“It was exciting to see him out there, because it’s gotta start somewhere, right?”
Last season did not go as planned for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. After throwing for four completions on four passes — including a touchdown — in their season opener Aug. 27, 2023, their star quarterback Ben Maracle left the game with an injured right leg.
The Tyendinaga, O.N. native would ultimately be ruled out for the season and didn’t make his way back onto the gridiron until this past Saturday — more than a full year after exiting the field during last year’s fateful season opener.
Maracle was not quite back to 100 per cent for the Gee-Gees season opener against the powerhouse Western Mustangs this year, and instead was eased back in against York, who failed to record a win last season. York brought in an entirely new coaching staff this season led by Dexter Janke, and though they showed signs of improvement, they were no match for the Gee-Gees.
Kicker Zachary Copeland got the scoring started early, drilling a field goal from 34 yards right down the middle of the uprights on the Gee-Gees first drive. He would hit from 47 on their next drive and ended up finishing 4-of-5 on the day. The Gee-Gees would ultimately cruise to a 27-4 win against the new-look program.
Maracle shook off some early game rust to finish with 130 yards on 11 of 23 passing. Despite the underwhelming numbers, his return was a sight for sore eyes. The Gee-Gees have not had Maracle under centre for a full game in November 2022.
“When someone hasn’t played in about 370 days and had very limited practice time during the rehab, it’s going to take a little bit to come back,” said Gee-Gees head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. “It was exciting to see him out there, because it’s gotta start somewhere, right?”
Bellefeuille noted a few things he found encouraging about Maracle’s game. “There were a couple times in the game where he just took off and ran, and ran the ball hard without any consideration for his previous injury … also to see the difference in terms of how he played from the first half to the second half as he got comfortable.”
It was bell-cow running back Charles Asselin who provided most of the offence for the Gees. The 2022 OUA All-Rookie Team member finished with 186 yards on 30 carries, two of which went for touchdowns.
Bellefeuille agreed that Asselin was eclipsing their expectations this season, while adding they knew he was a very strong player. “He’s seeing the field very well, he’s making people miss, he’s playing within the scheme,” noting that having the entire offensive line coming back from last year is a huge bonus for the team’s running game.
“[Asselin] is on a monster pace right now … we expect him to continue to get better too, because if you ask him there’s some things he felt he could do a bit better as well.”
Asselin’s first touchdown came off a fake quarterback sneak on the 1-yard line, but the second was much more intriguing. On the 27-yard line, the Gee-Gees lined up with three defensive players in their personnel, including defensive tackle Riley Hildebrant, who served as one of the two fullbacks lined up in front of Asselin. Asselin used the blocks to sail all the way into the Lions endzone.
Bellefeuille noted the Gee-Gees have used defensive players on the other side of the ball in certain situations, but that it had always been saved for goal line offence previously. “When I was in the CFL, we would do that in the middle of the field to see if defences would match our personnel, or maybe be soft in the secondary or give us opportunities down the field … that was something that we wanted to do and test defences.”
On defence, Marc Djonay Rondeau blocked a punt during the first quarter, defensive back Nicolas Dion picked up his first career interception after checking into a drive during the third quarter, and the Gee-Gees sacked Lions quarterback Matt Linn three times for 24 yards.
“It’s important to see them clicking early in the season, especially considering [the defence] is a very veteran group,” said Bellefeuille. “It allows us to be more patient with somebody like [Maracle] … when your defence is playing good you have that opportunity where you don’t have to rush or push things.”
The Gee-Gees will visit Waterloo this coming Saturday, who were blown out 71-3 by the aforementioned Mustangs this weekend. The game will be streamed for free on OUA.TV.
