TORONTO, Ont. – With so much still to be decided in the 2019 OUA Football playoff picture, the Guelph Gryphons (5-2) head to Toronto on Saturday to battle the Toronto Varsity Blues (2-5) in the regular season finale for both teams. For the No. 6 – nationally ranked Gryphons, they continue to battle for a home playoff game, and could finish as high as second in the OUA standings, while Toronto will be looking to play spoiler after their playoff hopes vanished last week in a loss at York.
Coming off a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory over the Queens Gaels in Kingston on October 10th, the Gryphons will look to continue riding the wave of emotion and momentum built up from a late 103-yard game tying touchdown drive, and Eric Stranz's game-winning 26-yard field goal.
Eric Stranz celebrates his game winning 26-yard field goal against Queen's
Despite Toronto being out of the playoff picture, the Gryphons will still have a big task ahead of them at Varsity Stadium. Quarterback Clay Sequeira and the Varsity Blues boast the top passing attack in the province averaging 330.9 yards per game. Sequeira leads all OUA quarterbacks not just in passing yards per game, but also in passing yards (2316), touchdowns (21) and pass attempts (275). The Pierrefonds, Que. product has a pair of receivers that the Gryphons will try to slow down as well. Both Will Corby and Nolan Lovegrove are first and second in the OUA in receiving yards, yards per game and touchdowns. Fortunately for Guelph, their defence has been up to the task all season long giving up only 16.6 points per game, which is best in the OUA, while also recording a conference leading 27 sacks.
"This is a team not to be taken lightly," Gryphon's head coach Ryan Sheahan said. "I don't care what the playoff story does or doesn't look like for them. It's going to be an important day for them as they honour their seniors, and it's uber important for us as a team planning on moving into the medal round."
"I think it's important not to limp into the playoffs. You want to go in there full speed, playing with confidence and playing at a high level."
Job Reinhart and the Gryphon's defence will try to slow down Toronto's OUA best passing attack
After returning to his alma-mater last week, first-year Gryphons head coach Ryan Sheahan will be seeing another familiar face on Saturday as well. Playing a big roll in the Blues air-attack is quarterback's coach Tom Denison, who Sheahan was teammates with during their playing days at Queen's. Once working in the same quarterback's room together, Sheahan and Denison will now try to outdo each other's offence and help their respective team pick up one last regular season win in 2019.
Gryphon fans will be keeping a close eye on the out-of-town scoreboard on Saturday afternoon. If McMaster loses at home to Waterloo and Guelph wins over Toronto, the Gryphons would be the No. 2-seed and earn a first-round bye. For coach Sheahan, however, the focus remains squarely on the task at hand Saturday in Toronto.
"Behind the scenes, it has been an interesting week because this is typically the week where the OUA releases all of their playoff scenarios," Sheahan said. "The message to our team has been clear though. The only thing we can control is Saturday. On Saturday, we have to play well, win the game and be 6-2 by four o'clock, and then whatever else happens is out of our control."
In recent memory, Guelph has had good fortune against Toronto having won six games in a row against the Varisty Blues. In fact, you have to go back to September 17 of 2011 to find the last time the Gryphons fell to Toronto. Most recently, the Gryphons downed the Blues last season at Alumni Stadium 46-8. Guelph will look to keep up that trend on Saturday.
The Gryphons currently sit 3rd in the OUA standing and are one of three teams in the OUA with a 5-2 record (Ottawa, McMaster). In order to surpass McMaster, the Gryphons need to beat U of T and have McMaster lose to Waterloo (as the Marauders hold the tiebreaker over Guelph thanks to their head-to-head victory on Aug. 25). The only way the Gryphons finish No. 4 in the conference, is if Guelph loses to U of T and Ottawa upsets Western.
Kick-off for the final 2019 regular season game for the Gryphons is scheduled for 1:00pm at Varsity Stadium. As always, you can catch the game broadcast live online at oua.tv.
