GUELPH, Ont. – It is a U SPORTS Top 10 matchup on Saturday in the nation's capital, as the No. 10-ranked Gryphon football team heads to Ottawa to face the No. 9-ranked University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gryphons enter Week 4 of the season with a 1-2 record, fresh off the heels of a memorable 41-35 victory over the then-No. 8-ranked Waterloo Warriors that saw the Gryphon offense explode for 471 yards. The team will look to continue their offensive dominance this weekend as they head to TD place to take on an Ottawa team that is off to a 2-1 start after defeating the McMaster Marauders 20-14 in Hamilton on September 20. The Gee-Gees, ranked No. 9 in the country in the latest U SPORTS Top 10 rankings, took down the Windsor Lancers 19-16 to open their season before falling to the Queen's Gaels 26-16 on September 3. Much like the Gryphons 2022 season, the Ottawa Gee-Gees have had more success on the road this season, with their two wins coming in Windsor and Hamilton. "The Ottawa Gee-Gees are a formidable football club," says Gryphon head coach Ryan Sheahan. "They have won two very important road games, with their lone loss coming in a very close contest where extreme weather impacted the game. We have a lot of respect for their coaching staff, and the Gee-Gees are a very athletic team. This is an interesting phase that our team is entering into, as this will be our first overnight road trip in three years. TD Place is a big-time ballpark, and we are excited to play in a game that will have a serious impact on our 2022 season as a whole."  
 
The Gryphons last head-to-head meeting with the Ottawa Gee-Gees came back on September 28 of the 2019 season, with Guelph winning 33-6 at Alumni Stadium for Homecoming. The 2019 win is the Gryphons only meeting with the Gee-Gees under head coach Ryan Sheahan. Since 2010 the Gryphons are 5-4 versus Ottawa, with the last Gee-Gees win coming in 2018, where they won 12-10 in Week 3 before the script flipped in the playoffs with Guelph eliminating them in a 27-22 semi-final win.
 
On offence, the Gee-Gees are quarterbacked by veteran Ben Maracle, a 4th-year player who has been a steady force for Ottawa this season, completing 53% of his passes for 425 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also in the backfield for the Gee-Gees is 2022 Edmonton Elks draft pick and running back, J-P Cimankinda. Cimankinda, an Ottawa, Ontario native and former Gryphon, currently leads the OUA in rushing attempts and is 5th in both yards (276) and yards-per-game (92.0). On the other side of the ball linebacker, James Peter is the OUA leader in tackles with 26.0. Peter will be tasked with stopping a duo of Gryphon running backs in Isaiah Smith and Tomas Berrio, both of whom scored touchdowns in the Gryphons win over Waterloo. The Gee-Gee defence will also be tasked with slowing down OUA Offensive Player of the Week and Gryphon QB Jake Helfrich. The University of South Carolina transfer had a breakout game last week for the Gryphons, going 19-of-32 for 370 yards and 4 total touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) in just his second OUA start. Another pair of Gryphons with the ability to cause problems for the Ottawa secondary are receivers Vyshonne Janusas and Ryan Ogilvie who both eclipsed 100-yards receiving (160 & 114) against the Warriors on Saturday. The Gryphons will now look to bring the same offensive fireworks to Ottawa on Saturday and leave TD place with their second win of the season. Following this weekend's road trip the Gryphon football team will return home on Saturday, September 24 for the 2022 edition of the Gryphon homecoming football game.
 
This Saturday's matchup versus the Gee-Gees can be seen live online at www.OUA.tv with kickoff set for 12pm.