GUELPH, Ont. – The Gryphon football team started the 2023 OUA football season with a convincing win on Saturday afternoon (August 26), defeating the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 33-10 in front of 1,219 fans at U of G's Alumni Stadium.

The Gryphon defence dominated on the day, limiting the Varsity Blues to just 190 total yards. The standout defensive performance by Guelph was capped off by a 50-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Anthony Moretuzzo late in the 4th quarter. Offensively, the Gryphons were led by a pair of impressive performances from rookie quarterbacks. Tristan Aboud got the start and handled the majority of the duties under centre on the day, with the Montreal, Quebec native looking sharp in the first OUA action of his career. Aboud, who arrived at the University of Guelph after playing prep school south of the border (Phillips Exeter Academy - New Hampshire), put together a memorable debut, finishing the day 19-of-26, 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT to go with 59 yards rushing on 4 carries. Marshall McCray, another first-year quarterback on the Gryphons roster in 2023, also impressed in his first taste of U SPORTS football. McCray featured primarily in short yardage situations, with the Niagara Falls, Ontario native rushing for 57 yards on the day while accounting for two touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 passing).
 
The first quarter saw both the Gryphon and Varsity Blue offenses struggle to get into scoring position, with Toronto scoring the only points in the first 15 minutes, a 25-yard field goal. The second quarter was a different story for the home team, with Tristan Aboud leading the Gryphons down the field on an 8-play, 94-yard drive ending in his first U SPORTS career touchdown pass to Willem Arseneau. Arseneau, a rookie receiver from Calgary, finished the day with 5 catches for 46 receiving yards and a score. Just two possessions later the Gryphons were on the move again. Donavin Milloy got the Gryphon started on the ground with a 13-yard run to bring the Gryphons within reach of the endzone. Milloy ended the game as the team's leading rusher, going for 60 yards on 10 carries. After a pair of Aboud completions, it was Marshall McCray's turn to put points on the board. McCray would barrel his way into the endzone to extend the Guelph lead to 14-3 with less than a minute remaining in the half. 

After a Benjamin Lane field goal to open the second half of play the Gryphon defence would take over, limiting the Varsity Blues attack to just 6 yards of total offense while also finding their way onto the scoresheet with a safety. On the ensuing drive, the Gryphon offense would once again start building momentum heading for the redzone. The 9-play, 75-yard drive was highlighted by a pair of McCray plays, a 20-yard run to bring the team into Toronto territory and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Evan Spangenberg to give the Gryphons a 23-point advantage heading into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, it was all defense for the home team. After a quarterback change midway through the quarter, the Gryphon defensive unit came away with a pick-6 and a pair of sacks in Toronto quarterback Scott Barnett's first three dropbacks. Anthony Moretuzzo led the Gryphons in a pair of defensive categories, both total tackles (7.0) and sacks (2.0) while also accounting for the defensive touchdown. Pass rusher Josh Campbell also had an impressive first outing of the season, finding his way into the backfield for a team-high 2.5 tackles for a loss which included half a sack. 
 
The Gryphons (1-0) will hit the road for a Week 2 trip to Windsor on Labour Day weekend. The Gryphons and Lancers will kick off at 7pm on Sunday, September 3, with the game broadcast live online at www.ouatv.com.
 

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