With the arrival of the long weekend comes four days of U SPORTS football action - Heaven!
After the OUA, RSEQ, and AUS seasons kicked off last weekend, the Canada West season gets underway tonight to bring the 2022 U SPORTS football season into full swing.
You know the drill, here are three games to watch this weekend that will be tell-all about the story of the 2022 U SPORTS football season.
Note: Click “where to watch” links to view games
Alberta Golden Bears at UBC Thunderbirds
When: Saturday, September 3 at 7 PM PDT
Where to watch: Canada West TV (Paid)
In a preseason coaches poll, the UBC Thunderbirds were given the third best odds to win the Hardy Cup in 2022, a large leap from a year ago when they were voted last. We’ll get our first true look at this team on Saturday.
A lot of the excitement around this program is centered around second-year quarterback Garrett Rooker. The League City, Texas native took home Canada West Rookie of the Year honours in 2021 after throwing for 1,437 yards and eight touchdowns, while leading the T-Birds back to the playoffs.
The hype around Rooker is real. This, combined with a loaded roster featuring players such as running back Isaiah Knight, defensive end Lake Korte-Moore and transfer defensive back Zack Herzogg - who bursted onto the national scene at this years CFL combine - have the Thunderbirds being viewed as a dark horse favourite to breakthrough to this year’s Hardy Cup.
In recent years, the Alberta Golden Bears haven’t necessarily been a team to look out for in the Canada West conference, but last season they had two gems on their defence in Presidents’ Trophy Josiah Schakel and Jayden Dalke. After seeing both get drafted in the 2022 CFL Draft, opportunity to shine is bright as day in both the linebacker and defensive back corps.
Yes I’m about to say this, Alberta’s offensive line will be a sight to see in 2022 as well! Peter Kozushka returns for his fifth and final year after being drafted by the Alouettes in the 2022 CFL Draft. Rodeem Brown will also run it back with the Golden Bears after impressing many football fans during the 2022 CFL Combine and also being picked up by Montréal in May’s entry draft.
Concordia Stingers at Sherbrooke Vert et Or
When: Saturday, September 3 at 1 PM EDT
Where to watch: TVA Sports (Paid)
Before we start, this game is a must-watch solely because of Concordia, sorry Sherbrooke.
Allow me to explain.
The Stingers are coming off an 26-18 week one loss to the Montréal Carabins. Quarterback Olivier Roy and his offence had their struggles with the reigning RSEQ MVP only threw for 193 yards and one touchdown.
Both of Roy’s top targets from last season, 2021 RSEQ Rookie of the Year Jaylan Greaves and Jacob Salvail, each hauled in less than 30 yards receiving - although, Salvail did have the lone offensive touchdown.
The offensive showing wasn’t the strongest, but let’s be real: Montréal will probably have one of the best defences in the nation in 2022. So, it’s wouldn’t be fair the judge Concordia’s offence based off of last week’s performance, right?
This week on the other hand, will be tell-all about Concordia. Sherbrooke is coming off a 27-3 loss to Laval, and looking like they’re on the verge of having another tough season both offensively and defensively. In that case, expect to see who the Stingers truly are this Saturday with this matchup hast the potential to be easy pickings.
If Concordia’s offence has the potential be similar to 2021 or better, we’ll see it on Saturday.
If Concordia’a defence has taken a much-needed step forward, and can now willfully stop opposing offences, force turnovers and gift their offence with good field positioning, we’ll see it on Saturday.
If the Concordia Stingers truly are a team that can strive to be a contender in the RSEQ, we’ll see it on Saturday.
This meeting will be revealing, believe that.
Windsor Lancers at Guelph Gryphons
When: Monday, September 5 at 1 PM EDT
Where to watch: OUA TV
We’re about to share some Friday tea.
Word on road is that a few years ago, then Westshore Rebels quarterback Shawn Lal went on a recruiting visit to the University of Windsor, as he was in the process of selecting which U SPORTS program he would commit to. The opportunity at Windsor was enticing. A rebuilding program, soon to be flooded with American players and U SPORTS transfers, led by a new coaching staff, and as a cheery on top, a starting spot essentially waiting for him.
But, Windsor just wasn’t for Lal, and that’s okay.
In the end, Lal opted to commit to the four-time Yates Cup champion, millionaire-backed Guelph Gryphons - the school with one of the cleanest reputations in the OUA.
In most cases, a quarterback choosing one school over another is information that never reaches the light of day. But some how, some way, that information got back to Lancer players, and for some reason they took it personally - MJ Last Dance personally.
Fast-forward to week three of the 2021 OUA season when the then fifth-ranked Gryphons, travelled to Windsor to take on the Lancers. Lal didn’t start at quarterback that day, but Windsor’s intentions were clear, stunning Guelph to the tune of 14-12 upset win.
🚨WINDSOR DEFEATS GUELPH🚨
— PRSVRE (@PRSVRE_) October 2, 2021
THE LANCERS HAVE DEFEATED THE #5 TEAM IN THE NATION 🤯🤯#ForTheNorth | #USPORTS pic.twitter.com/bqZT1jnZhs
Now, these two teams are linking up once again, both juggling higher expectations this season, both coming off week one losses, and both not looking to fall to 0-2.
After facing a tough defence last week against the Western Mustangs, the aforementioned Lal faces another tough defence this week in the Lancers. After throwing 3 interceptions last week, can Lal engineer a bounce-back performance and prove that he deserves to hold down the starting quarterback job for this program?
And we can’t forget about Windsor’s offence. With a defence that has the potential to keep them in the game for all four quarters, can the Lancers offence led by Carter Zinger find a rhythm and put points on the board?
The inside history, the rivalry, the circumstances, this game just might be worth tuning into.
About PRSVRE
Serving Canadian sports fans from coast-to-coast, PRSVRE is a Canadian athlete empowerment brand and sports media company that delivers Canadian university sports coverage, and storytelling, while sitting at the intersection of sports, culture and innovation. Creating multimedia content that captures the imagination of sports fans while shedding light on the journeys of Canadian athletes, PRSVRE is also Canada’s largest sports media company that is primarily dedicated to covering Canadian university sports. To view more PRSVRE content, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.