Blues look for another W in home opener

Courtesy of University of Toronto

The University of Toronto will bring some momentum into its football home-opener this Saturday against the Guelph Gryphons.

Varsity Field will welcome home the Blues after they narrowly defeated the York Lions 10-8 in this year’s installment of the Red & Blue Bowl.

But just because the Blues got into the win column, it doesn’t leave any room for the squad to become complacent.

“I’m glad we got our first win under our belt,” Blues head coach Greg Gary told the team’s website. “But we’re looking forward and moving onward and upward. What better place to start than at home.”

Guelph is also fresh off its first victory of the young season, a 65-13 trouncing of the University of Waterloo. The reincarnated Warriors were no match for the veteran Guelph roster looking to get its first win.

“It’s tough on Waterloo in a rebuilding year,” Gryphons quarterback Chris Rossetti told the team’s website. “But we just needed to remind ourselves that we are a good team and that we play to score.”

The Blues and Gryphons played very close in last year’s season-opening game, but a last-second field goal by receiver/kicker Michael Fortino gave the Gryphons a 15-13 victory.

It would have been U of T’s first victory over Guelph since 1995. The Gryphons hold a 20-15-1 head-to-head record over the Blues since their first meeting in 1976.

The Blues will be looking for the tandem of quarterback Andrew Gillis and receiver Alex Pierzchalski to make an impact for the second straight week.

Gillis fed the sophomore receiver nine passes that totaled 127 yards, a career high. Pierzchalski also caught two pivotal passes on the drive that set up Andrew Lomasney’s game-winning field goal with under a minute remaining.

The Blues’ fifth-year signal caller went 19-for-39 and 268 yards against York. Rossetti went 11-for-16 and 241 yards, and threw four touchdown passes in the game at Waterloo.

Varsity will have to be conscious of Gryphon receiver Dillon Dimitroff, who is fifth in the nation in receiving yards after two weeks of play. His 215 yards rank third in Ontario.

Kick off is at 1 p.m. ET time and can be seen nation-wide on theScore television network.

About this article

By: Greg Houde
Posted: Sep 14 2011 9:40 pm
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Filed under: Amateur Football Sports
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