GUELPH – Victories for the Guelph Gryphons during the 2017 OUA football season have come in all sorts of different styles. There was a record-setting 81-point explosion versus Windsor back in Week 3. Following that was a dominating road win at U of T just seven days later. On September 30, the Gryphs needed a thrilling fourth quarter comeback to escape Waterloo with a win. And on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium, the Gryphons recorded their most recent victory of the season. And this one was their biggest statement yet. The Gryphons won 24-14 over the defending Yates Cup champion and No. 5-nationally ranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. With the result, the Gryphons improve to 4-3 on the season while Laurier falls to 5-2.
"The guys rallied together today and were able to find a way to overcome some tough situations," said Gryphons head coach
Kevin MacNeill. "We controlled the pace of the game from the start and received an incredible effort by our defence today. They applied some great pressure in the pass game and really shut down the run game. Hats off to everyone on that side of the ball."
The Golden Hawks came into the game ranked 2nd in the country in offensive yards per game (560.33) and 3rd in the country in scoring (averaging 40.2 points per game). On Saturday, the Gryphon defence combined to limit the potent Laurier offensive attack to just 186 total yards off offence (66 yards rushing, 120 yards passing), all of which were season-lows for the Hawks. The Gryphons shutout Laurier in the opening half, limiting the Hawks to just 75 yards of offence through the first 30 minutes of play.
"Coming off that bye week, all the guys were dialed in," said Gryphons fourth year safety
Royce Metchie. "Our coaches put us in a great position to succeed today and everyone was dialed in for all four quarters." The Gryphons recorded a pair of interceptions on the day, including a 2nd quarter pick from
NickParisotto which led to a field goal to help the Gryphons take a 10-0 lead into the locker room at the half.
The game featured several big momentum shifts, none bigger than the one that occurred early in the 3rd quarter. Golden Hawks' kicker Nathan Mesher lined up for a 39-yard field goal attempt, but saw his kick sail wide right and into the arms of Gryphons fifth year standout
Jacob Scarfone. The 2017 draft pick of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would proceed to take the kick back 120-yards the other way for the Gryphons' lone touchdown of the day, pushing the U of G lead to 17-0.
A 3rd quarter fumble by the Gryphon offence and a botched punt return by the Gryphon special teams would lead to a pair of Laurier touchdowns in the 2nd half to make it a 20-14 game with 8:42 remaining in the final quarter. But a 40-yard field goal from
Gabe Ferraro with just over six minutes to go would once again make it a two-possession game and would ultimately seal the deal for the Gryphons. Ferraro matched a career-high with five made field goals on the day and also made some history along the way. Ferraro's 26 made field goals this season matches the U SPORTS all-time record for made field goals in a single-season. Gabe, who will have the chance to set a new record with a made field goal in next week's game at Carleton, currently shares the national record with another former Gryphon – his older brother and current kicking coach, Daniel, who also split the uprights 26 times during the 2014 season.
Offensively for the Gryphons, fifth year running back
Johnny Augustine had a big day, carrying the ball 31 times for 176 yards rushing (5.7 avg). Augustine now sits just seven yards shy of moving into the No. 2 spot on the Gryphons all-time career rushing list. "This was a character win for us," said Augustine after the game. "In the locker room at half, we just talked about continuing to fight for the guy beside you. We've overcome some tough situations this season and there's a real sense of brotherhood with this team."
Gryphons third year quarterback
Theo Landers, making his second consecutive start in place of the injured
James Roberts, was an efficient 13-20 for 111 yards while also rushing for 86 yards on 14 carries (6.1 avg).
The win pushes the Gryphons' record to 4-3 on the season, but the OUA playoff picture is still unclear at this point. With just one game left on the regular season schedule, only the 1st-place Western Mustangs (7-0) know where they will finish in the standings. With the top six teams qualifying for the playoffs, seeds No. 2-through-No. 6 remain up in the air. The Gryphons will travel to Ottawa next week (Oct. 21) for a crucial matchup with the Carleton Ravens (3-4). Whether the Gryphons finish the season 5-3 or 4-4, there will most likely be some
tie-breaking procedures coming into place to determine where exactly they end up in the 2017 OUA playoff picture.
Saturday's game also marked the Gryphons' annual "Breast Cancer Awareness" game as well as the team's "Senior Day" with a total of 11 fourth year players being recognized before the game.
