York, U of T look for first wins this weekend

With their seasons already on thin ice, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and York University Lions will look to break a three-way tie for last place with Waterloo in this weekend’s OUA football action.

For the Blues, Junior quarterback Andrew Gillis hopes for continued improvement one week after completing 13 of 26 passes for 155 yards in a 53-25 loss to Guelph. He and his team will take on the Ottawa Gee Gees Friday at Varsity Stadium.

The offence appears to be back on track after the Blues (0-3) were shut out by Laurier in their season opener.

If U of T is to find a way to beat Ottawa (1-2), it will have to contend with the OUA’s leading rusher in tailback Jordan Wilson-Ross, who has amassed 426 yards thus far.

Quarterback Bradley Sinopoli, who is third in the OUA with 732 yards passing, is the team’s second-leading rusher, adding 115 yards.

If the Blues are to earn their first win and escape the basement of their conference, it will take a team effort.

“Our guys need to compete for four quarters,” head coach Greg DeLaval told the Varsity Blues’ website. “The keys for us Friday are to control the ball, stop their running game, and play our game for 60 minutes.”

Meanwhile, the Lions (0-3) visit the Queens University Golden Gaels on the heels of a 49-8 defeat at the hands of McMaster last week.

The Golden Gaels (3-3) are locked in a first-place tie with the University of Western Ontario and feature the fourth-leading passer in OUA in Danny Brannagan. They are coming off a 20-8 road win over Ottawa last week, but Brannagan did not play due to a shoulder injury.

Overall, they have won three straight, all in conference play.

For the Lions, just getting some consistency on offence will be key. Quarterback Nick Coutu has completed just 10 of 35 passes in three games at the helm, and the offense ranks last with just 184.3 yards per game.

York will face the University of Toronto the following week on Oct. 3 at York Stadium.

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By: Michael Seff
Posted: Sep 23 2009 8:07 pm
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Filed under: Amateur Football Sports
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