Thanksgiving weekend presented a light slate of U Sports action, with the entirety of the Canada West off for the holiday. Unfortunately, most of the games produced lopsided results, but Atlantic Canada came up clutch with a major upset in the final game of the week.
Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking possible playoff matchups. It will run until the second round of the playoffs, at which point 3DownNation will produce standalone articles for each game.
St. Francis Xavier X-Men, 20 — Mount Allison Mounties, 24
The Mounties are winless no longer, upsetting the X-Men with a second-half comeback in Sackville. Down 20-3 early in the third quarter, Nicolas Chabot ran in a pair of touchdowns and Jack Arsenault caught another from Spencer Joudry to pull in front. The defence held St. FX at bay for the remainder of the night, bottling up Malcolm Bussey after two earlier scores.
Waterloo Warriors, 14 — McMaster Marauders, 47
Four interceptions from the Marauders’ defence, including a 56-yard return from Isaiah Shields, set the stage for a blowout win. McMaster pivots Luca Barresi and Luke Thalman combined for five touchdown passes, three of which went to Aidan Nemeth, and Barresi ran for another in the rout. Roy Van der Veen provided Waterloo’s only major on a third-quarter scamper.
Carleton Ravens, 12 — Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, 55
The Panda Game hangover hit the Ravens hard, as neither Tristan Lefebvre nor Elijah Barnes could gain any traction under centre. Callum Wither put forth another outstanding performance with 307 yards passing and three touchdowns, all of which landed in the hands of Ryan Hughes. Tayshaun Jackson was a force in the Golden Hawks’ backfield as well, averaging 9.1 yards per carry and amassing 193 yards from scrimmage.
Western Mustangs, 65 — York Lions, 28
York got huge afternoons from a pair of graduate transfers, as Keagan Hall threw for 405 yards and Nicholas Adair caught three touchdowns. It still wasn’t enough to avoid a dog-walking at the hands of Western, as star Mustangs running back Ethan Dolby went off for 264 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries — producing an average of 17.6 yards per run. Evan Hillock tossed three majors in his own right, with Seth Robertson hauling in a pair of scores and Dasani McIntosh comfortably going over the century mark.
Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 2 — Montreal Carabins, 43
The Carabins intercepted Sherbrooke QB Jeremy Fyfe three times to chase him from the game, including a seven-yard pick-six from defensive end Sammy-Joe Sudah to end the first half. First-year pivot Pepe Gonzalez threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns in the Montreal blowout, with Simon Larose racking up 144 receiving yards and a major. A conceded safety was the only bright spot for the Vert et Or on the day.
Laval Rouge et Or, 43 — McGill Redbirds, 21
The Redbirds kept this game within a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, when Laval running back Mathieu Roy ripped off scores of 43 and 86 yards to cap a 207-yard night on the ground. Eloa Latendress-Regimbald had 194 yards through the air and 92 yards on the ground, but tossed three interceptions, including a late back-breaker to lockdown defensive back Jordan Lessard.
Saint Mary’s Huskies, 48 — Bishop’s Gaiters, 7
The Huskies managed just one sack and no interceptions, but put forward a dominant performance in pass defence that limited reigning AUS MVP Justin Quirion to just 68 yards through the air. Saint Mary’s QB Justin Shibley threw for three touchdowns, Chandler Zinck-Marier crossed the century mark receiving, and Liam Legge rushed for 101 yards and a major in an overall beatdown.
Windsor Lancers, 30 — Ottawa Gee-Gees, 24
The Gee-Gees couldn’t recover from their Panda Game struggles, as another blocked punt recovered for a touchdown by Zach Talbot played a pivotal role in their defeat. Josh Janssen threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns amidst a furious fourth-quarter comeback, but couldn’t overcome being picked off three times. Kevin Rakowska sealed the deal for the Lancers with a tip-drill interception at the goal line, while Weabge Mombo stole the show with 142 rushing yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.
