QUEBEC CITY, Que. – Twenty-seven football programs from across the U SPORTS landscape will dedicate the next three months to fighting for the right to earn a trip to Quebec City in late November for 54th playing of the Vanier Cup. For the Guelph Gryphons, the 2018 season unofficially kicked off on the very same field that will host the national championship game, with the Gryphons squaring off in a preseason matchup Saturday afternoon versus the Laval Rouge et Or at TELUS-UL Stadium.

The Gryphons, who traveled with a roster of 70-players to Quebec City, suffered a 46-3 loss to the nine-time Vanier Cup champion Rouge et Or. The preseason game, which was played in front of nearly 6,000 fans on Laval's home field, saw the Gryphons trail 16-3 after the 1st quarter and 25-3 at the half. Gryphon starters saw about a quarter-and-a-half of action before giving way to backups. ­­­The Gryphons are just eight days away from kicking off the 2018 OUA regular season with the team's Week 1 matchup set for Sunday, August 26 in Hamilton versus the McMaster Marauders.

"Part of the reason why we wanted to make the trip out here was to see where we were at in terms of our overall development," said interim head coach Todd Galloway.
 
"One of the big takeaways for us coming out of this game is how we react to adversity. Our players came out strong early on and showed that, talent-wise, we're good enough. But we have a lot of new guys in new spots, and we weren't quite ready to rebound once adversity hit."
 
From a U of G standpoint, that adversity came in the form of a 99-yard pick-six. After Guelph opened the scoring with a 46-yard field goal from All-Canadian kicker Gabe Ferraro, the Rouge et Or took the lead thanks to an All-Canadian of their own. Adam Auclair, the reigning U SPORTS Presidents' Trophy winner (stand-up defensive player) picked off Theo Landers and took it 99-yards the other way, giving the Rouge et Or a lead they would not relinquish.
 
"We were in a pretty good fight with our one's versus their one's until that pick-six," added Galloway.
 
"We did well on the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball. We ran the ball pretty well. And we did a good job stopping their run."
 
Another positive on the day for the Gryphons was some of the play from the secondary. Fourth-year defensive back Akeem Knowles recorded an interception against one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Laval's senior pivot, Hugo Richard. With the Gryphons leading 3-0, Knowles picked off the 2016 Vanier Cup MVP and returned it 31-yards into Laval territory. Knowles is expected to be an important part of a re-vamped Gryphon secondary that lost a pair of key players from last year's squad to the CFL in Royce Metchie and Nick Parisotto.
 
Saturday's preseason tilt also gave several U of G rookies an up-close look at what some the best talent at the U SPORTS level looks like. First-year offensive lineman Liam Lapointe started at left tackle and was part of an overall solid performance by the Gryphon o-line which had to face a daunting Laval front-seven, headlined by three-time J.P. Metras Trophy winner, Mathieu Betts. Lapointe, who played his CEGEP football at John Abbott College in Montreal, was one of several Gryphon rookies who were experiencing a homecoming of sorts by returning to Quebec. Eight players on the current U of G roster hail from Quebec, including first-year defensive back Brendan Murphy (Chateauguay, QC) who built off a strong training camp with another solid performance on Saturday to put himself in contention for a starting spot in the Gryphon defence.
 
On offence, six different running backs carried the ball for the Gryphons while seven different receivers recorded receptions. Starting quarterback Theo Landers was sacked twice and intercepted once in limited action before giving way to backup Brayden Lassenba.
 
The Gryphons will now return home and prepare for a Week 1 road matchup versus the McMaster Marauders on Sunday (Aug. 26). Kickoff at Ron Joyce Stadium is set for 3pm with the game available live online at oua.tv. The Gryphons will then play host to the York Lions on Labour Day Monday (Sept. 3) for the team's 2018 home opener at Alumni Stadium.
 

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