Queen's in the Capital for Week Five

The number three-ranked team in the nation will pay the uOttawa Gee-Gees a visit on Saturday as the OUA season hits its midway point. The 3-0 Queen's Gaels are one of three undefeated teams at the top of the OUA standings, while the Gee-Gees are eager to regain their footing after their second loss of the season last week.

Gee-Gees head coach Jamie Barresi makes it clear that his team must, first and foremost, be on point defensively. The Gaels' offensive line up, which Barresi describes as "very tough and physical," has posted a total of 132 points in three games. Still, the most striking statistic is points against totals; Queen's has allowed just modest 59 points through three games, second-best in the league.

Queen's is currently undefeated after having conquered York (52-1), McMaster (31-24), and Windsor (49-34) earlier this season. Undeniably, the Gee-Gees have their work cut out for them leading up to the match. In comparison to the Mustangs, the experienced Gaels are "a different challenge than Western," according to Barresi. "They show a lot of movement and they come off the ball."

Ottawa carries the upper hand in offensive statistics, where they have propelled themselves to the top five in most categories on the OUA leader board. uOttawa snags the number one spot for passing (125-181-5), with Queen's holding the sixth position (42-77-1). The Gee-Gees also continue to lead the league in passing yards with 424 per game, whereas the Gaels trail considerably with an average of 245.

Moreover, the garnet and grey are substantially improving in terms of acquiring fewer penalties. "This weekend, we reduced our penalties dramatically so that was huge. We only had six," said Barresi. Therefore, in order to secure a third victory, the fewer penalties against Queen's the better. Paying particular attention to this is essential considering that the visiting team is first in the OUA rankings for fewest penalties at 24, with 183 yards lost. In contrast, Ottawa is responsible for 48 penalties and 426 lost yards.

Saturday's game marks the second at Gee-Gees Field at 200 Lees Avenue. For full game and facility information, go to the Game Information page.

The 1 p.m. kick off will be broadcast live on SSN Canada and Team 1200 radio.

NOTES: Ottawa holds a 61-52-5 advantage over the Gaels in the all-time record…The two teams first played each other in 1885…Ottawa travelled to Kingston last season and lost 32-25 to the Gaels… Ottawa defeated Queen's on their last trip to the nation's capital back in 2011, 19-6 at Lansdowne Park… Adversaries Brendan Gillanders and Gael receiver Giovanni Aprile are all tied up in the OUA ranks with a total of four touchdowns each thus far.