Thanksgiving weekend featured a small slate of U Sports activities as the entire western part of Canada headed out for the holiday. Unfortunately, most of the games produced lopsided results, but Atlantic Canada suffered a tough loss in the final game of the week.
Sports around you This is a weekly feature on 3DownNation Readers across the country recap college football games, highlight standout performances and track potential playoff matchups. It will last until the second round of the playoffs, after which 3DownNation will publish separate articles for each game.
Saint Francis Xavier X-Men, 20 – Mount Allison Mounties, 24
The Mounties are no longer winless after upsetting the X-Men with a second-half comeback in Sackville. Down 20-3 early in the third quarter, Nicolas Chabot threw a pair of touchdowns and Jack Arsenault caught another from Spencer Joudry to take the lead. The defense kept St. Fex in check for the rest of the evening, holding off Malcolm Bussey after two earlier goals.
Waterloo Warriors 14 vs McMaster Marauders 47
Four interceptions by the Marauders defense, including a 56-yard kickoff return by Isaiah Shields, set the stage for a convincing victory. McMaster corners Luca Barresi and Luke Thalman combined for five touchdowns, three of which went to Aidan Nemeth, and Barresi ran for another in the rout. Roy Van der Veen was Waterloo's only big player in the third quarter.
Carlton Ravens, 12 – Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, 55
The Panda game hangover hit the Ravens hard as neither Tristan Lefebvre nor Elijah Barnes were able to find success at center. Callum Wither had another outstanding game, passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to Ryan Hughes. Tyshawn Jackson was also a force in the Golden Hawks' backfield, averaging 9.1 yards per carry and gaining 193 yards from scrimmage.
Western Mustangs, 65 years old – York Lions, 28 years old
York got strong results from a pair of graduate transfers: Keegan Hall threw for 405 yards and Nicholas Adair caught three touchdowns. It still wasn't enough to avoid Western's dog walker, as Mustangs star running back Ethan Dolby rushed for 264 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries, averaging 17.6 yards per run. Evan Hillock scored three majors himself, with Seth Robertson scoring a pair of points and Dasani McIntosh comfortably passing the century mark.
Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 2 – Montreal Carabins, 43 years old
The Carbines intercepted Sherbrooke QB Jeremy Fyfe three times to force him out of the game, including a 7-yard pick-six from cornerback Sammy-Joe Sood to end the first half. Freshman Pilot Pepe Gonzalez threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns against Montreal, while Simon Larose had 144 receiving yards and a big score. The only bright spot for Vert et Or that day was the missed safe.
Laval Rouge and Or, 43 years old – McGill Redbirds, 21 years old
The Redbirds kept this game within a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when Laval running back Mathieu Roy had runs of 43 and 86 yards, finishing with 207 yards on the night on the ground. Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald had 194 yards in the air and 92 yards on the ground, but threw three interceptions, including a late hit to the back that blocked cornerback Jordan Lessard.
“St. Mary's Huskies”, 48 years old – “Bishops Gaithers”, 7 years old.
The Huskies managed just one sack and no interceptions, but produced a dominant performance in pass defense that limited reigning AU leading rusher Justin Quirion to just 68 yards through the air. St. Mary's QB Justin Shibley threw for three touchdowns, Chandler Zink-Marier crossed the century mark on a reception and Liam Legg rushed for 101 yards and a major in the loss.
Windsor Lancers 30 – Ottawa Gee Gees 24
The GGs were unable to recover from their struggles in the Panda Game as another blocked punt recovered for a Zach Talbot touchdown played a crucial role in their defeat. Josh Janssen threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns during a furious fourth-quarter comeback, but couldn't survive being punted three times. Kevin Rakowska sealed the deal for the Lancers with a deft interception near the goal line, while Webge Mombo stole the show with 142 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.
