USports Football Roundup

[jerrym]

McGill University is dropping the name "Redmen" from all its male sports teams, including the football team, because of its association with Indigenous groups.

For 2019-20, the teams will be known simply as the McGill teams and a committee will be formed to choose a new name in time for the 2020-21 season. The women’s teams are called the Martlets.

The name was not adopted as a reference to Indigenous peoples but has developed that association at times during the school’s history.

“Today, ‘Redmen’ is widely acknowledged as an offensive term for Indigenous peoples, as evidenced by major English dictionaries,” McGill principal and vice-chancellor said in a statement. “While this derogatory meaning of the word does not reflect the beliefs of generations of McGill athletes who have proudly competed wearing the university’s colours, we cannot ignore this contemporary understanding.”

McGill alumni in the CFL include Bombers LB Jesse Briggs, Eskimos offensive lineman Qadr Spooner and B.C. Lions receiver Shaquille Johnson. NFL offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, now also a doctor, played for the school.

https://3downnation.com/2019/04/13/m...cial-concerns/

[jerrym]

Eleven of the top 20 CFL Scouting Bureau's top prospects in their final 2019 ranking played for USports teams.

Mathieu Betts, a defensive end from the Laval Rouge et Or, is the top-ranked player on the final prospect list released Friday by the Canadian Football League’s Scouting Bureau in advance of the 2019 Draft.It’s the first time a U SPORTS product has been ranked No.1 heading into the draft since Manitoba’s David Onyemata – who has played the last three seasons with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints – topped the final rankings in 2016.
Betts, ranked No.2 on the first list released in August before moving up to No.1 on the second list in December, was named the nation’s top down lineman for the third consecutive season. He became the first player in history to claim the J.P. Metras Trophy three times and the first to win four major U SPORTS awards during his career, after being named Rookie of the Year in 2015. ...


In total, 11 U SPORTS stars cracked the April Scouting Bureau list, including players from Laval, Laurier, Windsor, StFX, Concordia, Waterloo and UBC.
Fifty-six U SPORTS players were selected in the 2018 CFL Draft out of 69 total picks (81.2 per cent), including four in the first round. ...
Details surrounding the 2019 U SPORTS East-West Bowl – showcasing the next generation of CFL stars that will vie for coveted spots on next year’s Scouting Bureau – will be announced on Monday. The 2018 game featured all 15 U SPORTS prospects to appear on at least one Scouting Bureau list this season below. ...

RANK	NAME	POS.	UNIVERSITY	HOMETOWN	HT.	WT.	AUG. 30	DEC. 6
1	Mathieu Betts	DL	Laval	Montréal, Que.	6-3	250	2	1
2	Shane Richards	OL	Oklahoma St.	Calgary, Alta.	6-8	336	4	2
3	Justin McInnis	REC	Arkansas St.	Pierrefonds, Que.	6-6	205	5	3
4	Zach Wilkinson	OL	Northern Colorado	Vancouver, B.C.	6-5	285	8	17
5	Hergy Mayala	REC	Connecticut	Montreal, Que.	6-2	204	3	6
6	Jonathan Kongbo	DL	Tennessee	Surrey, B.C.	6-5	254	1	4
7	Drew Desjarlais	OL	Windsor	Belle River, Ont.	6-5	325	NR	NR
8	Maleek Irons	RB	Ohio	Chilliwack, B.C.	6-1	229	11	8
9	Kaion Julien-Grant	REC	StFX	Toronto, Ont.	6-2	208	14	13
10	Alex Fontana	OL	Kansas	Toronto, Ont.	6-2	300	9	5
11	Brayden Dickey	WR	New Mexico	North Vancouver, B.C.	6-5	245	NR	NR
12	Samuel Thomassin	OL	Laval	Québec City, QC	6-6	330	12	16
13	Maurice Simba	OL	Concordia	Laval, Que.	6-8	320	18	11
14	Jesse Gibbon	OL	Waterloo	Hamilton, Ont.	6-5	300	NR	NR
15	Robbie Smith	DL	Laurier	Brampton, Ont.	6-2	245	15	12
16	Kurleigh Gittens Jr.	REC	Laurier	Ottawa, Ont.	6-0	191	13	9
17	Michael O’Connor	QB	UBC	Orleans, Ont.	6-5	225	20	19
18	Brady Oliveira	RB	North Dakota	Winnipeg, Man.	5-10	220	7	10
19	Malcom Lee	DB	UBC	Surrey, B.C.	6-2	200	NR	NR
20	Alexandre Savard	REC	Laval	Québec City, Que.	6-5	242	10	7

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...for-2019-draft

[jerrym]

Here's a list of players who previously appeared on earlier CFL Scouting Bureau's list but did not make the final list. Trivel Pinto was suspended for cocaine use and accepted a two year ban and will have his CFL eligibility deferred for one year.

NAME	POS.	UNIVERSITY	HOMETOWN	HT.	WT.	AUG. 30	DEC. 6
Fraser Sopik	LB	Western	Toronto, Ont.	6-0	196	19	14
Jamie Harry	DB	Ottawa	Lachine, Que.	6-2	200	17	15
Trivel Pinto	REC	UBC	Toronto, Ont.	5-11	190	NR	18
Nate Anderson	DL	Missouri	Toronto, Ont.	6-4	255	NR	20
Dejon Brissett	REC	Richmond	Mississauga, Ont.	6-2	195	6	NR
Jamel Lyles	RB	Manitoba	Surrey, B.C.	6-0	210	16	NR

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...for-2019-draft

[jerrym]

Here's an article on Aaron Franklin who transferred from NCAA Div I Utah State Aggies to Bishop's University, despite growing up in LA, and won Most Outstanding Player and Newcomer of the Year awards.

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...nklin-bishop-s

[jerrym]

QB Chris Flynn will become the first player ever to have his Saint Mary's University jersey (#1) retired. Well deserved.

[AngeloV]

QB Chris Flynn will become the first player ever to have his Saint Mary's University jersey (#1) retired. Well deserved.

Agreed. He was a great QB.

Having said that, he was playing on a team in which attending class was somewhat optional. I had 15 former teammates play with St Mary's between 1990 and 95.

[jerrym]

First round draft picks University of Waterloo 6'5" 300 lb OL Jesse Gibbon, drafted by Hamilton, and Windsor's 6'5" 325 lb OL Drew Desjarlais, drafted by Winnipeg, are visiting the New York Jets this week. They have already attended a Pittsburg Steelers mini-camp.

Six foot four, 250 lb York University SB/ST Nikola Kalinic attended the Buffalo Bill mini-camp on the weekend.

[jerrym]

The url below provides a detailed report on the USports QBs who will be attending CFL TCs this year:

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/05/15/u-spor...raining-camps/

[jerrym]

UBC DB Stavros Katsantonis has been given a four year ban for testing positive for a prohibited anabolic agent (SARM LGD-4033).

[jerrym]

Below is a brief description of three of the eight top 20 prospects on the first CFL Scouting Bureau 2020 Draft report.

2019 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award finalist and reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner Adam Sinagra of the Calgary Dinos highlights a group of eight U SPORTS players on the initial prospect list released by the Canadian Football League’s Scouting Bureau Thursday in advance of the 2020 Draft.

Sinagra, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback from Pointe Claire, Que., was named the most outstanding player in U SPORTS football last season. The fifth-year arts student had 3,233 passing yards in 2018 to set a new U SPORTS record, as he led the Dinos to a perfect 8-0 season in Canada West play and the most potent offence in the nation, averaging 570.9 yards per game. Sinagra ranked second in the nation in passing touchdowns with 23 and led the conference with a passer rating of 126. He also earned Canada West Hardy Cup MVP Honours in the 2016 season as the Dinos advanced to the Vanier Cup.

“Adam's confidence level and his leadership have really emerged…It's something we didn't see a lot of in his first two years where he was more of a quiet leader. Now, he says the right things at the right time and shares the information with his receivers and line," said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris Jr. " He learned what it's like to prepare as a professional – the way he watches film, makes notes in meetings on our systems and our opponents has significantly changed…Everything he has learned has helped him be a better quarterback.”

Of the eight U SPORTS standouts who cracked the first Top 20 rankings of the season, the first two come from the highly-successful Laval Rouge et Or program with offensive lineman Ketel Assé at No. 7 and linebacker Adam Auclair at No.8, respectively.

Last season, Assé was named a First Team All-Canadian, while Auclair captured the Bruce Coulter Award as Vanier Cup Defensive MVP. Auclair also won the Presidents’ Trophy as U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.

The first Scouting Bureau list also includes players from Alberta, Carleton, Montreal, Waterloo and Western.

​https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...prospects-list

[jerrym]

Western Mustangs remain atop the USports football rankings for the third consecutive week with the Montreal Carabins in second place.

The Calgary Dinos (4-1 / 288 points) were the biggest losers in the sixth poll of the campaign, dropping four spots to eighth position after suffering their first conference defeat since 2017.

Rounding out the new top 10 are the No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or (3-1 / 417 points / no change), No. 4 McMaster Marauders (4-1 / 332 / up one position), No. 5 Guelph Gryphons (4-2 / 323 / up one), No. 6 Acadia Axemen (5-0 / 299 / up one), No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-2 / 297 / up two), No. 8 Alberta Golden Bears (4-1 / 204 / up one), as well as the previously unranked Waterloo Warriors(4-1 / 204) at No. 10.

Alberta edged Waterloo for ninth place thanks to a higher number of media votes. The Warriors crack the national top 10 for the first time since the Sept. 19, 2017 poll (No. 9) and for only the second time since 2007.

Top-ranked Western extended a pair of impressive OUA winning streaks Saturday at Windsor. Thanks to four touchdown passes from veteran quarterback Chris Merchant and 593 yards of total offence, the Mustangs are now undefeated in 26 straight games overall against OUA opponents dating back to the 2016 Yates Cup final and 28 straight in regular season action dating back to Week 2 of the same campaign.

At Montreal, things weren’t as easy for the RSEQ-leading Carabins, who edged visiting Concordia 20-17 thanks to a blocked field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile at Saskatoon, Calgary suffered a 29-15 setback against the now seventh-ranked Huskies, who also handed the Dinos their only loss of 2018, a 43-18 upset in the Canada West championship match. ...

RANK	SCHOOL	RECORD	MEDIA POINTS (1ST PLACE)	ELO POINTS	TOTAL POINTS	PREVIOUS RANKING
1	Western	6-0	234 (11)	240	474	1
2	Montreal	5-0	227 (5)	224	451	2
3	Laval	3-1	209	208	417	3
4	McMaster	4-1	188	144	332	5
5	Guelph	4-2	147	176	323	6
6	Acadia	5-0	107	192	299	7
7	Saskatchewan	3-2	137	160	297	9
8	Calgary	4-1	160	128	288	4
9	Alberta	4-1*	140	64	204	10
10	Waterloo	4-1*	92	112	204	NR

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...slides-to-no-8

[jerrym]

Sad news for Carleton Raven fans: they lost this year's Panda Game 32-10. However, the game had a record attendance of 24,600 - currently an impossible dream for the Argos.

In OUA football action, the 51st edition of the Panda Game between the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the crosstown Carleton Ravens saw the Gee-Gees post a 32-10 victory and retain the Pedro the Panda Trophy for a second straight year. A record (and sellout) crowd of 24,600 showed up at Ottawa’s TD Place for the game. ...

As for the game itself, the Gee-Gees opened the scoring on a rouge, but the Ravens responded with a first-quarter field goal and then a second-quarter touchdown pass from Tanner DeJong to Quinton Soares, taking a 10-1 lead. Ottawa struck back after that, though; a safety put them back within seven, and then Carleton running back Nathan Carter fumbled in the end zone and the Gee-Gees’ Tramayne Stephen recovered for a game-tying touchdown.

After that, Réshaan Davis forced a fumble from DeJong and Francis Perron recovered and took the ball 22 yards for a touchdown that put Ottawa into the lead. Gee-Gees’ running backs Jordan Burgher and Donald Shaw then added further touchdowns, leading to Ottawa’s eventual 32-10 win. The Gee-Gees gained only 211 offensive yards on the day compared to the Ravens’ 405, but their defence came up big time after time, and their offence capitalized when it counted. ...

This win improved Ottawa’s all-time record in the Panda Game to 34-17, and also marked their third win since the game returned in 2013. The Gee-Gees are now 4-2 on the year, and will host the 1-6 Windsor Lancers next week. The 2-4 Ravens will host the 5-1 McMaster Marauders.

https://usports.ca/en/sports/footbal...1st-panda-game

[jerrym]

The OUA playoffs began last week with Guelph beating Carleton 22-17 and Waterloo upsetting Ottawa Gee Gees 44-21.

AUS: Mount Allison (4-4) at Bishop’s (4-4)
OUA: Waterloo at Western, Guelph at McMaster
RSEQ: Concordia (2-6) at Laval, McGill (3-5) at Montreal
CW: Manitoba (4-4) at Calgary, Alberta (4-4) at Saskatchewan
Following the conference finals on Nov. 9, champions will battle in the Uteck Bowl (RSEQ at AUS) and Mitchell Bowl (OUA at Canada West) national semifinals on Nov. 16, with the winners advancing to the 55th Vanier Cup on Nov. 23 in Quebec City.

FRC-U SPORTS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#10)

For the second straight season, U SPORTS is using the ELO Rating System for the calculation of its weekly national rankings. Powered by RankR, ELO’s unique algorithm blends a statistical calculation with customized variables that is adaptable across a range of sports. For more information, click here.

RANK 1	SCHOOL Western	REG. SEASON RECORD 8-0	PLAYOFF RECORD 0-0	MEDIA POINTS (1st place) 205 (11)	ELO POINTS 210	TOTAL POINTS 415	PREVIOUS RANKING 1
1	WESTERN	8-0	0-0	205 (11)	210	415	1
2	Laval	7-1	0-0	199 (3)	196	395	2
3	Guelph	6-2	1-0	157	168	325	3
4	McMaster	6-2	0-0	161	140	301	4
5	Acadia	8-0	0-0	117	182	299	5
6	Montreal	6-2	0-0	157	126	283	6
7	Saskatchewan	5-3	0-0	124	154	278	7
8	Calgary	6-2	0-0	146	112	258	8
9	Waterloo	4-4	1-0	101	98	199	NR
10	Regina	3-5	0-0	27	70	97	NR

Honourable Mention: Carleton (91), Mount Allison (90), Alberta (78), Manitoba (71), McGill (55)

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/10/29/u-spor...e-semi-finals/

[jerrym]

Acadia Axemen blew out Bishop Gaiters 31-1 in the Loney Bowl with Dale Wright gaining 118 rushing yards and 3 TDs.

[jerrym]

Calgary Dinos dominated Saskatchewan Huskies 29-4 despite losing star QB Adam Sinagra to injury in the third quarter. Backup Josiah Joseph looked very good in going 9/10 to add 95 yards to Sinagra's 197 yards, while the Dino defence limited Huskie RB to "only" 112 yards instead of his average of 166 yards.

[jerrym]

After losing three consecutive Dunsmore Cups, the Montreal Carabins finally defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 25-10, despite Laval QB Thomas Bolduc passing for 331 yards. The Carabins took a 16-3 lead at halftime.

[jerrym]

Despite going 8-0, being ranked #1, and being undefeated against OUA teams since 2016, the Western Mustangs were defeated by the McMaster Marauders 29-13 in the Yates Cup.

Hallett was one of many McMaster defenders leaving their mark on the game, as the league’s second-ranked point preventers shone time and time again to overcome the OUA’s top offence. Eryk Bujalski paced the pack with seven tackles, Nate Edwards picked up two of his team’s five sacks on the day, and Josh Cumber reeled in Mac’s additional interception of the game.

While the defence as a whole stood tall, however, a key figure on the other side of the ball claims Player of the Game honours. After completing over 70 percent of his passes (17-for-24) for 238 yards and establishing a steady presence under centre after a frantic start, McMaster QB Andreas Dueck was awarded the Dalt White Trophy as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

McMaster will now head west to face the University of Calgary, conference champion from Canada West, in the Mitchell Bowl next Saturday, with a chance to play for the Vanier Cup. The Marauders haven’t played in the national title game since 2014; a year in which they also beat the Mustangs in the OUA final in London.

https://3downnation.com/2019/11/09/m...for-yates-cup/

[jerrym]

Chris Merchant has won the Hec Crighton Trophy as UFootball's MOP.

Merchant followed up an impressive 2018 by completing 159-of-232 pass attempts this season (68.5 percent) for 2,378 yards and 14 touchdowns. But Merchant was just as dangerous when he called his own number, rushing the ball a career-high 77 times for another 438 yards and six majors.

The Mustangs’ leader hit his stride in his team’s 40-23 win over Queen’s in Week 2. Merchant’s arsenal was on full display as he passed for a season-high 355 yards with two touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground. He would close the season with a dominant stretch of play, racking up over 1,000 passing yards and nine total touchdowns in the final three wins of the regular season over Windsor, Waterloo, and Ottawa, respectively. Merchant would finish the year topping all OUA quarterbacks in pass efficiency at 167.7. ...

Statistics aside, one of the most impressive aspects of Merchant’s season was an ability to guide an offence that featured several young players on the offensive line, as well as a changing of the guard in the backfield. The poise and veteran leadership he had amassed in Western’s long postseason runs in recent years were imperative to the team manufacturing yet another undefeated campaign.

https://3downnation.com/2019/11/21/w...ighton-trophy/

[jerrym]

At the half Calgary Dinos lead Montreal Carabins in a defensive struggle until late in the second quarter due to pressure on both teams QBs. However, the offences then started to get going.

[jerrym]

Leading 20-13 QB Adam Sinagra did not play it safe with less than two minutes to go. Instead he threw a 43 yard pass completion to Tyson Philpott that helped pin the Carabins near their goal-line when the Dinos failed to gain another first down. Overall Sinagra was the best player on the field, as he also threw two TDs.