Week 1: Five Things We Learned In The OUA

Dashawn Stephens
U SPORTS, U SPORTS FBALL

By Dashawn Stephens

The 2021 OUA football season kicked off this past Saturday with 10 teams touching the field for the first time in over 700 days.

After a long hiatus, it’s safe to say we learned a lot about what to expect this season. But we’ll keep it brief.

Here are 5 things we learned from Week 1 of the 2021 OUA football season.

Western Will Run Wild on You

In their first game at the newly renovated TD Stadium, the Western Mustangs picked up a convincing 41-13 victory over the McMaster Marauders in a much-anticipated rematch of the 2019 Yates Cup.

Entering the game, all eyes were on Western’s new signal-caller Jackson White, who played for McMaster prior to transferring to Western in 2019. After throwing an interception on his first pass as a Mustang, White put together a solid outing, completing 12 of his 17 passes, while throwing for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The real horsepower behind the Mustang’s victory came on the ground as the running back tandem of Trey Humes and Keon Edwards dissected McMaster’s front seven, combining for an astonishing 356 of Western’s 395 rushing yards.

Edwards added three touchdowns to his 174-yard barrage which was more than enough to lock up OUA “Offensive Player of the Week” honours.

And if you’re a fan of old-school, ground and pound football, then you most likely found joy in watching Western’s offensive line deliver pancakes and create holes that a car could fit through.

Saturday’s performance by Humes and Edwards was eerily reminiscent of the clinics that Alex Taylor and Cedric Joseph use to run on OUA defences. It’s nothing new. In fact, it’s the Western way.

U of T Is All Grown Up

Despite going 2-6 in 2019, we all knew the Varsity Blues were onto something. Of those six losses, three were by eight points or fewer.

Struggling to close out tight games is a common growing pain when building a contender, so it was only fitting that the Varsity Blues found themselves in the midst of a nail-biter during their 11-10 victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

After entering halftime riding an 11-7 lead, the Varsity Blues went scoreless for the remainder of the game as they struggled to move the ball against a veteran Gee-Gees defence. This set the stage for U of T’s defence to shine and they didn’t disappoint.

Ottawa’s offence was held to only three points in the second half - none of which came in the fourth quarter. In 2019, a Varsity Blues victory would normally be headlined by the likes of Clay Sequeira, Will Corby, and Nolan Lovegrove. But on Saturday, it was names such as Hamilton Tiger-Cats prospect Malcolm Campbell, Dominic Ciraco, Jackson Meyer, Koby Lee, Blake Zarubiak, Caleb Zigby and countless other defensive players who proved to be the driving force behind this victory.

No, the score wasn’t pretty, and no, fans weren’t treated to the passing attack that’s come to define this program. But the maturity and composure that the Varsity Blues displayed - in the face of adversity nonetheless - was enough to prove they’re ready to make a serious playoff push in a wide-open OUA East.

*Queen’s Has Entered the Chat*

Carleton entered 2021 on a vibe that hasn’t been linked to their program in years. But the Queen’s Gaels had other plans on Saturday, upsetting the Ravens 18-6 at the renamed Ravens Perch.

The Queen’s defence engineered a stout showing, denying the Ravens from finding the end zone, while only giving up two field goals on the day.

Gaels defensive lineman Anthony Federico declared himself an early candidate for OUA Lineman of the Year after collecting three sacks en route to being named conference Defensive Player of the Week. There’s no doubt that the pressure created by the third-year product was instrumental in helping Queen’s stop the run, limiting the Ravens to only 59 yards on the ground.

Ask any OUA fan, and they’ll tell you they didn’t have Queen’s listed as a contender coming into 2021 - and if they say they did, they’re 100 per cent lying. But after knocking off the Yates Cup favourites from the OUA East, we have no choice but to give some respect to the Queen’s Gaels.

Waterloo’s Defence Got Game

Oftentimes, you’ll hear defensive coordinators encouraging their units to “bend, but don’t break”. The Mantra alludes to the reality that giving up plays to opposing offences is inevitable while placing emphasis on the importance of stopping big plays in big moments.

Waterloo’s defence certainly didn’t break this past Saturday. As a matter of fact, they didn’t bend the slightest bit.

The Warriors shut out the Lancers in the first half and forced four turnovers in their eventual 42-14 win.

Fifth-year Waterloo linebacker Michael Reid wasted no time proving why he belongs in the upper echelon of OUA defensive players, putting together a stat line that included six tackles, one sack, two fumble recoveries, and one touchdown.

On the offensive side of the ball, former OUA MVP Tre Ford did his thing, passing for 222 yards and a major while rushing for a cool 57 yards and two touchdowns.

The 28-point victory was the third-largest margin in a Waterloo win of the Chris Bertoia era.

Subject to immense criticism in recent years, Darrell Adam’s defence may finally be living up to its expectations. We all know Waterloo’s offence is capable of scoring however they want whenever they want. So, in a campaign where the Warriors will face teams that also boast high-powered offences such as Laurier, Western, Guelph, and McMaster, Waterloo’s Yates Cup (and Vanier Cup) hopes will rest on the shoulders of their defence.

Defence and Special Teams, The Laurier Way Lives On

When you don the purple and gold, there’s a tradition of excellence that you are expected to uphold. It’s simple. Laurier wins games, makes the playoffs, and chases championships.

So when considering their struggles in recent years, it’s fair to understand why the Golden Hawks face an immense amount of pressure in 2021.

But they didn’t disappoint in their season opener, defeating the York Lions by a 31-point margin.

Laurier’s defence was all over the field, forcing six turnovers (4 INTs, 2 FFs) along with three sacks. York’s offence was held to only 138 total yards of offence.

The Golden Hawks also took care of business on special teams with a rare three blocked kicks.

But what’s even rarer was the stat line that fourth-year defensive back Shomari Hutchinson put together.

Nine tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, and two blocked kicks.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Hutchinson took home OUA “Special Teams Player of the Week” honours, but that doesn’t speak to how dominant he was in Saturday’s game. Here’s to hoping that stat line one day finds its way to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (I’m serious).

The degree of talent the 2021 Golden Hawks possess is still yet to be determined - as the Lions were severely shorthanded - but one thing that’s clear is the Laurier way of winning games with smash-mouth defence is alive and well.

Continuing To Mourn

The Canadian university sports world continues to mourn after the sudden passing of Gee-Gees defensive lineman Francis Perron. A native of Sherbrooke, QC, Perron was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Ottawa, and a four-year player for the Gee-Gees program.

A Go Fund Me campaign has been created to aid Perron’s family during this time as well as create a scholarship at the University of Ottawa in his name. Please visit the page here to donate.

We continue to keep the family, teammates, and friends of Perron in our thoughts and prayers as everyone continues to navigate through this tragedy.

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