Welcome back. I hope you all had a great off-season. Welcome to the second year of my weekly blog post of the top defensive stars in the CIS from that week games. This week will focus on the OUA games since the season started on Sunday and UBC’s Thunderbirds vs. Laval’s Rouge et Or preseason game. The game saw UBC pulling out a stunning win in one of the hardest place to win a football game. Most of the defensive stars picked this week were linebackers.
UBC’s Thunderbirds rookie linebacker, Troy Hansen.
The native from Edmonton, had a pretty good start to his CIS football career as he played a huge role in the underdog, Thunderbirds beating the juggernaut, Rouge et Or on Saturday afternoon. Hansen had four solo tackles, six total tackles and one sack in the win. The Thunderbirds defense picked Laval’s outstanding QB, Hugo Richard four times and sacked him twice. The win over Laval gave the Thunderbirds some momentum toward the start of the Canada-West season.
Laval’s Rouge et Or fifth year defensive back, Thomas Girard.
The fifth year defensive back from Levis, Que proved why he was RSEQ all-star last season in the lost to UBC. Girard had six solo tackles along with two interceptions in the game. The Rouge et Or in the lost got UBC’s QBs, Michael O’Connor and Trevor Casey to threw a combine four interceptions. The Rouge et Or last season led the CIS in least amount of yards allowed per a game which was 252 however the UBC in game had 410 yards. This was the second biggest lost in Rouge et Or history ass the first being in 2001 when Saint Mary’s Huskies coached by current UBC coach, Blake Nill beat Laval,48-8 in the Atlantic Bowl. Laval will look to regroup and get ready to kickoff the RSEQ season against the defending Vanier Cup Champion, University of Montreal’s Carabins who beat them twice last year.
Carleton’s Ravens third year linebacker, Leon Cenerini.
The third year linebacker from La Salle, Man had a great game against the Queen’s Gaels. He had six solo tackles along with a fumble recovery. Cenerini’s efforts were not enough as the Ravens lost to the Gaels, 34-24. The Ravens last season were seven in the nation for fumble recoveries and force fumbles so it is not usual for them to get a fumble in the first game of the new season.
Queen’s Gaels second year defensive back, Matt Pendergast.
The second year player from Kingston made some great plays in Queen’s victory over the Ravens. Pendergast had six solo tackles, seven total tackles which included one force fumble. Pendergast will look to be more involved this season on the Queen’s defence as last year he only played in five games where he had 11.5 tackles and one sack. Queen’s last year led the CIS in tackles with 502.
Wilfred Laurier’s Golden Hawks second year linebacker, Brandon Calver.
The second year player from London, Ont had a solid game in Laurier’s 38-21 win over the York Lions. Calver had three solo tackles and five total tackles along with a fumble recovery. The Golden Hawks finished eighth in the CIS for fumble recoveries last year.
York’s Lions fifth year defensive lineman, Hussein Hazime.
The fifth year defensive lineman from Toronto had a game that he will always remember however he could not lead his team to the victory. Hazime in the lost to the Golden Hawks had six solo tackles, ten assists on tackles and 11 total tackles which also included half of a sack. The Lions last season had 465 tackles which was good enough for them to be fifth in the nation. Hazime could be a player to pay attention this season in the OUA if he keeps tackling this good.
Western Mustangs second year linebacker, Jean-Gabriel Poulin.
The second year linebacker from St. Nicolas, Que, proved why he was named to the OUA all-rookie team last year in Western 76-7 thumping over the Windsor Lancers. Poulin had four solo tackles, six total tackles plus a fumble recovery for 15 yards. Western will depend on Poulin to help stabilize their defence this season since Daryl Waud left to play for Toronto Argonauts.
Windsor Lancers third year defensive back, Matt Gayer.
The third year player hailing from Leamington, Ont was a beast on the gridiron for the Lancers in their disappointing lost. Gayer was involved in mostly every play on defense as he recorded 12 solo tackles, two assists on tackles and 13 total tackles plus a forced fumble. Gayer was the only bright spot for the Lancers on Saturday. Gayer could be a player to keep eye on for the rest of the year.
McMaster Marauders third year linebacker, Cole Munden.
The third year man from Oakville, Ont had a good game in McMaster’s 55-33 comeback win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.Munden lead the defending Yates Cup champs in tackles with eight during the game. Munden will be lean on heavily because McMaster’s had a lot of their key defensive players like OUA first team all-stars, Nick Shortill and Joey Cupido graduated.
Toronto Varsity Blues fourth year linebacker, Adrian Bernard.
The fourth year player from Newark, N.J made an impact on the field in a losing cause. Bernard had seven solo tackles, eight total tackles along with one sack for a loss of four yards and forced fumble. The Varsity Blues had the defending Yates Cup champions in trouble for a majority of the first half however the Blues defense could not stop Mac’s second team all-Canadian wideout, Dan Vandervoort from grabbing four touchdown catches.
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