Gee Gees 37, Ravens 7
In the entire 2021 season, Nicholas Gendron registered a grand total of 173 receiving yards for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Fast forward to Saturday’s Panda Game, when the Gatineau native had the game of his life in front of the packed, spirited house of 23,078 students at TD Place, where the Gee-Gees ran all over the Carleton Ravens in what ended up as a 37-7 victory.
It was the fourth consecutive Panda Game win for the Gee-Gees, who hold an all-time 36-17 edge over the Ravens in the signature event on the Canadian university football calendar.
Gendron finished the afternoon with eight catches for 211 yards, the fourth best receiving day in Gee-Gees history.
Thousands of students were lined up, still on their way into the stadium, when Gendron slipped behind the Ravens defence and hauled in an 81-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Maracle late in the first quarter.
The spectacular play erased an early 7-0 deficit, turning any and all momentum in the Gee-Gees’ favour.
“You know, when the ball is in the air, it’s kind of silent,” Gendron said. “But, when the ball is in your hands and the crowd erupts, it’s just so special. And being in the end zone and seeing my teammates being so happy, it was a great moment. The offensive line did such a great job on that play and the whole game protecting for Ben.”
When it was all over and Gee-Gees fans had stormed the field, Gendron was ecstatic. Amid all the bedlam, he had a tough time finding family and friends.
“It’s special, it’s different. People are congratulating you. It feels good, getting congratulated like that.”
A support player a year ago — he caught one pass for 10 yards in the 2021 Panda Game — Gendron has become a key part of the offence for the Gee-Gees, who have won four straight games and are 5-1 overall in Ontario University Athletics conference play.
“It’s definitely a mix of chemistry and confidence. When you make a couple of catches, you feel good, so when the ball is in the air, you know you can make that catch. And just improving my route running, too,” Gendron said. “We practise so well. The coaches give such good tips and you get to the game, and it’s just like another practice.”
Gendron had plenty of company in posting big numbers on Saturday. Maracle was on his game throughout, completing 20 of 23 passes for 354 yards, adding a second touchdown toss to Willie-Pierre Dimbonji.
Workhorse running back J.P. Cimankinda punished the Ravens defence on the ground, rushing for 166 yards on 31 carries, including two touchdowns. Kicker Campbell Fair made three of five field-goal attempts.
“Starting out the game, probably, we had a little bit of jitters,” Gee-Gees coach Marcel Bellefeuille said. “We kind of have a little motto, that we don’t react to adversity, we respond to it. And so (the Ravens) made a couple of plays and went ahead and then our offence came back on the field and responded to it. That’s something we talk about quite a bit.”
The Ravens struck first when quarterback Tanner DeJong connected with Kaseem Ferdinand for a 26-yard touchdown with 6:10 remaining in the opening quarter, but that was it for Carleton scoring.
The Gee-Gees led 10-7 at half-time, as TD Place air was full of potent smells and the traditional colourful back and forth chants between Ravens faithful in the north-side stands and Gee-Gees backers in the southern seats.
But, as the Gee-Gees continued to shut down the Ravens offence and delivered a series of extended drives in the third and fourth quarters, there was little doubt about who would finish on top.
“Just too many mistakes,” first-year Ravens head coach Corey Grant said. “They did a really good job, they had a really good game plan coming in. They executed better than us, and, you know, things just got out of hand at the end there.”
With the defeat, the Ravens dropped to 3-3.
While Grant was disappointed in how the game finished up, he enjoyed the environment surrounding his first Panda Game experience.
“It was a great atmosphere to show off U Sports and what U Sports athletes can do. It’s not just about football. It’s impressive, all of U Sports. It’s just great, as a former U Sports athlete, to come out and be a part of this. It’s really special.”
For all the fanfare of the Panda Game, the Gee-Gees did everything possible to try and treat it like just another game, blocking out distractions along the way.
They were pumped following the Maracle to Gendron connection that tied the game, but wouldn’t allow themselves to get carried away too soon.
“It’s good for us, but you’ve got to stay 10 toes down,” Cimankinda said. “You can’t get too high up. You can’t go too down. You’ve got to stay level. We understand that (the Ravens) are a good team. We just had to stay focussed and keep our foot on the pedal.”
kwarren@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
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