For the second weekend in a row, the Guelph Gryphons football team hosted a top-ten opponent. Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field, the Gryphons blew open a 28-0 lead early in the game and never looked back. The Gryphons defence forced four consecutive two-and-outs on the first four drives and only allowed 51 rushing yards for the entire game.
Running back Johnny Augustine hit the 100 yard mark for the fifth time this year, and quarterback James Roberts looked very polished, going 25/35 for 391 yards with four passing and one rushing touchdown. Ten different receivers and four running backs got involved in the action, led by Jacob Scarfone with seven catches, 122 yards, and two touchdowns, alongside veteran James “Lobby” Ingram with six catches and 99 yards. Daniel Palmer-Salmon had 12 carries, mostly late in the game, but is still proving to be a viable change-up back, and freshman QB Theo Landers saw his first action of the season in place of the recently departed backup Alex Skinner.
However, there were a few things to worry about from a Guelph standpoint. Ottawa’s 471 yards passing against is a concern; granted, much of that either came on two deep passing plays that broke for touchdowns, or in garbage time when the Gryphons had substituted players based on the score. The penalties also piled up against the Gryphons; 10 total for 90 yards.
Guelph continues their streak of victories over top-ten teams at home after defeating the McMaster Marauders last week at homecoming. However, just like last week against Mac, the Gryphons couldn’t keep up their level of drive and intensity for 60 minutes. Ottawa actually won two of the final three quarters, and Guelph once again failed to score a fourth quarter touchdown. The loud and proud fans from homecoming were also noticeably absent; team blogger Peter Gryphon estimated attendance at 1,500. The digital-camo helmets were back, paired with the new black Adidas jerseys and red pants. Yellow still has yet to make an appearance in the Gryphons’ football attire this season. With victories for all teams in the national top five this week, fans can expect Guelph to stay where they are in the rankings.
The Gryphons’ path to the Yates is looking much clearer now. Guelph is on the road next week against the 3-2 Queen’s Gaels. This is a big rivalry game, and likely the last time we play on the Gaels grass field. Queen’s has only lost to Mac and Western, so the Gryphons will not simply walk away with a victory, but will have to work hard for it.
After this match-up, the team will enjoy a week off before a final home game against Windsor and a trip to Carleton. Mac, Guelph, and Western appear to have pulled ahead of the rest of the league by a significant margin. An 8-0 season looks more likely than not for Guelph, the first time in modern history the team has gone undefeated.
However, Western is also threatening to go 8-0, and the purple ponies hold the tiebreaker (points for) over the Gryphons. Western’s final game is in Hamilton against McMaster, which will be a very tough game. Guelph fans know from experience how tough it can be to win in the Hammer.
Should Western lose that game, Guelph will have a first round bye, a home playoff game, and home-field advantage in the Yates Cup, where we will likely play the winner of Mac and Western (barring a stunning upset). Should Western win, we would have a bye week, a home playoff game against the always-tough Marauders, and the daunting task of playing in London for all the marbles.
All proceeds from this weekend’s game went to the United Way of Guelph.
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The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.