OTTAWA (CIS) – As the football regular season comes to an end in the OUA conference on Saturday, all eyes will be on the Western Mustangs and star kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, who are on pace to break a pair of scoring records.
The nationally top-ranked Mustangs (7-0), who would clinch first place in the OUA standings with a home win over York (2-5), are by far the highest-scoring team in the country this fall with 408 points in their first seven outings. Averaging 58.3 points per contest, they need to score 17 against the Lions to shatter the single-season OUA mark of 424 set in 2003 by McMaster, who at the time were coached by current Western sideline boss Greg Marshall.
While it’s a long shot, Western would also break the national record if it manages to put 74 points on the board tomorrow. McMaster’s tally from a decade ago ranks third all-time in CIS, behind Laval’s 481 points in 2003 and Saint Mary’s 480 in 2001.
Meanwhile, Hajrullahu, who will the play in his final league game on Saturday, needs to score nine points to eclipse the CIS career standard of 410 established by former Ottawa great Neil Lumsden from 1972 to 1975.
The fifth-year senior from St. Catharines, Ont., could also set an OUA career record for most field goals as he goes into the weekend with 72, three behind Ottawa’s Matthew Falvo (2008-2012). Falvo ranks second on the CIS list behind Sherbrooke’s William Dion, who split the uprights 82 times between 2008 and 2012.
Hajrullahu’s teammate Will Finch also has a shot at CIS and OUA history. The sophomore quarterback from Burlington, Ont., enters the contest as the CIS leader this season in passing yards (2,500) and completion percentage (70.4). While he would need a monster game versus York to become the third pivot in history to pass for 3,000 yards in a single campaign (Michael Faulds, Western, 3,033 in 2009 / Tommy Denison, Queen’s, 3,001 in 2002), his current completion ratio ranks fourth in CIS annals and is better than the OUA mark set last year by Hec Crighton trophy winner Kyle Quinlan of McMaster (68.9).
Another OUA standout who will be looking to add his name to the record books on Saturday is Waterloo receiver Nick Anapolsky. With 63 catches in seven games this fall, the senior from Guelph, Ont., needs six receptions against Toronto to shatter the single-season conference record set last year by Windsor’s Jordan Brescacin and 10 to erase the national mark of 72 registered in 2007 by McGill’s Charles-Antoine Sinotte.
Other players to keep an eye on over the next two weekends include:
Guillaume Rioux, Laval: With two regular season games left in his career, he currently has 1,901 punt return yards, good for eighth place on the CIS list. Only four players have reached the 2,000-yard plateau.
Mark McConkey, Regina: With two regular season games left in his career, he currently has a Canada West-record 179 receptions, good for ninth place on the CIS list. Only three players have reached the 200-catch mark.
Mercer Timmis, Calgary: With two regular season games left in 2013, he currently leads the country with 15 all-purpose touchdowns, including 14 on the ground. Only five CIS players have scored 20 or more all-purpose majors in a single campaign, and only four have scored 20 or more rushing majors in the same year.
Marshall Ferguson, McMaster: Kyle Quinlan’s successor enters the Marauders’ conference finale with a CIS-leading 20 touchdown passes and 178 completions this season – both team records. He needs four TD passes to crack the single-season CIS top five, and is 31 completions shy of the national mark.
Rob Jubenville, Saint Mary’s & Jesse St. James, Acadia: With two games remaining on their AUS schedule, both have a shot at the single-season CIS record of 12.5 quarterback sacks. Jubenville currently leads the country with 9.0 and St. James is second with 8.0.
CIS FOOTBALL RECORD BOOK: Click HERE
CIS CAREER LEADERS:
Scoring
410 Neil Lumsden, Ottawa (1972-75)
402 Lirim Hajrullahu, Western (2009-)
Field goals
82 William Dion, Sherbrooke (2008-12)
75 Matthew Falvo, Ottawa (2008-12)
72 Lirim Hajrullahu, Western (2009-)
Receptions
251 Charles-Antoine Sinotte, McGill (2006-10)
238 Julian Feoli-Gudino, Laval (2007-11)
206 Gary Ross, Mount Allison (2006-10)
194 Erik Galas, McGill (2004-08)
192 Jordan Brescacin, Windsor (2008-12)
179 Mark McConkey, Regina (2007-)
Punt return yards
2517 Chris Evraire, Ottawa (1994-98)
2279 Eric Duchene, Saskatchewan (1999-03)
2166 Jahmeek Taylor, Saint Mary’s (2008-12)
2071 Dillon Heap, Laurier (2005 / 2008-11)
1981 Gary Ross, Mount Allison (2006-10)
1901 Guillaume Rioux, Laval (2009-)
CIS SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS:
Scoring (team)
481 (Laval – 2003)
480 (Saint Mary’s – 2001)
424 (McMaster – 2003)
408 (Western – 2013)
Scoring
150 Paul Brule, StFX (1967)
148 Neil Lumsden, Ottawa (1975)
144 Mike Murphy, Ottawa (1976)
126 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster (2004)
120 3 players tied
110 Lirim Hajrullahu, Western (2013)
Receptions
72 Charles-Antoine Sinotte, McGill (2007)
68 Jordan Brescacin, Windsor (2012)
65 Julian Feoli-Gudino, Laval (2008)
64 Erik Galas, McGill (2008)
63 Nick Anapolsky, Waterloo (2013)
All-purpose touchdowns
25 Paul Brule, StFX (1967)
21 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster (2004)
20 Paul Brule, StFX (1966)
20 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster (2000)
20 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster (2003)
15 Mercer Timmis, Calgary (2013)
Rushing touchdowns
21 Paul Brule, StFX (1967)
21 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster (2004)
20 Paul Brule, StFX (1966)
20 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster (2000)
14 Mercer Timmis, Calgary (2013)
Passing yards
3033 Michael Faulds, Western (2009)
3001 Tommy Denison, Queen’s (2002)
2907 Tommy Denison, Queen’s (2003)
2823 Greg Vavra, Calgary (1983)
2806 Chris Hessel, Western (2002)
2500 Will Finch, Western (2013)
Touchdown passes
30 Chris Flynn, Saint Mary’s (1989)
27 Chris Flynn, Saint Mary’s (1990)
26 Teale Orban, Regina (2006)
25 Steve Bilan, Saskatchewan (2004)
24 Tommy Denison, Queen’s (2003)
24 Dan Brannagan, Queen’s (2008)
20 Marshall Ferguson, McMaster (2013)
Passing completions
209 Matt Connell, McGill (2008)
204 Jérémi Roch, Sherbrooke (2012)
203 Tommy Denison, Queen’s (2003)
201 Michael Faulds, Western (2009)
201 Rob Mackay, Concordia (2009)
178 Marshall Ferguson, McMaster (2013)
Completion percentage
75.2 Benoit Groulx, Laval (2008)
73.2 Benoit Groulx, Laval (2009)
70.6 Eric Dzwilewski, Calgary (2012)
70.4 Garry Smith, Alberta (1962)
70.4 Will Finch, Western (2013)
Quarterback sacks
12.5 Ben D’Aguilar, McMaster (2012)
12.5 Jean-Samuel Blanc, Montreal (2012)
12.0 Leroy Blugh, Bishop’s (1988)
12.0 Jim Aru, Queen’s (1996)
9.0 Rob Jubenville, Saint Mary’s (2013)
8.0 Jesse St. James, Acadia (2013)
Punt return yards
912 Dillon Heap, Laurier (2009)
777 Richard Karikari, StFX (2002)
765 Eric Duchene, Saskatchewan (2001)
728 Frank Bruno, Montreal (2009)
720 Chris Evraire, Ottawa (1994)
656 Kevin Bradfield, Toronto (2013)
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