GUELPH, Ont. –
Tristan Aboud (offence),
Jevaun Jacobsen (defence) and
Matthew Stam (special teams) have been named Gryphon Football 'Players of the Game' following the team's opening week loss to the defending Yates Cup champions Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, August 23.
Tristan Aboud (Offence)
Third-year quarterback
Tristan Aboud earns 'Offensive Player of the Game' honours after spearheading a thrilling second half comeback against Laurier that ultimately fell just short. The Montreal, Quebec native had one of his best performances as a Gryphon to open the new season. Aboud finished the game completing 27 of 41 passes to 10 different Gryphon receivers for 415 yards and 2 touchdowns. Aboud threaded the needle twice on his two touchdown passes, first hitting
Harry Varty in the end zone on a bootleg to the left and later in the game, firing a strike to
Jarod Tessier who
laid out for an incredible touchdown reception. But it was the legs of Aboud that really stood out in his fantastic Week 1 showing. The management economics and finance major was also his team's leading rusher, running for 96 yards on 9 carries and finding the end zone twice as a rusher. Aboud's first of two rushing touchdowns on the day came in the 3rd quarter, when he showed off his speed to escape pressure from the pocket on his way to a
40-yard TD run to score his team's first touchdown of the season. Late in the 4th quarter, Aboud would pick up his second rushing touchdown of the game, breaking through Laurier tackles on
his way in from 10 yards out. In the end, Aboud accounted for four touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing) and over 500 yards of offence.
Jevaun Jacobsen (Defence)
Jevaun Jacobsen has been named 'Defensive Player of the Game' after coming up with one of the biggest plays of the game for the Gryphon defence. Jacobsen, a third-year standout from Burnaby, B.C., made his presence known at linebacker in his team's season-opener versus Laurier. In the 4th quarter, with the Golden Hawks inside the Guelph 10-yard line and leading 30-21, Jacobsen
came flying off the edge to chase down Laurier quarterback, Cal Wither, for a crucial sack which forced Laurier to settle for a short field goal, keeping it within two scores to keep Guelph's comeback hopes alive. The third-year psychology major, who was named a Gryphon team captain prior to the start of the 2025 season, finished the game with 3.5 tackles and a sack.
Matthew Stam (Special Teams)
The Week 1 'Special Teams Player of the Game' is first-year receiver
Matthew Stam. Stam, a Guelph native and brother of Gryphons DB
Nathan Stam, had a good night returning kicks in the Gryphons return game. The sport and event management major returned 4 kick returns for 98 yards, including a 42-yard return in the 2nd quarter. Stam was also one of 10 Gryphon players to record a reception the night as he caught a pass for three yards in his OUA debut.
The Gryphons (0-1) will now hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to London to take on the Western Mustangs (1-0) in a Sunday night matchup. Kickoff is set for 7pm on Sunday, August 31 under the lights at Western's Alumni Stadium.
