It was a great weekend for Carleton University as the program got its first win in the annual Panda Game since 2017. The victory not only improved the team’s record to an even 3-3 but moved the squad within striking distance of a home OUA playoff game with two regular-season matchups left on the schedule.
Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking possible playoff matchups. It will run until the second round of the playoffs, at which point 3DownNation will produce standalone articles for each game.
Ottawa Gee-Gees, 14 — Carleton Ravens, 20
The Gee-Gees and Ravens faced off in the annual Panda Game on Sunday, a tradition that dates back to 1955 and is by far the best-attended Canadian collegiate football game every year. Carleton ended a six-game Panda Game losing skid in front of over 24,000 fans and did so in upset fashion as Tristan Lefebvre and Elijah Barnes combined for 227 passing yards with one touchdown, which was caught by Tristan Ready, and one interception. Josh Janssen had a great game for Ottawa in the loss, throwing for 375 yards and two scores.
Acadia Axemen, 10 — St. FX X-Men, 20
Former AUS all-star Malcolm Bussey was the standout for the home side as he rushed 18 times for 182 yards and a touchdown to lead his team to a second-straight win. Morgan Rae notched 4.5 tackles and two sacks for the X-Men, while Otito Nwaogu and Branden Janotta both picked off Acadia quarterback Michael Linder, who scored his team’s lone touchdown on a two-yard run.
Mount Allison Mounties, 3 — Saint Mary’s Huskies, 41
Allan Young threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies, hitting Cherokee Robinson, Chandler Zinck-Marier, and Trydell Mintis for scores. The Mounties intercepted Young three times but were unable to convert the takeaways into points as they managed only 249 net yards of offence. Saint Mary’s defensive back Ryan Butler intercepted Mount Allison quarterback Spencer Joudry twice, while Cam Buchanan and Jahzonte Smith both got home for sacks.
York Lions, 33 — Waterloo Warriors, 34
These teams scored a combined 41 points in the fourth quarter, which was capped by a 17-yard game-winning field goal from Evan Astolfo. Roy Van der Veen and Anthony Miller combined for 117 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Warriors, while Keagan Hall threw for 298 yards and one score for York. After going winless last season, Waterloo has now won two games this year with one left on the schedule.
Western Mustangs, 15 — Windsor Lancers, 6
Western’s perfect record was in doubt late when the Lancers got a 35-yard field goal to make this a three-point game with four minutes left, though two late fourth-quarter field goals from Brian Garrity clinched the victory for the Mustangs. Seth Robertson caught nine passes for 180 yards to lead Western through the air, while Weabge Mombo and Liam Talbot combined for 14 carries for 135 yards for Windsor.
Queen’s Gaels, 27 — Guelph Gryphons, 17
Queen’s trailed 17-13 late in the fourth quarter but got the win thanks to late touchdowns from Jared Chisari and Nathan Falconi, both of whom had over 100 yards from scrimmage. Marshall McCray rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns for the Gryphons but it wasn’t enough to get the win. Guelph’s playoff hopes are officially in doubt after suffering a fifth loss on the year — already three more than last regular season.
McMaster Marauders, 35 — Toronto Varsity Blues, 16
Luke Thalman threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the win for McMaster, hitting Everett Reid and Jackson Taylor for scores, while Michael Horvat added a whopping seven field goals. Christian Chukwuali II recorded two sacks for the Marauders, while Juan Vasquez intercepted Toronto quarterback Scott Barnett. Thomas Roberts was the leading receiver for the Varsity Blues, making five catches for 89 yards.
UBC Thunderbirds, 31 — Manitoba Bisons, 35
The Bisons led 28-3 at halftime thanks to a combined three rushing touchdowns from Noah Anderson and Jackson Tachinski, then it was all UBC in the second half. The Thunderbirds rattled off 28 straight points until Manitoba broke the streak with another score from Tachinski before Drew Viotto, who threw for 473 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, tossed a last-minute interception near the end zone to Daniel Conway.
McGill Redbirds, 28 — Montreal Carabins, 32
McGill ended a 36-game losing streak to the Carabins earlier this season and almost made it two wins in a row, even holding a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter. Pepe Gonzalez threw for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the win with Hassane Dosso, who made eight grabs for 157 yards and one score, being his favourite target on the day. Redbirds dual-threat quarterback Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald had another strong performance against Montreal, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown and rushing 11 times for 135 yards and a score.
Calgary Dinos, 12 — Regina Rams, 18
The Rams clinched a playoff berth as the team’s defence held the Dinos to 241 yards of net offence with sacks from Anthony Montas Leipert and Liam LaBelle. Marshall Erichsen continued his sensational season along the ground for Regina, rushing 26 times for 134 yards, catching seven passes for 44 yards, and scoring one touchdown. Jibreel Yahaya ran for 95 yards for Calgary, while kicker Vince Triumbari went four-for-six on field goal attempts to score all 12 of the team’s points.
Alberta Golden Bears, 24 — Saskatchewan Huskies, 31
Saskatchewan survived a scare from the last-place Golden Bears as Jake Farrell, who started in place of Anton Amundrud, threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mason Grabowski with a little over one minute left to secure the victory. Farrell also threw touchdown passes to Daniel Wiebe and Dawson Lennea, while Ryker Frank added 87 yards and a score along the ground. Trey Reider had a solid day under centre for Alberta, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
Concordia Stingers, 8 — Laval Rouge et Or, 19
The last-place Stingers kept this one relatively close but the powerhouse Rouge et Or were too much to handle. Laval got four sacks on defence along with an interception from Jordan Lessard and a fumble recovery from Xavier Thibaudeau, while Mendel Joseph notched seven tackles, one sack, and a pick for Concordia. Arnaud Desjardins had a quiet day under centre for Laval, throwing for 209 yards, one touchdown, and a pick, while Mamadi Kaba led the Stingers in yards from scrimmage with two catches for 81 yards.
John Hodge
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