GEE-GEES CRUISE PAST THE VARSITY BLUES IN FRONT OF AN ELECTRIC HOME CROWD
Following a strong 38-28 victory against the Waterloo Warriors, the Gee-Gees football team returned home to face the U of T Varsity Blues on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Led by quarterback and newly decorated 5,000-yard passer, #15 Josh Janssen, the Gees came out eager to put on a show in front of a massive home crowd. And put on a show they did, as the Gee-Gees produced an all-around dominating performance crushing the U of T Varsity Blues 44-3 in their home opener.
FIRST QUARTER
After a good return to the 30 in the opening play of the game, Janssen and running back #5 Souleymane Camara started strong, pushing the ball quickly up the field. Crossing into the Varsity Blues’ half, the Gee-Gees picked up a chunk play through a 30-yard gain from a pass to receiver #11 Robin Collioud and an on-the-run check down to Camara, putting the Gee-Gees in the red zone.
The offence immediately capitalized with a lob pass from Janssen to #3 Emyl Gregoire at the back of the end zone to score the first touchdown of the game on the very first drive, putting the Gee-Gees ahead 7-0.
Following a great opening drive, the defence would follow suit, stopping the Varsity Blues on a third-down conversion attempt, immediately setting the offence back up in the U of T half. Once again, the offence would keep up their good run of form with a slant throw being completed over the top to Collioud around the 25-yard line. Collioud then finished the job with a strong run after catch, scoring the Gee-Gees’ second touchdown of the afternoon. The Gee-Gees led 14-0 going into the second quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
After the first intermission, the Gee-Gees punted and, with strong special teams play, pinned the Varsity Blues inside their 10-yard line. The Gee-Gees then turned defence into offence as they stripped the U of T quarterback and #94 Seyi Ayedegbe recovered the ball in the end zone, increasing the Gee-Gees advantage to 21-0.
The Varsity Blues would finally settle in, sustaining a solid drive with some good chunk passing plays; however, the Gee-Gees defence remained strong, limiting the Varsity Blues to a field goal.
Despite having found some rhythm, unfortunately for U of T, the Gee-Gees continued to rely on their strong run and screen passing game. Once again pushing the ball into the Varsity Blues’ territory and cancelling out the previous U of T field goal with one of their own, courtesy of U of O kicker #13 Zachary Copeland.
Following the Gee-Gees’ field goal, U of T responded with a sense of urgency, rapidly pushing the ball into the Gee-Gees’ half. However, this urgency would come back to hurt them. As the U of T quarterback would force one into a tight window, Gee-Gees’ #1 Denny Ferdinand would come up big, picking the pass off to kill the Varsity Blues momentum and set the offence up in prime position. On a pivotal second down in the red zone, Janssen would escape the pocket to his left and turn back to find #87 Devaughn Blackwood open on the right side of the end zone, putting an exclamation mark on the 31-3 scoreline to the end of the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
Coming out of half time, the fireworks of the first half settled a bit, as the Varsity Blues seemed to already be defeated and the Gee-Gees were committed to maintaining their sizable lead.
The start of the second half was much more of a defensive game with multiple punts on both sides. This defensive stalemate was exemplified by the Gee-Gees’ defensive back #21 Jaxxon Brashear, who fought around three U of T linemen leading a screen, to make a great tackle for loss, forcing the Varsity Blues to punt once again.
While the third quarter was much quieter, the Gee-Gees didn’t let up as in the dying seconds of the quarter. Janssen found receiver #86 Tristan Gilbert Thibault wide open on the left flank for a sizeable gain. The Gees then capitalized with a good flat route to Collioud for his second touchdown of the game pushing the lead to 38-3.
FOURTH QUARTER
Knowing the game was already firmly in the palm of their hands, the Gee-Gees leaned heavily on the running game and field goals, rather than big passing plays. Due to the strong running game and intense push from the Gee-Gees o-line pushing their runners forward three to four yards almost every play, the Gee-Gees tacked on more points through another field goal.
To the delight of the Gee-Gees sideline, #36 Tassiké Gaston capped off the stellar defensive performance with a huge sack. As the last few minutes approached, the Gee-Gees began rotating their starters, giving more playing time and experience to their younger players. The difference was difficult to see as the Gee-Gees would put the final cherry on top with a field goal to end things off 44-3.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
This performance and atmosphere was truly what universities, coaches, players, and fans dream of. A homeopener on a beautiful sunny day with a sold-out crowd, and an all-around dominating performance from the team. There’s not much more you could ask for.
Despite a few standout performances — Janssen with four touchdown passes, Collioud with two receiving touchdowns, and Ferdinand with an interception and numerous pass breakups — the entire team was incredible. The o-line dominated in the trenches, not only having given Janssen lots of time in the pocket but also having pushed their run game even in the fourth quarter.
The d-line achieved a few sacks and completely stuffed the U of T running game. Overall, whether it was the receivers, linebackers, secondary, every player showed up and made U of O proud.
This blowout will no doubt instill confidence in the Gee-Gees that they can keep this momentum rolling into next week, as they travel to face a formidable Laurier team on Sept. 12 at 1:00 p.m.
