Football (4-0 OUA, 4-1 Overall)
@ Queen's (2-1 OUA) Saturday, September 25, 1:00 p.m. at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ont.
At 4-0, the Gee-Gees are turning sceptics into believers. For the second straight week, the garnet and grey are ranked No. 2 in the CIS Top Ten, and will hope to carry that momentum into week five of OUA football action. uOttawa is coming off a big 43-35 win against McMaster last weekend, wherein the Gee-Gees were able to avenge their 2009 OUA quarterfinal loss to the Marauders.
However, the victory did not come without a few tenuous moments as the Gee-Gees were down 35-17 half-way through the third quarter. Even after throwing four interceptions, fourth-year quarter back Brad Sinopoli, Peterborough, Ont., was able to regain his composure as the team rallied around him to score 26 unanswered points for the win.
Fifth-year receiver Cyril Adjeitey, Ghana, made the game-breaking play in the fourth quarter upon taking a pass from Sinopoli, and running the length of the field for a 106 yard touchdown. Adjeitey's strong play throughout the game was enough to earn him both the uOttawa Male Athlete of the Week, and OUA Offensive Player of the Week honours. Equally impressive in Saturday's match was the play of fifth-year defensive back Chayce Elliott, Burnaby, B.C., who was also named the OUA's Special Teams Athlete of the Week.
So after yet another thrilling come-from-behind victory at home against McMaster, the Gee-Gees are now at the top of the OUA standings, and looking to keep their focus this weekend in Kingston. Queen's are the defending 2009 Vanier Cup Champions, and will serve as an excellent test to see how they matchup. The Gee-Gees lost to the Gaels 20-8 in 2009, which accounted for only their second loss on the season last year. Look for the Gee-Gees to be ready, and eager to prove themselves yet again this weekend.
Thoughts from head coach JEAN-PHILIPPE ASSELIN
When asked about how he felt about playing the defending Vanier Cup Champions, Asselin was pretty straight forward: "I think they are way better than what their record shows. It's going to be another tough game."
And while the talk and hype surrounding an undefeated season is inevitable, the coaches and players are quick to downplay its significance. "Our focus has always been since the beginning of training camp, and the first four weeks of the season on getting better. I don't feel like that has changed," said Asselin. The Gee-Gees 4-0 record is no accident, and necessarily the product of good preparation and hard work. Asselin has always maintained that he wants his team to simply work at getting better every day, and playing to their fullest potential week in and week out.
NOTES
Key injuries this week for the Gee-Gees have not changed since last week with fifth-year OL Philippe David, Buckingham, Qué., and first-year LB Nick Lecour, Ottawa, Ont., hopefully seeing a return to action this weekend.
