Box Score WINDSOR, Ont. - On Sunday evening (September 3, 2023) the Guelph Gryphons football team suffered a 41-18 loss to the Windsor Lancers under the lights at Windsor's Alumni Field. The Gryphons were unable to overcome a strong Lancer pass rush and ground game, which generated 7 sacks and 488 total rushing yards. With the loss, the Gryphons move to 1-1 on the 2023 season, while Windsor improves to 2-0.
The Gryphons entered Sunday night's road matchup fresh off an impressive 33-10 season-opening victory over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues back on August 26. But the Gryphons were unable to replicate that performance during their Week 2 matchup on Labour Day Weekend against a tough opponent in the Windsor Lancers.
The Gryphon offence generated 246 yards and were kept out of the endzone until the final quarter of play on Sunday night in Windsor. Gryphon rookie quarterbacks
Tristan Aboud (Montreal, QC) and
Marshall McCray (Niagara Falls, ON) both saw reps in the U of G backfield but were contained on the evening by a stout Windsor secondary. With passing yards hard to come by,
Marshall McCray once again showcased his ability to make an impact running the ball, with the first-year QB adding 70 yards rushing on the day, including a touchdown run. The Gryphons saw some success with the ground game, rushing for 191 yards as a team, including a pair of 4th-quarter touchdowns.
Donavin Milloy led the rushing attack for Guelph, rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown with just 9 carries.
On defence, the Gryphons were led by veteran linebacker
Brandon Ferigo who had a team-high 3.5 total tackles, and a fumble recovery. Another linebacker with a strong showing was second-year Hamilton native
Yunus Larry who tallied 3 tackles and forced the lone Gryphon turnover, a fumble midway through the opening frame. Defensive tackle and fifth-year Montreal native
Josh Campbell picked up the lone Gryphon sack of the night, bringing his season sack total to 1.5. Through 2 games, Campbell also has 3.5 tackles-for-a-loss. Another bright spot on the Gryphon defence was All-Canadian cornerback
Devynn Cromwell who recorded a pair of pass break-ups and two tackles.
The Gryphons will look to bounce back next weekend when they return to Alumni Stadium for an afternoon matchup with the U SPORTS No. 6-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks. Laurier (2-0) will arrive in Guelph undefeated, thanks to a season-opening 11-10 win at Queen's, followed by a 20-15 win over Carleton. Kickoff for the University of Guelph's annual 'O-Week' game is set for 1pm with tickets available at
gryphons.ca/tickets. Fans unable to attend the game can catch all the action live online at
oua.tv in addition to the full broadcast of the game being available on RogersTV Cable 20.
