Lancers ride to victory

The Windsor Lancers took advantage of home field and an early lead to capture a 39-29 victory in a pivotal OUA matchup on Friday night. The win vaults Windsor to 5-1 on the season while Ottawa falls to 4-3. At times the Windsor offence seemed able to move the ball at will, proving to be extremely efficient for spurts during the first and third quarters. Windsor pivot Austin Kennedy passed for 227 yards and running back Tarrence Crawford broke loose for a season-high 142 yards which included an 81-yard carry in the third quarter which set up the game-clinching Windsor touchdown. After Ottawa scored a 42-yard rouge by Domenic Bellardini to open the game, Windsor jumped ahead by posting 24 straight points through a combination of passing, rushing, and defence. Derek Wendel started the game 1-6 on passing attempts and also threw an interception on the third possession of the game. The pass was picked off by Tarik Bonas at the Ottawa 51-yard line and he ran it back all the way to the two yard line before he was stopped by Bryce Vieira. Wendel was intercepted once more in the fourth quarter and dealt with constant pressure from the Lancers, who picked up five sacks on the night. Ottawa's offence got going at the start of the second, ignited by rushes from Vieira and Mack Tommy but fueled by a more efficient air attack. Vieira cashed in two touchdowns, one on a goal-line drive and one on a 22-yard catch, and the Gee-Gees were down 24-15 at halftime. The Gee-Gees were still stalled at 15 points at the end of the third quarter, and saw the Windsor advantage grow to 36-15 before Vieira got back on the board with ten minutes to play in the fourth frame. Ottawa has struggled all season with the third stanza, being outscored 45-13 overall. Ben Fisher added a touchdown with less than thirty seconds on the clock to round out the Gee-Gees scoring. Ottawa heads into week eight of the OUA regular season with a bye, giving the team two weeks to prepare for its final opponent, the first place McMaster Marauders. The game will be on Saturday, October 25 at Gee-Gees Field.