uOttawa Photo
Week 6 was nothing short of crazy in the university ranks.
While the blue-blood programs largely took care of business with emphatic victories, there were plenty of close ballgames elsewhere in the country.
Panda Game provided the usual big plays, unmatched atmosphere and final-whistle field rush in Ottawa, where the No. 9 Gee-Gees ‘upset’ — according to the Top 10 — No. 5 Carleton in a game that was over in the third quarter.
It was uOttawa’s first Panda win since the game moved to TD Place, the home of the CFL’s REDBLACKS, in 2014; they lead the overall series 33-17.
The race for the second playoff spot and bye in the Ontario conference is heating up, with six teams — Ottawa (8), Carleton (8), Queen’s (6), McMaster (6), Waterloo (6) and Guelph (6) — separated by just two points.
Out west, Blake Nill’s UBC team slumped to a shock 26-21 defeat at previously winless Alberta; the loss dropped the T-Birds to 1-4 on the season, and has cast serious doubt on their playoff chances.
On the east coast, the No. 7 Saint Mary’s Huskies scored a big road win at St. FX to essentially secure first place and home-field advantage in the AUS playoffs. With a two-game lead atop the division, and facing Bishop’s (0-5) and Mt. Allison (2-3) in two of their final three contests, the Huskies should be safe atop the conference.
Quebec saw its usual customers dominate, with No. 4 Montreal pummelling Sherbrooke 43-2 and No. 2 Laval smashing Concordia 53-2.
Who’s Hot: The uOttawa Gee-Gees stepped up in the heat of Panda Game to rise above a decent Carleton team and earn a key victory. Jamie Barresi’s squad still has two challenging games ahead of — home against Western on the 13th, and a visit to Queen’s to close out the season the following week — but the Gee-Gees are in firm control of their own destiny.
Who’s Not: The UBC Thunderbirds took a huge step back with their Friday-night loss to Alberta, a team that looked like it might go 0-8. Giving up 417 yards of offence to a winless team is not a good look, and with Saskatchewan and a tricky trip to Manitoba still on the schedule, UBC’s season is in trouble.
Week 6 Scores
Sherbrooke 2, #4 Montreal 43
UBC 21, Alberta 26
#7 Saint Mary’s 27, St. FX 24
#9 Ottawa 38, #5 Carleton 27
#1 Western 26, Queen’s 23
Toronto 24, Windsor 26
Guelph 27, #8 Laurier 24
Mt. Allison 18, Bishop’s 10
#2 Laval 53, Concordia 2
#6 Saskatchewan 13, #3 Calgary 33
#10 Regina 32, Manitoba 31 (OT)
Waterloo 32, York 34
