Manitoba completes 26-point comeback, McMaster playoff-bound after 5-year drought
Big Ten-leading TD passer Rourke injures thumb in win over Nebraska
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Welcome to U Sports Week 10 and NCAA Week 9!
U Sports Top 10
Moving up 📈
No. 1 Laurier Golden Hawks bumped to a tie with No. 1 Montreal Carabins
No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or tied with No. 3 Western Mustangs
No. 8 Manitoba Bisons and No. 9 Queen’s Gaels moved up one spot each after high-scoring wins.
No. 10 StFX X-Men jumped back into this list for the first time in two weeks after a decisive victory.
Trending down 📉
Unranked Windsor Lancers dropped from No. 8 a week ago to the outside looking in after losing a third straight game to finish the OUA regular season.
In review: Week 9
OUA
McMaster Marauders 24, York Lions 21: McMaster is heading to the OUA playoffs for the first time since the 2019 Yates Cup season. It was closer than they wanted it to be, but the Marauders’ defence held strong late in the fourth quarter. McMaster defensive back Josh Cumber picked off York quarterback Shawn Lal with under a minute to play, allowing the Marauders’ offence to win with a single first down.
No. 3 Western 46, Windsor 5: The battle of the W’s was less competitive than expected, with Windsor not being able to score a single touchdown. Western’s defence held Lancers QB Danny Skelton to just 84 passing yards and an interception. The Mustangs are historically known for their 1-2 punch at RB, but it was their QB duo that led the way in the air and on the ground — backup Jerome Rancourt had 53 rushing yards on six carries with three rushing TDs, and Evan Hillock finished with 287 passing yards with no scores.
No. 1 Laurier 44, Carleton Ravens 24: This was a game of high-octane passing performances. Laurier QB Taylor Elgersma threw for a season-high 464 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Carleton QB Elijah Barnes finished with 408 passing yards to go along with two TDs and an interception. Ravens RB Joey Marcotte had 67 rushing yards on eight carries and a score, but the rest of the poor Carleton run game struggled to surprise the No. 1 seed.
Ottawa Gee-Gees 49, Toronto Varsity Blues 7: Along with McMaster, Ottawa punched its playoff ticket with a blowout win. The Gee-Gees maintained a shutout until just under eight minutes left in the game. Varsity Blues QB Sam Colby struggled to get work done through the air with just 133 passing yards, a TD and an interception, while Ottawa QB Josh Janssen had 289 yards and a score. Gee-Gees RB Charles Asselin had six yards less (104) than Toronto’s combined rush offence (110).
No. 9 Queen’s 54, Waterloo Warriors 7: It’s a bad day when the other team’s running back had more rushing yards than your team had in total. Queen’s dominated from start to finish, scoring double-digit points in each quarter, and allowing just eight Waterloo first downs and 127 total yards. Gaels RB Jared Chisari showed out with 134 yards on 16 carries with two TDs.
Canada West
No. 8 Manitoba 38, Alberta Golden Bears 37 (OT): Manitoba trailed 30-4 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter before Bisons QB Jackson Tachinski threw a TD to wide receiver A.K. Gassama at the 48-second mark. Bisons kicker Maya Turner scored a game-tying field goal with one second left following Manitoba’s unanswered 20-point tear in the final seven minutes of regulation. The Alberta Golden Bears struck first in overtime. Manitoba matched with a TD and went for two — because why not. And got it.
Saskatchewan Huskies 22, Regina Rams 20: The U-Prairie Challenge saw a game with two evenly-matched teams and major playoff implications — Saskatchewan clinched a playoff berth with the win. Both teams had two turnovers, including Regina DB Jackson Sombach’s 46-yard interception return, but it wasn’t enough to give the Rams a winning boost. Interesting stat: Regina QB Noah Pelletier had a receiving TD but no passing TDs.
No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds 21, Calgary Dinos 5: Calgary’s Britton brothers — QB Dom and WR Ben — combined for four turnovers on offence, leading to a zero-TD game for the visiting Dinos in rainy Vancouver. To be fair, older brother Dom had three, two of them being strip sacks. Somehow, UBC’s 30 passing yards were enough to supplement a heavy run game with RB Isaiah Knight rushing for 163 yards on 25 carries and a TD.
RSEQ
No. 3 Laval 30, McGill Redbirds 17: McGill was actually up on mighty Laval 17-16 with less than 13 minutes to go in the game. It wasn’t until the final 10 minutes that the Rouge et Or decided to wake up and score 14 unanswered. Redbirds QB Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald was dynamic as ever, passing for 284 yards, and ran for an additional 180 and two scores on the ground. But it was his passing inefficiencies — zero TDs and two picks — that kept McGill from upsetting Laval.
No. 1 Montreal 33, Concordia Stingers 3: Montreal’s defence didn’t allow a single point after the 7:36 mark in the first quarter. Neither team got much done on the ground, so both had to lean on its QBs, which was apparently too much pressure for Concordia’s Olivier Roy, who went 8-16 with 127 yards, two picks and no scores. Montreal’s Jonathan Senecal had a steady day with 246 passing yards, two TDs and an interception.
AUS
No. 5 Bishop’s Gaiters 29, Acadia Axemen 18: Both starting QBs were strong through the air — Bishop’s’ Justin Quirion threw for 229 yards and three TDs, and Acadia’s Riley Naujoks had 243 yards and one score. It was the run game that separated these teams in the box score. Three Gaiters, including QB Quirion, each had more rushing yards than Acadia’s entire offence combined (25). Quirion got points with his arm, but the grunt work was done on the ground.
No. 10 StFX 29, Mount Allison Mounties 9: Mount Allison had two QBs split reps on Saturday with neither able to eclipse 100 passing yards or score a TD. St. Francis Xavier X-Men QB didn’t have the greatest day ever, either, but at least he could muster 193 passing yards and two TDs while giving up two interceptions. Unlike the Mounties, StFX’s run game helped out, gaining 169 yards, 100 coming from RB Caleb Fogerty.
Look back: Laurier clinches OUA No. 1, Rourke's Hoosiers move to No. 16 on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend
Preview: Week 10 & OUA postseason
The OUA starts its first of three playoff rounds this weekend while the rest of the country fights for final conference playoff spots. Here’s a look-ahead to Week 10’s slate of games:
OUA playoffs — Round 1/3
No. 1 Laurier (8-0) will get the first-round bye this week.
McMaster (4-4) at No. 3 Western (7-1): *Takes journalist hat off*. This one means something to me. My last game as a Mustang was the 2019 Yates Cup when McMaster broke our hearts. *Hat back on*. Western already handled the Marauders 61-26 in Hamilton, Ont. on Oct. 5, and even with an injury-riddled offence — key offensive linemen, top WR Seth Robertson and RB Ethan Dolby, who is out for the year — the Mustangs are still heavily favoured.
Ottawa (4-4) at No. 7 Guelph Gryphons (6-2): These two haven’t met since 2022. It’ll be tough sledding for the visiting Gee-Gees to come into Guelph, Ont. and try to shut down a top 10 QB in Tristan Aboud and a team fresh off a bye week.
No. 9 Queen’s (5-3) at Windsor (5-3): Windsor took the last matchup between these two foes 25-21 in Week 1 at home when Queen’s still had QB Alex Vreeken in the lineup. He hasn’t played since Week 5. The Lancers are in their own barn again for this one following a three-game losing skid to top OUA teams Guelph, Laurier and Western. With no word on Vreeken’s status, the Gaels could be in trouble of losing their third in four games — and ending their season, if that’s important to you — without their guy.
Canada West
No. 6 UBC (5-2) at No. 8 Manitoba (6-1): These two are already in the conference playoffs. So, do they rest their starters, or try to lock up first place in Canada West?
Alberta (2-5) at Regina (2-5): Alberta won the last meeting 30-6 on Sept. 20 in Edmonton, but now the Golden Bears have to travel east to Regina to earn the first half of its playoff berth. And this is where playoff scenarios get tricky. Canada West hasn’t yet released a full scenario breakdown, but both Alberta and Regina have shared brief breakdowns:
Alberta playoffs: Win and Saskatchewan win
Regina playoffs: Win and in
Calgary playoffs: Win and in
Saskatchewan (4-3) at Calgary (2-5): Saskatchewan already earned its playoff spot, but as mentioned above, Calgary still has a destiny to seal. Saskatchewan beat Calgary 44-40 at home on Sept. 13, but now the Dinos get home field advantage in a win-and-in situation.
RSEQ
Concordia (2-5) at McGill (2-5): All McGill has to do to get to the postseason is beat a team at home that it’s already beat on the road. Concordia already clinched the playoffs so grey hairs aren’t growing in Montreal until next week.
No. 3 Laval (6-1) at Sherbrooke (1-6): Laval can rest easy, but Sherbrooke needs a win and a Concordia win to make the playoffs.
AUS
Mount Allison (1-6) at No. 5 Bishop’s (7-0): Mount Allison is the last U Sports team still yet to play its final game of 2024, knowing playoffs aren’t possible. Bishop’s, meanwhile, will maintain No. 1 in the conference regardless of the result, but an undefeated season is pretty cool, too.
Saint Mary’s (4-3) at No. 10 StFX (4-3): StFX has a final non-elimination chance to prove it’s still a force in the AUS while Saint Mary’s can jump to No. 2 in the conference with one final regular season victory.
…
Here’s where Canada West, the RSEQ and the AUS stand with one week remaining in the regular season:
Clinched
Canada West: Manitoba, UBC, Saskatchewan
RSEQ: Montreal, Laval, Concordia
AUS: Bishop’s, Saint Mary’s, StFX, Acadia
Not so fast!
Canada West: Alberta, Calgary, Regina
RSEQ: McGill, Sherbrooke
Sleeping in November
OUA: Toronto, Waterloo, York, Carleton
AUS: Mount Allison
Trophy talk 🏆
Vanier Cup, conference champs and bowl games
We’ll get back to these in future weeks.
Hec Crighton
Laurier QB Taylor Elgersma is running away with this MVP race. Since I last wrote, the “Dutch Rifle” rose to first in the country in passing yards (2,643), passing yards per game (330.4) and touchdowns (20). Elgersma’s No. 1 passing efficiency rating also went up from 181.6 to 187.5 despite throwing his ninth interception of the season this past week. Arguments against: not the cleanest TD to interception ratio at almost 2:1.
Laval QB Arnaud Desjardins is probably the closest to Elgersma with one regular season game remaining in the RSEQ schedule. His crazy 14 TDs to one interception statline is the best ratio in U Sports by far, and he’s also ranked first in completion percentage at 75 per cent with one game left before the Quebec postseason. Arguments against: the lone loss to Montreal and having six TDs to reach Elgersma this week hamper his chances.
Western QB Evan Hillock is still among the premiere TD-scorers in the league with the second-most scores through the air (17) and just four interceptions to mark an efficient 2024 campaign. Because the Mustangs are known for its run-by-committee offence, he won’t surprise you with yardage, as he owns the second-least pass attempts (201) among QBs with double-digit TDs. Arguments against: that last point is a double-edged sword — efficiency vs. opportunity — and his completion percentage (67.2) is below 70.
McMaster QB Keegan Hall is the reason why the Marauders are back in the OUA playoffs for the first time since their 2019 Yates Cup season. An underdog from the start, he’s throwing for the second-best yards per game (316.1) and he’s one of two QBs in U Sports — along with Desjardins — who’s thrown for at least 250 yards every week. Arguments against: he’s only thrown 10 majors to the endzone and his TD to interception ratio (10:6) is worse than 2:1.
Montreal QB Jonathan Senecal isn’t as flashy as he was a year ago, but he’s still in the Hec conversation. The Carabins offensive captain is in the top five for both passing yards per game and touchdowns, with 290 (fifth) and 15 (fourth), respectively. Arguments against: being outside the top three for major stat categories and having a loss are not helpful in a race to an MVP award.
Bishop’s QB Justin Quirion has entered the chat, as the kids would say. He’s the only player in the top three for passing yards per game (301.9) and touchdows (15), placing third for both. Arguments against: his Senecal-matching 15 majors can’t hide his nine interceptions and the fact that he plays in a conference that hasn’t won a national semifinal since 2007.
Honourable mentions:
Guelph QB Tristan Aboud
Saskatchewan RB Ryker Frank
Laurier WR Ethan Jordan
Calgary DB Nate Beauchemin
Heading south ✈️
Top stories about Canadians playing in the NCAA:
No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers QB Kurtis Rourke (Oakville, Ont.) injured his right thumb in a 56-7 blowout over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but could return Nov. 2, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Tuesday. The Canadian phenom leads the Big Ten with 15 TDs.
Stanford Cardinal WR Elic Ayomanor (Medicine Hat, Alta.) caught a TD and recorded 55 receiving yards in a 40-10 loss to the SMU Mustangs.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights LB Dariel Djabome (Longueuil, Que.) made 11 tackles in a 35-32 loss to the UCLA Bruins.
Texas Tech Red Raiders DB Devynn Cromwell (Toronto) — a Guelph transfer — made eight tackles in a 59-35 loss to the Baylor Bears.
Bryant Bulldogs RB Fabrice Mukendi (Ottawa) ran for 77 yards on 10 carries in a 55-17 loss to the Monmouth Hawks.
North Texas Mean Green LB Jaylen Smith (Hamilton, Ont.) made six tackles — four solo — in a 52-44 loss to the Memphis Tigers.
Student shout-outs 📢
Where to find student journalists covering U Sports football:
OUA
The Western Gazette (Western)
*My old stomping grounds!
The Cord (Laurier)
Imprint (Waterloo)
The Silhouette (McMaster)
The Varsity (Toronto)
Excalibur (York)
The Queen’s Journal (Queen’s)
The Fulcrum (Ottawa)
The Charlatan (Carleton)
Canada West
The Ubyssey (UBC)
The Gateway (Alberta)
The Gauntlet (Calgary)
The Sheaf (Saskatchewan)
The Manitoban (Manitoba)
RSEQ
Impact Campus (Laval)
Quartier Libre (Montreal)
Concordia
The McGill Tribune (McGill)
Le Collectif (Sherbrooke)
AUS
The Xaverian Weekly (StFX)
The Campus (Bishop’s)
The Athenaeum (Acadia)
The SMU Journal (Saint Mary’s)
More Canadian college football coverage
At the 55 (OUA)
The Motivated (AUS)
Canadian Football Fanatics (Canada West)
Update (Oct. 22, 11:26 a.m.): This newsletter was updated to reflect the latest reporting on Rourke’s injury status.