GUELPH, Ont. – The No. 9-ranked Guelph Gryphons football team returns to the field following their bye week with a 4-2 record as they head to Kingston for their final road game of the 2026 regular season when they take on the reigning Yates Cup champions and No. 4-ranked Queen's Gaels (5-1). We get you set for this Week 8 matchup with our preview below.
Location: Kingston, ON | Richardson Stadium
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time: 1pm
How to watch: oua.tv
The No. 9-ranked Gryphons (4-2) are back on the road for an important matchup with the No. 4-ranked team in the country, and the reigning Yates Cup champion, Queen's Gaels (5-1) for a marquee mid-October U SPORTS Top 10 matchup in Kingston.
The Gaels are coming off their first loss of the season, with Queen's losing at home a week ago to the Windsor Lancers (5-2). All eyes this week will be on the Queen's quarterback situation, as last week versus the Lancers, the Gaels were forced to play without the services of their outstanding starting quarterback, Alex Vreeken. Vreeken has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season, throwing for 1,880 yards with a 67.3 completion percentage and has thrown 12 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. If Vreeken is unable to go, Ashton St. Germain will start his second straight game for Queen's. St. Germain last week versus Windsor completed 15-26 passes for 280 yards, threw for a touchdown but had three interceptions in the loss against a talented Windsor team. Queen's receiver Logan Walton has been one of the top receivers in the OUA this season as he currently ranks 2nd in the conference with 653 receiving yards and has 5 receiving touchdowns. Queen's offensively has been prolific all season, averaging 518 yards per game and will pose a major challenge for the Gryphon pass defence. The Gaels on defence are very similar to the Gryphons in terms of points per game, yards per game but generate more turnovers (6 interceptions and 4 fumble recoveries) and have gotten to the quarterback 12 times. The Gaels are led by Brandon Spence at linebacker who is third in the OUA with 46 total tackles.
The Gryphons are coming into this showdown with plenty momentum following their bye week as they shutout the Toronto Varsity Blues, 46-0, when they were last in action on Oct. 3.
Tristan Aboud continues to impress at quarterback for the Gryphons with the fourth-year standout throwing for 1,722 yards on the season, 15 touchdowns (3rd in OUA) and only thrown three interceptions. Gryphons fourth-year receiver,
Willem Arseneau, has had an outstanding season as the team's leading receiver as he is 5th in the OUA with 552 receiving yards, tied for 7th with 31 receiving yards and has found the end zone three times. Arseneau is four receptions away from reaching the 100-career reception mark as a Gryphon and is currently fifth in program history with 1,938 career receiving yards. The fourth-year receiver needs 82 yards to pass Dan Tocher for second all-time in total receiving yards. He needs 23 receiving yards to move into third all-time and 5 yards to move into fourth. The Guelph offence has found its stride, averaging 494.2 yards per game. The Gryphon defence is coming off a shutout against the Varsity Blues and have impressed as a unit each week this season. The Gryphs only allow 20.2 points per game and 332.3 yards per game, both are good for third-best mark in the conference. Linebacker
Jevaun Jacobsen since his return has made his presence felt on the defence and currently ranks 2nd on the team with 23 total tackles in four games played.
Nathaniel Slawter,
Gianni Green and
Kyle Simon-Guerin have been exceptional throughout the season in the Gryphon secondary and should be tested against one of the best passing attacks in the conference.
Anakin Guthrie can become the school's all-time leader in career punt return yards on Saturday at Queen's. Guthrie currently sits at 1,736 punt return yards and needs 85 return yards to pass Ryan Nieuwesteeg's school record of 1,822 punt return yards in a career.
The Gryphons and Gaels met last season at Guelph's 2025 homecoming game (Oct. 4) where Queen's scored a late touchdown to come away with a 27-17 win.
Saturday afternoon's matchup from Richardson Stadium can be seen live online at
oua.tv with kickoff from Kingston scheduled for 1pm. Following Saturday's trip to Queen's, the Gryphons will return home to host the Windsor Lancers (5-2) in their regular season finale on Saturday, October 24.
