This will not be a typical Gee-Gees Panda Game blowout, but if Janssen plays the way he did in Week 5, the team may have a chance to pull off a gritty victory.
The history of the Panda Game dates back to 1955 and traces its roots directly back to the offices of The Fulcrum. While I can’t quite live up to the expectations that previous sports editor Thomas White and previous associate editor Brian McNulty have placed on me, I can at least preview the game for you all.
White and McNulty started the tradition of the Panda Game with a prank in an effort to promote the U of O’s annual football game against cross-town rival Carleton. They staged a mock theft of a stuffed panda, Pedro, which had been donated to them by a local jeweller. The panda would be awarded to the winner of each year’s game.
The Panda Game has a long, winding, and sometimes tragic history. In 1987 a guard rail collapsed in the stands, injuring about 30 students. In 1998, the event was discontinued, when Carleton lost their football program due to funding issues. Luckily for us football fans, the annual game returned in 2013 when Carleton regained their program.
The game took a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19 in 2020 but returned the next year. During the edition of the event in 2021, a car was flipped during post-game celebrations in Sandy Hill following a game-winning field goal made by current Gees kicker Campbell Fair. In 2022, seven arrests were made in another disruptive after-party in Sandy Hill.
The game is usually the second largest football game in Canada, behind the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup. Last year, the game reached 23,078 attendees, falling just short of 2019’s record 24,600. For reference, the 2022 Grey Cup saw 33,330 fans pack Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
As for the on-field aspects, the Gees enter the game 2-2 on the season, a surprising record for a team that finished 6-2 just a year ago. The team is coming off a 50-17 blowout loss to Western, though it was a game in which the Gee-Gees led at times in the first half. Their record only starts to make sense when you take into account the team lost star quarterback Ben Maracle to injury in the first quarter of the first game of the year.
Backup quarterback Ryan Licandro stepped in to take over from Maracle, but became injured himself, and Josh Janssen started this past week. Since Maracle went down, the team’s only passing touchdown has come on a 75-yard trick play pass from current backup quarterback Matt Mahler.
The rookie Janssen impressed in Week 5 against Western, completing 19 of 24 passes for 213 yards. His completion rate in the game of 79.2 per cent would rank as the highest in the league if it qualified, although he did throw a redzone interception. Janssen will get the start on Sunday.
The backfield is anchored by fifth-year running back Amlicar Polk, the OUA leader in yards per game this season. Polk is averaging just north of 145 rushing yards per game and has added five rushing touchdowns, which places him second in the league.
On defence, Max Charbonneau is leading the league in tackles per game, with 8-and-a-half. Defensive back Patrick Cumberbatch has the lone pick-six of the year for the team, while his twin brother Eric is tied for the league lead in interceptions with two.
The Gee-Gees will have a tough matchup against the Ravens, who sport an identical 2-2 record. However, Carleton is coming off huge wins against York and Toronto, 52-0 and 46-7 respectively. They also lost to Western, though by just ten points. This will not be a typical Gee-Gees Panda Game blowout, but if Janssen plays the way he did in Week 5, the team may have a chance to pull off a gritty victory.
The Gee-Gees currently hold a 36-17 record all-time in the game, which includes taking the last four in a row. The game is moving to Sunday this year instead of the traditional Saturday, but will again begin at 12 p.m. The U of O says the game is being moved for both the Ottawa Redblacks game on Saturday, and out of respect for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A limited number of tickets are still available here.
The U of O run pregame and postgame parties will occur at 90U, and shuttles will begin departing around two hours before the game. Follow the campus on Instagram for more information as we go into Panda Week.
So, show up. Wear your Gee-Gees merch. And support our boys in garnet and grey as they try and keep Pedro at home for the fifth year in a row. And if you’re feeling especially excited for Panda, listen to the playlist I made that will guide you through your weekend.
