2021 Panda Game: uOttawa 19, Carleton 17

Gathering some Panda Game goodies from here, there and everywhere. The image below is from the Gee-Gees Instagram account, if i recall correctly. 

Photo Copied From the Gee-Gees Football Instagram Account

Ottawa Sun, Oct 3rd, 2021, by Ken Warren: In yet another Panda Game that twisted and turned with wild momentum shifts and a healthy dose of Mother Nature for good measure, it was a perfectly fair finish for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees at TD Place stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Campbell Fair, that is.

Fair, the Gee-Gees kicker, blocked out the noise of the rain-drenched, sold-out crowd of 15,000 before booting a game-winning 45-yard field goal with exactly one minute remaining to cap a 19-17 win over the Carleton Ravens.

The kick tied the Panda Game record for longest field goal, set by current Ottawa Redblacks and former Gee-Gees kicker Lewis Ward in 2017.

They don’t come any more clutch that this one, flipping the score in the Gee-Gees’ favour after Ravens kicker Brandon Forcier put the Ravens ahead 17-16 with a 32-yard field goal with 3:53 to go.

“It’s definitely the biggest moment of my career, for sure,” Fair said, speaking a good 30 minutes after a crowd of spirited students emptied onto the field post-game, as per Panda Game tradition. “I’m just trying to think of the the mechanics in the most basic form, getting the right part of my foot through the right part of the ball.”

For the raucous and rowdy crowd of Gee-Gees fans in the north-side stands, the kick was a reward for sticking around through the downpour and a game in which both injury-depleted offences struggled to sustain drives.

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The victory was the first of the season for the Gee-Gees after a pair of losses. It also came following a pre-game tribute to Francis Perron, the Gee-Gees defensive lineman who died following the first game of the season in Toronto on Sept. 18. Gee-Gees head coach Marcel Bellefeuille credited his entire team for being able to focus in the crucial moments on Saturday.

Of course, the win wouldn’t have happened unless Fair hit it between the uprights from 45 yards out.

“I give him all the credit,” Bellefeuille said. “Thursday (in practice), we put him in that situation, just like (Saturday), from 35 yards out, for a 42-yarder, and he didn’t make it. He walked off the field and I said, ‘You’ll make it in the game.’ I’m really happy for the young man. He nailed it.”

Bellefeuille also praised his team for not losing their cool after losing a fourth-quarter lead.

The Gee-Gees led 16-7, but a pair of fumbles from Nathan Walker — one after a reception and one on a punt return — allowed the Ravens to rally. Before Fortier’s field goal, Ravens quarterback Reid Vankoughnett connected with Khalik Johnson for a 13-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the Gee-Gees’ lead to 16-14.

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After losing No. 1 and 2 quarterbacks Tanner DeJong and Tristan Lefebvre to injuries in a win over Queen’s on Sept. 25, the Ravens were forced to dig deep into the depth chart, with rookies Vankoughnett and Tristan Rinaldis seeing their first university action in the Panda Game spotlight.

Vankoughnett got the start and had some initial success by handing off over and over again. Nathan Carter capped off an impressive opening drive by scoring on a six-yard touchdown run. Carter finished the afternoon with 108 yards rushing on his way to breaking the Raven’s career rushing record that had been held by Mark Brown since 1988.

From there, though, the Ravens offence stalled and the Gee-Gees worked their way back into the game. The Gee-Gees first hit the scoreboard courtesy of a 12-yard field goal from Fair after an extended drive that featured a superb catch by Daniel Oladejo on a pass from quarterback Ben Maracle and a questionable pass-interference call.

The big play of the first half was a 64-yard touchdown pass from Maracle to Tristan Park. Park was wide open before making the catch and scampering into the end-zone.

As rain picked up, neither team had much success moving the ball, the contest becoming a game of punting and field position. The Ravens also conceded a safety in the first half.

Vankoughnett, who went 3-for-19 passing for 13 yards in the first half, was replaced by Rinaldis to start the second half. Rinaldis struggled to move the ball and Ravens coach Steve Sumarah gave the ball back to Vankoughnett in the fourth quarter.

The Gee-Gees, meanwhile, lost Maracle to a third-quarter injury, bringing back-up Matt Mahler into the game.

“Another typical Panda Game,” Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah said. “It’s never over until it’s over. You know … At the end of the game, they made some plays.”

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With the victory, the Gee-Gees hold a 34-18 Panda Game edge overall.

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Bellefeuille said the atmosphere of the Panda Game never gets old.

“That’s why it has been around so long,” he said. “Nothing against the Carleton guys, but that Ottawa crowd was rocking over there. I was so happy they were on the north side because some of them were dry and covered (in the seats). I was impressed with the crowd.”