GUELPH, Ont. – The No. 6-ranked Gryphon football team used a 22-point fourth quarter to pull away from the Waterloo Warriors in a 39-13 victory on Saturday afternoon at Warrior Field in Waterloo. The Gryphons were led by rookie running back
Kaine Stevenson, who exploded for 194 yards rushing and three touchdowns to help the Gryphons improve to 3-1 on the season while handing Waterloo (2-1) their first loss of 2019.
"It was a good team win. Good teams find ways to win games, and today we were really pleased with the effort our guys put out," says Gryphon head coach
Ryan Sheahan. "The defence did a good job handling the reigning OUA MVP, we were able to win the turnover war and are special teams was solid. It was a great road win."
Heading into Saturday's matchup in Waterloo, the Gryphons knew that, in order to leave with a win, they would have to find a way to contain Warriors star quarterback Tre Ford. They did just that.
Free safety Dotun Aketepe comes up with an INT Saturday vs Waterloo
The Gryphon defence did something on Saturday that no OUA opponent did a season ago – holding Tre Ford without a touchdown pass. The reigning OUA MVP, who finished the 2018 season with 27 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions, was kept out of the endzone by the Gryphon defence and was also intercepted once by Gryphon safety
Dotun Aketepe as the U of G defence limited the OUA's second-ranked offence to just 13 points on the day. By Tre Ford's lofty standards, it was a modest day, finishing the day 18-29 for 301 yards. The Gryphons, who also lead the OUA in sacks in 2019 with 15 through four games, got the quarterback on five different occasions on Saturday, with sophomore standout
Tavius Robinson accounting for three of his team's five sacks on the day. The Gryphons also entered the game with the OUA's top-ranked rush defence, and limited Waterloo running back Dion Pellerin (the OUA's leading rusher at 156.5 yards per game coming in) to just 64 yards on 15 carries (4.3 avg).
Offensively, a memorable day for rookie running back
Kaine Stevenson (21 carries, 194 yards, 3 TD) included touchdown runs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to help the Gryphons take a 17-13 lead to the final quarter.
Gryphon rookie running back Kaine Stevenson
In the 4th, Stevenson would strike again, this time on a 36-yard touchdown run, to extend the Gryphon lead to 24-13.
"Kaine (Stevenson) was one of our top recruits," adds Sheahan. "He's been chomping at the bit to have a breakout game and today he really exploded. He's capable of doing that week in week out. And while Kane will be celebrated for this performance, our offensive line deserves a lot of credit. They had a great push all day."
The Gryphons also received a boost from fifth-year senior receiver
Kade Belyk, who after missing some time earlier in the season due to injury, provided a spark in the Gryphon passing game by leading the team with 7 receptions and 82 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown in the final quarter to extend the lead to 31-13.
Gryphon quarterback
Theo Landers finished the day 11-19, 163 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT while also rushing for 66 yards on the day, including a 2-yard TD run late in regulation to cap off Guelph's 22-point fourth quarter.
"Our red zone efficiency was a lot better today," adds Sheahan. "We're continuing to grow as a team and if we can clean up a few turnovers from today, we would have been looking at a really complete performance."
The Gryphons (3-1) will now return home for their next two games, beginning with the No. 2-ranked Western Mustangs on Sept. 21. The Gryphons 2019 Homecoming football game is set for the following Saturday (Sept. 28) when the Ottawa Gee-Gees visit Alumni Stadium. Tickets for both the Western and Ottawa games are available online with both being broadcast live online at OUA.tv.
