USports Players of the Week

Both uOttawa and Carleton had players honoured by the OUA earlier this week who then went on to be be named players of the week nationally by USports on August 31st.

Defensive Player of the Week – Shaiheem Charles-Brown, Carleton

A record-setting opening game performance for Carleton University defensive lineman Shaiheem Charles-Brown earns him the nod as U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week.

The senior Psychology student from Montreal made himself at home in the McMaster backfield, recording a school-record four sacks in the contest. The final sack of Marauders quarterback Andreas Dueck came late in the fourth period forcing McMaster into a late-game charge third and long situation that resulted in an interception as Carleton held on for a 24-18 victory.

Charles-Brown was in REDBLACKS training camp this past spring. This is a good start to ensuring that he gets another shot with someone in 2023. 

Special Teams Player of the Week – Campbell Fair, Ottawa

Veteran kicker Campbell Fair accounted for 13 of his team’s 19 points, including the winning field goal with seven ticks remaining in regulation time as the Ottawa Gee-Gees defeated Windsor 19-16 en route to earning the U SPORTS Football special teams player of the week award.

The fourth-year Arts student from Carrying Place, Ont. was four of six in field goal attempts including a pair from beyond 40-yards as he established his longest field goal in his career connecting from 46 yards in the second quarter. He would add 234 yards on six punts to his game totals.  

2010: Brad Sinopoli Wins the Hec Crighton Trophy

With today's announcement of Brad Sinopoli's retirement, much of the focus will be on his considerable achievements as a professional player. 

That being the case, I'd like to flashback to when he earned the top award available to a university football player. 

Thanks from the (not so) cheap seats, Mr. Sinopoli! Watching you perform has been a blast!

2016: Carleton Ravens 45, Ottawa U. Gee-Gees 09

It seems like these teams are only content to meet in the playoffs in years ending with a six.

Earlier this month, I posted recaps of the two times the local university met in the playoffs; the Ravens won in 1986 and the Gee-Gees in 1996.

I thought I'd already posted details about the time the current edition of the Ravens and the Gee-Gees met in the playoffs as it happened, but evidently not. My "reporting" was spotty back in 2016.

So here it is, lifted from the Ottawa Citizen. The writer's name is not specified, unfortunately.

Talk about a fierce rivalry – the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees were pushing and yelling at each other even before the opening kickoff of Saturday’s Ontario University Athletics football playoff opener at MNP Park.

On a cloudy, cool day, tempers got hot as the Ravens marched into a semifinal matchup with Western next Saturday in London with a 45-9 win over the Gee-Gees.

The Gee-Gees made way too many mistakes in a situation that demanded excellence. A botched snap on a field goal. Untimely penalties. A blocked punt. Two interceptions. A lost fumble. Two missed third-down gambles.

Give credit to the Ravens, who put a big exclamation mark on which was the better team.

“We got a bit of a jump early, the guys started playing with more confidence, we started making some plays,” said Ravens coach Steve Sumarah, whose club claimed a 43-23 decision over uOttawa in the Panda Game at TD Place stadium on Oct. 1.

On Saturday, the Gee-Gees couldn’t figure out a way to stop Carleton’s dynamic running attack. Jayde Rowe, Christian Battistelli and Marley Patterson all took turns eating up chunks of yardage. Battistelli had 131 yards on the ground, while Rowe had 125 and Patterson and 47. 

But it was the near-brawl that really got the game off to an explosive start. The fireworks began after the Gee-Gees planted their flag near midfield. Bodies were flying into the fray. Gee-Gees linebacker Ricardo Lubin was ejected.

“It’s our house. We’re not thugs, but anybody that plays this sport knows if somebody tries to disrespect you in your own house, you have to show them the front door,” said Ravens all-star receiver Nate Behar.

Gee-Gees coach Jamie Barresi said, “What I had said to the team (Friday) was I didn’t want them to be intimidated, and I think they kind of took it the wrong way. I felt I might have bottled these guys up a bit, so I tried to let the tiger out a little, but I didn’t expect that.”

“It got us all fired up, but then it’s over after the next play kind of thing,” said Sumarah.

The game was as one-sided as the score indicated.

...

After Bryce Vieira was stuffed by Stefan Carty on a third-and-one gamble from the Gee-Gees’ 48, the Ravens settled for a Mike Domagala field goal.

A botched snap and field-goal attempt wound up in a huge gain by Tunde Adeleke, who carried 56 yards to the uOttawa 40 and that led to a Jesse Mills 24-yard TD strike to Wilson Birch.

A nice run by Dexter Brown on an inside screen set up a two-yard TD run by Rowe.

 
The Gee-Gees made it 17-3 on a 41-yard Lewis Ward field goal after Kalem Beaver hauled in a 40-yard pass. After a Gee-Gees fumble on their 10-yard line after a missed field goal, the Ravens struck again – with Rowe easily scampering into the end zone. It was 27-3 at the half after another Domagala field goal. 

On the Ravens’ first possession of the second half, Battistelli dashed into the end zone, 56 yards up the middle, untouched. Carleton got a couple of safeties, the first one on a James McCallum blocked punt.

Carleton scored again when Guillaume Caron picked off a tipped pass (with Victor Twynstra in at QB for Wendel, who left the game after taking a helmet to his elbow) and ran into the end zone. The Gee-Gees got their first touchdown with less than seven minutes left when Luke French caught a three-yard pass.

“We had early mistakes, dropped balls, it was amazing how we were able to get some momentum at certain stages and it just stopped,” said Barresi. 

The photos above were found on the Carleton Ravens football website and were taken by Valerie Wutti.

"Marcel Bellefeuille returns to the University of Ottawa as head coach of Gee-Gees football program"

University of Ottawa Varsity Athletics is proud to welcome Marcel Bellefeuille as the head coach and program manager of the Gee-Gees football team.

A 25-year professional and collegiate coaching veteran, Bellefeuille returns to his alma mater 20 years after leading the program to its second Vanier Cup victory in 2000.

"It is tremendously exciting for the University of Ottawa to welcome Marcel Bellefeuille back as our head coach and program manager of the Gee-Gees football program," said Sue Hylland, Director of Varsity Athletics at uOttawa. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program and was the right fit that we needed at this time as a life-long coach at the university and professional level."

"He is already a part of our Gee-Gees family. He brings what we wanted – strong leadership, great communications skills, and the ability to rally and unite the many stakeholders that form a large program like football. We are excited for the future," said Hylland.

The Ottawa native served as head coach of the program from 1998 to 2000, amassing an overall record of 26-5 and leading the Gee-Gees football team to their first national title in 25 years. In 2018, Bellefeuille was inducted into the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame.

"It is an honour and privilege to have the opportunity to return home and coach the Gee- Gees football team," said Bellefeuille. "This program has a rich and storied history. As an alumnus and former employee, the University of Ottawa has always had a special place in my heart. I would like to thank the University and the Alouettes for making this opportunity a reality."

Bellefeuille's history with the Gee-Gees began over 35 years ago, while still attending Ridgemont High School. Having watched Gee-Gees games at Lansdowne Park, Bellefeuille later arrived at the university as a player in 1985.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1991, Bellefeuille went on to win a championship coaching high school football in the city, eventually joining the Gee-Gees coaching staff in 1995 as an offensive assistant. Primarily working as the team's running backs coach, Bellefeuille rose rapidly and was named head coach in 1998.

In 1998, the Gee-Gees posted a 6-2 regular season record under their new head coach. In 1999, the team's 9-0 undefeated campaign came to an end in the Dunsmore Cup. That season, Bellefeuille was named the OQIFC Coach of the Year. In 2000, the team finished the regular season 7-1, going on to win the Dunsmore Cup and the Churchill Bowl, before defeating Regina in the Vanier Cup. At 34 years old, Bellefeuille was the youngest Vanier Cup winning head coach in history.

In 2001, Bellefeuille made the leap to professional football, becoming Saskatchewan's offensive line coach, he then served as the Roughriders' offensive coordinator from 2003 to 2005. In 2006 and 2007, he served as offensive coordinator in Montreal with the Alouettes and coached in the 2006 Grey Cup prior to moving on to his first head coaching job in the CFL.

From 2008 to 2011, Bellefeuille was the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, revamping a struggling franchise to lead the team to three consecutive playoff berths, including a trip to the Eastern Division finals in 2011. He was a finalist for CFL Coach of the Year in 2009.

In 2012, he entered U.S. professional football in the United Football League (UFL) to serve as offensive coordinator of the Omaha Nighthawks. In 2013, he returned to the CFL where he was named the offensive coordinator in Winnipeg until 2015. In 2016, Bellefeuille became the wide receivers coach with the BC Lions, where he stayed until 2018. Over the course of his career, Bellefeuille has coached every offensive position at the professional level.

Bellefeuille returned to U SPORTS coaching in 2018, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Queen's Gaels. Under his direction, the Gaels finished second in the OUA in passing yards per game with 334 and averaged 30.5 points per game.

In 2019, he coached professionally in the Texas Spring League, which also provided a series of showcase games after the season for the upcoming XFL season. Following the league's completion, he returned to the Canada to serve as a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos. In December, Bellefeuille was brought on to be the Montreal Alouettes offensive line coach prior to his appointment as the head coach for the Gee-Gees.

"Gee-Gees Head Football Coach Jamie Barresi leaving uOttawa"

University of Ottawa Press Release

As of Friday, March 20, Gee-Gees Head Football Coach Jamie Barresi will be leaving the University of Ottawa. At the helm of the Gee-Gees football program since 2013, he led the team to an overall record of 36 wins and 27 losses, including two OUA semi-final playoff appearances.

"I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of the players that have been involved with the program for their superlative effort and dedication," offered Barresi, reflecting on this chapter of an extensive career. "I hope they will continue to challenge themselves and do the things they are most afraid of doing. They have given more to me than I can repay."

"I would also like to thank the coaches and support staff including trainers, doctors, managers, videographers, strength coaches and administration for their work as well - the same best wishes. Special thanks to Steven Drover, Danika Smith and Jennifer Elliott. As a lifetime coach, I look forward to the next coaching challenge," concluded Coach Barresi.

Barresi was appointed as the Gee-Gees head coach and program manager in January of 2013. The Hamilton, Ont. native began his coaching career with the Gee-Gees as part of the 1981-83 coaching staff, the same Gee-Gees he was a quarterback with from 1976 to 1979. He then spent twenty seasons coaching in the NCAA at such notable football programs as Penn State, including a national championship appearance in 1985, the University of Florida, and Wake Forest, and Central Florida. Upon returning to Canada, he joined the coaching staff of some of the most storied franchises in the CFL, appearing in three Grey Cups over nine years, including a win in 2006 with BC.

Over the past seven seasons, Barresi paved the way for many uOttawa student-athletes to graduate onto the professional football ranks. Just as importantly, Coach Barresi, applying the uOttawa varsity based model to his football program, implemented study halls, expanded the academic support teams and focused on fundraising for scholarships and academic support, guiding more student-athletes towards sustained academic success and opening career doors for them to lead professional lives in various fields.

"On behalf of the Gee-Gees football program and the uOttawa Varsity Athletics family, I want to thank Coach Barresi for his dedication to this team," said Sue Hylland, Director of Varsity Athletics at uOttawa. "We thank Jamie for his tireless work ethic, passion for the game and support of our student-athletes."

The search for the new Head Coach and Manager of the Gee-Gees Football Program will begin immediately as the team readies for the 2020-2021 season. The Gee-Gees first game is scheduled for Sunday, August 30th in Windsor.

Davis, Cassar Named to First-Team All-Canadian Squad

The following is copied from geegees.ca.

Réshaan Davis is now an All-Canadian. The defensive end was recognized by U SPORTS at the All-Canadian Awards Gala in Quebec City on Thursday night, ahead of Saturday's 55th Vanier Cup...

Photography by Greg Mason 

...Davis was a statistical leader and physical force for the Gee-Gees for the second straight season. After being selected to the East-West Bowl in 2019, Davis was second in OUA this season with 11.5 tackles for loss and fourth in sacks with seven.  

"Réshaan makes game-changing plays," says Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi. "He is extremely difficult to handle in one-on-one situations and that was evident against every opponent. He is particularly effective in key moments and in late stages of games, and even in situations deep in the opponent's territory when their pass protection should be at its best." 

The product of Monsignor Paul Dwyer C.H.S. in Oshawa, Ont., Davis started every game in 2019 and registered sacks in five games with two against both Queen's and Laurier. The fourth-year Gee-Gee averaged 4.1 tackles per game and also had one forced fumble and one pass breakup this season. In his career with uOttawa, Davis has registered 13 sacks.

Carleton linebacker Jack Cassar was also selected on the strength of 44 tackles on the season (seven of which were for loss), four sacks and five pass breakups. Both gentlemen were members of the all-OUA team as well, naturally, but Cassar was a 2018 all-conference selection as well.

Photo from USports website, credit unavailable

Players Of The...Past Couple Of Weeks

The OUA revealed its weekly award winners earlier today which only underscored that I once again neglected to record them a week ago. So I'll do those first.

Defensive Player of Week Seven – Trevor Hoyte, Carleton Ravens

In a must-win game for Carleton, the Ravens were going up against one of the nation’s best, with the McMaster Marauders finding their groove on both sides of the ball. But with Trevor Hoyte at the heart of it, Carleton was able to upend the Hamilton squad and come away with the clutch victory. 

Hoyte was a man on a mission against the Marauders, making his presence felt on multiple occasions across the field. The third-year linebacker picked up eight tackles in the game, all of the solo variety, to produce a game-high in the category. He also added a forced fumble to his impressive stat line. The effort was also a season-high for the Gatineau, Que. native and brought his season average up to over 4.5 tackles per game. 

Not only was the defensive effort important in shutting down the Marauders when it mattered, especially in the opening half, but it was a much-needed effort in a must-win scenario to keep the Ravens’ playoff hopes alive.

For a little additional background, here's some text from the Ravens' announcement about Hoyte joining the program in 2017.

...the defensive standout played for several teams including Bel-Air Norsemen of the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA), Philemon Wright Falcons of the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association (NCSSAA) and Hadley Hawks.

Special Teams Player of Week Seven – Kevin Victome, Ottawa Gee-Gees

The Ottawa Gee-Gees kept their winning ways intact against Windsor on Friday, more than doubling up on the Lancers when the final whistle blew, and a key figure in the win was on the special teams side of the ball – Kevin Victome. The freshman cornerback has been off to an outstanding start to his career in Garnet and Grey and his latest effort was highlighted by a pair of plays that were a definite factor in the outcome. 

Up only one point in the third quarter, Victome flew off the edge to block a go-ahead field goal from the Lancers. If that wasn’t enough, the Ottawa native made another standout effort early in the fourth quarter. Victome sped downfield on a kickoff, laying a hit on the returner and forcing a fumble that resulted in a scoop and score touchdown for the Gee-Gees who eventually won 54-26. 

For the game, Victome also racked up 4.5 tackles and a pass breakup.

Carleton also placed a player on the Week 8 honourees.

Defensive Player of the Week – Danny McWhirter, Carleton Ravens

In their second straight must-win game to close out the season, the Carleton Ravens did what they had to do, as Danny McWhirter and the team defence stepped up in a big way to shut down Laurier and claim the final spot in the Yates Cup playoffs. 

McWhirter was a one-man wrecking crew for the Ravens, with his eyes on lighting up seemingly any time a ball was thrown in his direction. The third-year defensive back made his initial impact with a pick-six late in the opening half. He got his hands on the Connor Carusello pass and took it back 52 yards to the house to give Carleton a 12-0 lead at the time. He wasn’t even close to being done there; however, as he would haul in his next interception just a few minutes later to halt Laurier in their tracks once again. He would cap off his three-interception day by snagging a deep Carusello pass early in the fourth quarter and keep momentum the way of the black birds. 

McWhirter would finish the day with four pass break-ups, including the three interceptions, as well as one solo tackle, helping to limit Laurier to just 190 yards passing and 10 points on the day and punch Carleton’s ticket to the postseason.

McWhirter as named to the OUA all-rookie team in 2017.

2019 Panda Game: OttawaU 32, Carleton 10

I am gathering from many sources to recap the 51st Panda Game.

The first is quite simply the USports website an only credited to staff rather than a specific person. Pictures will be credited individually.

A record (and sellout) crowd of 24,600 showed up at Ottawa’s TD Place for the game, and there were plenty of big names present. That included a pair of Ottawa alumni who handled the pre-game coin toss: Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek and Ottawa Redblacks’ kicker Lewis Ward. 

...the Gee-Gees opened the scoring on a rouge, but the Ravens responded with a first-quarter field goal and then a second-quarter touchdown pass from Tanner DeJong to Quinton Soares, taking a 10-1 lead. 

Ottawa struck back after that, though; a safety put them back within seven, and then Carleton running back Nathan Carter fumbled in the end zone and the Gee-Gees’ Tramayne Stephen recovered for a game-tying touchdown. 

After that, Réshaan Davis forced a fumble from DeJong and Francis Perron recovered and took the ball 22 yards for a touchdown that put Ottawa into the lead. Gee-Gees’ running backs Jordan Burgher and Donald Shaw then added further touchdowns, leading to Ottawa’s eventual 32-10 win. 

The Gee-Gees gained only 211 offensive yards on the day compared to the Ravens’ 405, but their defence came up big time after time, and their offence capitalized when it counted.

Photography by Parker Townes

Darren Desaulniers takes over for the Ottawa Sun

“Burn the tape,” was the response from Ravens coach Steve Sumarah after his football team was outscored 31-0 in the second half and lost 32-10 in the 51st edition of the game at TD Place in front of an announced crowd of 24,626. 

As bad as it was in the second half for the Ravens, it wasn’t much better for the Gee-Gees in the first. In fact, it could have been much worse than a 10-1 deficit had Ravens kicker Keiran Flannery-Fleck not missed three of his four field-goal attempts in the half. 

“We left a lot of points on the board and they just fed off our mistakes in the second half. It was embarrassing,” Sumarah said. “We didn’t have them ready to play, and that’s on us as coaches. 

“I’m at a loss. It’s probably one of the worst collapses I’ve ever been involved in. More credit has to go to (uOttawa), and they did some good things in the second half and, at the end of the day, they were the better team.” 

The defence was in good hands for both sides. After the Ravens conceded a safety rather than punt from their end zone, the Ravens’ defence intercepted a Ben Maracle pass at their own one-yard line. 

On the very next play, though, the Ravens fumbled in the end zone and Tramayne Stephen fell on the ball for a Gee-Gees TD that tied the game 10-10. 

Another missed field goal by Campbell Fair resulted in another single, and the Gee-Gees were up 11-10. On the next play, DeJong was hit hard and fumbled before Francis Perron scooped up the ball and ran 22 yards for the score for an 18-10 lead.

The Gee-Gees' own recap of the points at that "The Ottawa defence took advantage of six Carleton turnovers, with captains Cody Cranston, Thomas Carrier, and Luke Griese logging the interceptions for the Gee-Gees."

As a result of his substantial contributions, Stephen was named the defensive player of the week in the conference.

Big time players show up on big stages! Six solo tackles, one tackle for loss, and an unforgettable fumble recovery touchdown makes Tramayne the OUA Defensive Player of the Week!

1970 Panda Game: OttawaU 29, Carleton 20

With the Panda Game coming this weekend, let's look back at a past one.

1970 was chosen in part because I didn't even know I had the recap saved. I usually have a one-paragraph summary on the Panda Game page above but did not have one for this particular edition of the big game.

The truth of the matter is that you can't go wrong selecting any of them. Even the lopsided games are made interesting by a record being set, a now-legendary player participating, Pedro antics, whatever.

I apologize for the poor scan but you should be able to read it without difficulty once you view it in its original size. Of course, what you'll read will be full of spelling errors such as "Ravins" and multiple versions of some of the players' names (Evanetz/Evantez, Ribbins/Robbins) but it is what it is.

You can also check out some soccer scores and consider an ad for French classes. Indeed, I was too lazy to crop around all that stuff. 

The picture above is copied from the Ottawa Journal. No credit was given.

Noteworthy trivia, I read in a Ravens Old Crow newsletter that John Ruddy intercepted a pass for Carleton in this game. Ruddy, as you likely know, is a member of the RedBlacks ownership group and was a major contributor to restoring Carleton's football program in 2013.

Panda 50: Gee-Gees 38, Ravens 27

We're going to Frankenstein this thing.

Similar to what I did on draft day, I'm picking stuff from here there and everywhere to cover the 50th edition of the Panda Game. And if I come across more, I'll edit the post and add it.

I must say though that Darren Desaulniers' recap for the Citizen, the first article below, was nearly untouched. I sometimes find myself removing some parts that seem less relevant but in my opinion here did a nice job here and it's best left alone.

The photo below is by Jasmine Foong and was included in the Charlatan's recap of the game.

Gee-Gees top Ravens to reclaim Pedro, Panda Game bragging rights

After spending the past four years at Carleton, Pedro the Panda will again return to the University of Ottawa to spend the next year, at least, as a Gee-Gee.

The Gee-Gees dominated the Ravens 38-27 in the 50th Panda Game at a sold-out TD Place stadium on Saturday, producing uOttawa’s their first win in the rivalry game since 2013.

The score was a little flattering to the Ravens, who managed a pair of late touchdowns after the Gee-Gees had scored 31 consecutive points to take a 38-14 advantage.

“We had some communication problems and it stalled some of our (early) drives and we had a lot of two and outs,” Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi said.

“Give them credit, too — I’m talking about Carleton — for the way their defence and the way they played. But, at the same time, I don’t think we were doing things properly from an operations point of view. Having said that, they were gnawing at us and clawing at us.”

The game started remarkably well for the Ravens, who had a 7-0 lead 32 seconds into the first quarter thanks to a little trickery.

Quarterback Michael Arruda took the first snap and tossed a lateral to Quinton Soares, who then threw a downfield pass that Dominic Walker turned into a 78-yard catch-and-run TD.

Not much went well for the Ravens after that, though,

Arruda, who had entered the game fifth in the Ontario University Athletics football league in passing yards per game, didn’t complete a pass to a teammate in the first quarter. Actually, his first pass of the day was tipped and intercepted by a Gee-Gees defender.

That led to a three-yard touchdown pass from Sawyer Buettner to Carter Matheson, so the contest was tied 7-7 just over six minutes in.

Arruda ended up throwing four interceptions by game’s end. He had just two in the previous five games.

“I threw four interceptions that could have gone the other way easily, but they game-planned well and did a hell of a job,” Arruda said, giving the Gee-Gees credit for their defence.

“They did a hell of a job and we weren’t expecting it. I caught myself looking down at the D-line a little too much and it was hard to adjust. We made way too many mistakes and hurt ourselves way too many times, but (uOttawa) played great.”

Arruda did throw a six-yard touchdown pass to Soares for a 14-7 Ravens lead six minutes into the second quarter, but everything fell apart from there.

The Gee-Gees put up 10 more points before half-time, with Kalem Beaver hauling in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Buettner and Campbell Fair kicking a 32-yard field goal.

“We needed that,” Beaver said of the offensive explosion.

“The offence needed to step up. The defence has been bringing it every game and it was finally time that we both came together.”

Buettner threw third-quarter TD passes of 37 and 17 yards to Beaver and Dylan St. Pierre. Matheson made his second TD catch of the day, for 25 yards, in the fourth quarter.

For those counting at home, that made five touchdown passes for Buettner, who had just four previously this season. The native of Moose Jaw, Sask., apparently...wasn’t fazed by the larger than usual venue seating 24,000-plus.

“Back home we always played our games at (Regina’s) Mosaic Stadium, so we always played in big stadiums, but never with a crowd that full. I thought it was a good learning experience and I thought our team handled it well. We lean on some veterans that have been there before. I know I did, so it was awesome,” Buettner said.

“I go out and do my thing. We’ve got a great offensive system, great coaches and a great group of teammates, so it’s easy on me. I just have to put the ball up and let them make plays.”

With the game out of reach, Nathan Carter ran for touchdowns of seven and three yards to get the Ravens a bit closer in the fourth quarter, but hope of a miracle comeback ended when Arruda was intercepted by Gee-Gees defensive back Jamie Harry.

“It felt like we weren’t dialed in,” Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah said. “We knew what was coming (from the Gee-Gees defence) and we weren’t prepared mentally to deal with what was coming. If it wasn’t them, it was our own mistakes and penalties.

“Even though on the scoreboard we weren’t behind early, you felt the momentum of the game had turned really early and we were in that scratching mode all game long. We never felt like we were in control of the game.”

The Gee-Gees lead the all-time Panda Game series 33-17.

Gee-Gees bring home Pedro in 50th Panda Game
(portions of an uncredited article on geegees.ca. Photo by Greg Mason)

....Second-year running back Dawson Odei continued to be a force on the Garnet and Grey offence. Odei is second (by merely a half yard) in the OUA in yards per game after racking up 142 yards on 25 carries in the win.

“It’s been a long time coming and it feels great. It feels great,” said (Kalem) Beaver. “Our defence is bringing it every game, and our offence needed to step up. It was finally time for us to come together.”

Defensively, U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian Jamie Harry proved to be one of the most dominant players in the nation. With two interceptions in the game, Harry’s five takeaways this season leads the nation through week six. Fellow defensive backs Luke Griese and Rashad Spooner also had instrumental moments taking the ball away from Carleton QB Mike Arruda.

“It’s a good win for our players – they were resilient because we knew we were going to have a tough battle,” said Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi, after earning Pedro for the second time in his tenure. “There were a lot of things that were improved on our side today, and they conducted themselves with poise.”

Photo by Parker Townes for The Fulcrum

Odds and ends from the stats sheet
-- 2018 Redblacks draft choice Kene Onyeka (4th-round) had two sacks in the game and now leads the OUA with five.
-- Carleton had a staggering 17 penalties for 165 yards.
-- Carleton had a slight edge in time of possession, 30:26 to 29:34. They also ultimately outgained Ottawa 475 yards to 370.
--Eight Gee-Gees receivers caught passes from QB Sawyer Buettner. 

Dominic Walker an OUA Player Of The Week

I was away all week so am only now finding out about Ravens receiver Dominic Walker's selection among the three OUA players of the week.

It may be his first season with Carleton Ravens, but rookie receiver Dominic Walker made his presence felt in a big way in the team’s Week 3 win over Waterloo. 

Walker got on the board early after hauling in the short pass from QB Michael Arruda to extend the Ravens’ first quarter lead to 8-0. From there, Walker showcased his big play ability and reeled in the longest play of his early career. Walker took the deep toss from Arruda and did the rest of the damage with his legs, with the pass and run going for 95 yards to the house. 

Both touchdowns proved critical in the team’s eventual three-point win over the high-octane Warriors, and Walker’s overall line of five catches for 130 yards has helped the first-year Communication Studies major to earn offensive honours for Week 3.

The Ravens followed up that win with a double-overtime victory against Queen's at home on September 15th. Sounds like the kind of game that can open the door for more players to be honoured! Carleton is now 3-1 at mid-season with a heartbreaking blown lead against the defending champion Western Mustang as the only blemish.

One Raven Player Of The Week...And One Raven Who Should Be.

Yesterday wasn't a great day for the city's university football clubs. The University of Ottawa couldn't keep up with Laurier, losing to the tune of 39-21 while Carleton squandered a lead at home to lose to the defending champion Western Mustangs in overtime 26-23.

“We had these guys in the bag,” said Ravens quarterback Mike Arruda, who threw touchdown passes to fullback Mitch Raper and slotback (Phil) Iloki in a wild second quarter, when the Ravens outscored the Mustangs 17-3. “We knew we has these guys after the first half. This should never have come down to overtime." 

“First week (of the schedule) and we’re up 17-3 and I think we took our foot off the pedal. This loss is going to teach us a lot. Maybe the good thing is we sent a scare to the rest of the league. We can feel good about that.”

Sounds a lot like what the RedBlacks went through after blowing a 24-point lead against Toronto earlier this year. If you need learn such a lesson, at least learn it early.

Taking the champs to the wire in such fashion naturally involves a number of outstanding performances and on Ravens player was recognized for his performance; Michael Domagala is the Ontario University Athletics Special Teams player Of The Week.

The Ravens kicker connected on three field goals in the game, while adding a pair of extra points to bring his total output to 11 points for the game. 

His first field goal came in the first quarter, connecting on a 20-yarder to open the game’s scoring. From there, Domagala took it to another level. His second make – a 42-yarder - came in the second quarter to give the Ravens the 6-3 lead, but he saved his best for last. After a Mustangs comeback in the second half gave Western the lead, Domagala stepped up for a game-tying 50-yard make with just one second left on the clock to send the game to overtime.

Acknowledging that relying on stats to tell the whole story can be misleading, another player caught my eye while reviewing the box score.

Let's preface this by pointing that the recipient of the defensive player of the week gathered the following numbers: "Five solo tackles, along with one assisted, to total 5.5 for the game, (later) forcing a fumble. (He) also notched one pass breakup."

Busy day. But I submit it to you Ravens linebacker Josh Walsh.

Photography by Valerie Wutty

Walsh was not the leading tackler on the team. That distinction belongs to fellow linebacker Jack Cassar with nine (and three assists).

But Walsh had eight, also with three assists. He is credited with a sack for an 8-yard loss, two of his tackles were for a total of 11 yards lost, he broke up a pass and intercepted another which he returned for 21 yards.

Maybe stats don't tell the whole story but the part of the story that those tell is pretty convincing.  This is Walsh's third year and, against quality competition, he may have just announced that it's his break out year.

"Jackson Bennett has monster game as Bengals upset Redskins for midget title"

The CFL draft takes place on Thursday night and after raising his stock over the past few months, University of Ottawa defensive back Jackson Bennett is expected to be taken within the first two rounds.

Bennett made the Ontario University Athletics all-star team twice; first team as a defensive back and second team as a return man. He was again honoured as a DB with a second-team All-Canadian selection.

Photo credit to Greg Mason for thefulcrum.ca

His exploits predate The U. of O, however. While looking for information about him, I came across an article by Fred Sherwin for Orleans Online.

The Bengals' offence raked up 56 points against a Redskins team that had only allowed 68 points all season long, while the defence managed to hold Nepean's offence to just 39 points. 

Jackson Bennett had a monster game for the Bengals, slicing and dicing his way through the Redskins' defence like a hot knife through butter. The fleet-footed running back gained over 500 yards against the top defence in the league and scored seven times to earn MVP honours.

The Orleans Bengals are the 2013 NCAFA midget champions after laying an good old-fashioned beat down on the previously undefeated Nepean Redskins.  

The REDBLACKS have reportedly tossed around the idea of starting two Canadian receivers but currently only have three on the roster. Receiver isn't the deepest position of any draft so it wouldn't be a shock to see them choose one fourth overall as a result but hopefully a versatile, athletic, local product like Bennett is too tempting to pass up if he's available.

Edit: I completely overlooked that Jackson Bennett was a member of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier high school team which won the NCSSAA senior title in 2013.

**Bengals photo credit to Carol Williamson