squad fall 60-21 to the nationally ranked Golden Hawks. The game saw the Gryphon defence struggle to contain an explosive Golden Hawk passing attack led by U SPORTS Player of the Week, Taylor Elgersma, who threw for 451 yards and 6 touchdowns. Despite the loss, the Gryphon offence showed flashes of efficiency against a stout Laurier defence, with Gryphons first year quarterback Tristan Aboud having the best outing of his young career, going 22-of-31 for 277 yards and a touchdown. The offensive unit will look to build off of a promising outing this weekend against another strong OUA competitor in McMaster. The Marauders come into Saturday afternoon's showdown also having posted a 1-2 record through the first three weeks of the season, but are coming off a one-sided affair in which they defeated the York Lions 71-0, going for 527 yards on offence. The pair of McMaster losses this season both came in tightly-contested fashion against nationally-ranked opponents with a 21-17 Week 1 loss to the Windsor Lancers (ranked No. 9 in latest U SPORTS Top 10 rankinsg) followed by a 34-22 defeat at the hands of the Western Mustangs (ranked No. 2 nationally). 

Last season, when the Gryphons and Marauders met under the lights of Alumni Stadium, McMaster was able to take advantage of six Guelph turnovers (5 INT, 1 FR) to leave the 'Highway 6 Bowl' with a 41-12 victory. This season, both teams will see very different rosters with both teams being led by new quarterbacks. Rookie Tristan Aboud now heads the U of G offence, with fellow freshman QB, Marshall McCray, also making a big impact under centre for the Gryphons. While McMaster has a new face under centre following the graduation of Andreas Dueck, with Keegan Hall now taking over as the next quarterback for the Marauders. This is Keegan Hall's first season as the starting quarterback, but the Burlington native is no stranger to the McMaster football program, with the 2023 season marking his fourth-year academically and third-year of eligibility. Saturday's matchup between the Gryphons and Marauders is sure to carry with it heavy playoff implications as the 2023 regular season progresses, with both teams striving to earn one of the seven OUA playoff spots up for grabs in the conference. A win on Saturday afternoon would not only put the Gryphons in a strong position heading into the second half of their season, but it would also mark the Gryphons first road win against the Marauders since the 2007 season, when Guelph handed McMaster a 25-21 loss in the OUA quarterfinals. 

Following Saturday's game in Hamilton, the Gryphons will return home for Week 5 to take on the York Lions at Alumni Stadium. The Saturday, September 23 game will also serve as the University of Guelph's 2023 Homecoming game with tickets currently available at gryphons.ca/tickets. 
 

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