OTTAWA, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons and Ottawa Gee-Gees entered Saturday afternoon's contest at Gee-Gees' Field separated by just one spot in the U SPORTS football rankings. After four quarters of hard-fought, defensive football, it would be the No. 9-ranked Gee-Gees escaping with a 12-10 victory over the No. 8-ranked Gryphons. For Guelph, who now fall to 1-2 on the season, it marks their second road loss of the year, both of which have come by a combined three points following the team's 16-15 season-opening loss at McMaster. The Gee-Gees meanwhile improve to 2-1.
With just over one-minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the Gryphons lined up for a potential game-winning field goal from 54-yards away. However, U of G's All-Canadian kicker Gabe Ferraro would have his long field goal attempt blocked by Ottawa's Cody Cranston. The Gee-Gees would pick up a pair of first downs to run out the clock, securing the two-point victory.
"We need to play more consistent football for four quarters of play," said Gryphons head coach
Todd Galloway.
"We were proud of the way we played defensively, and on offence we ran the ball well at times, but we stalled too many drives and took too many penalties."
It was a short week for the Gryphons, who entered Saturday's game on four-days' rest following their 33-18 victory over York on Labour Day Monday. The Gryphons found themselves in an early 10-0 hole to the Gee-Gees after the opening quarter, but would respond in the second quarter thanks to veteran receiver
Zeph Fraser. Early in the second quarter, the Mississauga native was able to get behind the Gee-Gees' secondary and was hit in stride by quarterback
Theo Landers. Fraser would then out-race the Ottawa defenders and go 85-yards for a touchdown to trim the Guelph deficit to 10-7 heading into the half.
A safety early in the fourth quarter would push Ottawa's lead to 12-7, but the Gryphons would continue to put generate opportunities to take the lead. Fourth-year receiver
Kian Schaffer-Baker made a pair of highlight-reel catches in what was his first game of the 2018 season.
After hauling in an unbelievable one-handed grab late in the opening half, Schaffer-Baker was at it again in the fourth quarter, getting air-born to reel in another dazzling reception, the latest of which converted a 2nd and 14 attempt and ultimately led to a 45-yard Gabe Ferraro field goal to make it a 12-10 game.
Down the stretch, the Gryphon defence would continue to stand tall, forcing several key two-and-outs to keep the U of G hopes alive. With 2:25 remaining, the Gryphons sent Gabe Ferraro out for a 52-yard field goal attempt. Despite having plenty of leg, Ferraro's attempt would sail just left of the uprights, keeping the score at 12-10 Ottawa. After yet another strong defensive stand by the Gryphons gave the ball back to the U of G offence, it would be Ferraro once again lining up a long field goal, this time from 53-yards out with just over one-minute on the clock, setting up the game-winning blocked field goal from Gee-Gees' defensive back Cody Cranston.
The Gryphon defence was led by senior linebacker
Luke Korol who racked up a team-high 11 tackles to go with one of his team's four sacks on the day.
Despite being on the field throughout most of the game (with time of possession favouring Ottawa 35:30 to Guelph's 24:30) the U of G defence once again showed incredible grit, coming up with several quick two and outs as well as a pair of red zone stops. Over the first three games of the 2018 season, the Gryphon defence is limiting opponents to just 15.3 points per game.
Offensively for the Gryphons, outside of Fraser's 85-yard touchdow, it was tough sledding against a talented Ottawa defence, who just last week limited the Marauders to 11 points in an 18-11 Gee-Gees' victory. U of G quarterback Theo Landers, who has yet to throw an interception in 2018, was limited to just nine completions on the day (9-of-19, 197 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT).
Jamal Hooker was the Gryphons' leading rusher with 10 carries for 57 yards, while Zeph Fraser was the leading receiver with 4 receptions for 103 yards and the touchdown.
Ottawa's offence ran through second-year running back Dawson Odei who carried the ball 30 times for 153 yards and a touchdown, while also hauling in four receptions for 36 yards.
The Gryphons (1-2) will once again be on the road next Saturday (Sept. 15) as they travel to Windsor to take on the Lancers (0-3) who have opened their 2018 season with losses to Waterloo, Carleton and York. The
next home game for the Gryphons comes on Saturday, September 22 and will mark the 2018 edition of the Gryphon football homecoming game as the Queen's Gaels visit U of G's Alumni Stadium.
