Victorious 34-10 Gee-Gees Home Opener

OTTAWA- The exciting inauguration of the University of Ottawa's new football stadium, the suitably named Gee-Gees Field, took place Saturday afternoon with uOttawa hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues. The garnet and grey prevailed with an impressive win and a commanding final score of 34-10.

The cloudy September day did not manage to put a damper on the Gee-Gees or their fans' team spirit. The squad made their Gee-Gee fans, most notably Prime Minister Stephen Harper, proud with aggressive defensive plays as well as tactical offensive ones.

Quarterback Aaron Colbon orchestrated another noteworthy performance at the home opener. This game's 523 passing yards helped shoot him to the number one spot on the CIS list. His total passing yardage is now 1,310 over the opening three games. In the 2011-12 season, he finished third on that same list.

Bringing his A-game to the stadium, Gee-Gee Andrew Mullings racked up 192 receiving yards and is ascending the ladder of the CIS towards the top receivers. Always optimistic when it comes to his team, Mullings is eager to watch them excel throughout the season. "Week in, week out we're moving the ball. We're better on defense. We're getting better in all aspects of the game."

Team captain Brendan Gillanders scored two big touchdowns, the latter thanks to a 53-yard pass from Aaron Colbon, thus greatly contributing to his team's success. Top rusher between both teams gaining 102 yards, Gillanders thought it was an all in all successful home opening game. Although, he was quick to emphasize that there is always room for improvement. "We left some points on the board offensively so I think that there are still things that we need to work on and capitalize on."

As for Toronto, they were able to bring down uOttawa's quarterback Colbon three times throughout the game. In the first quarter, the team rallied together and Eric Hewitson scored a field goal in an attempt to counter the previous touchdown made by Gee-Gee Gillanders. Head coach Greg Gary and his Varsity Blues scored a touchdown in the second quarter resulting from a 17-yard pass from quarterback Chris Jugovic, who is ranked ninth in the CIS for passing. The convert scored by Hewitson rounded up their total points for the game.

Throughout the game, uOttawa got slammed with 21 penalties and the loss of 142 yards. Head coach Jamie Barresi is determined to discourage multiple game penalties in the future. "I'm disappointed, we have to do something about it."

Jacques Lalande, a uOtttawa alumnus, attended the game, as he is an avid football fan and holds season tickets. He had nothing but praise for the Gillanders' agility skills. "I've always liked his quickness."

The next game for uOttawa is at the University of Western Ontario where the Gee-Gees will attempt to win a third game and keep their momentum going.