On Oct. 5, the Carleton Ravens and the University of Ottawa (U of O) Gee-Gees will square off in the 51st annual Panda Game at TD Place stadium to determine who will take home the Pedro the Panda trophy for another year.
Last year’s tilt saw the Garnet and Grey take back Pedro for the first time since 2013 following a 38-27 win as they broke the Ravens’ four-game Panda Game winning streak. The results of this year’s game, however, could have major playoff implications on the Ravens as they enter the second half of season play.
The Ravens come into the game holding a 2-3 regular season record and recently ended a three-game losing streak following an impressive 29-19 win over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues.
Despite limiting one of the conference’s top offensive teams to under 20 points for the first time this season, the Ravens are in desperate need of another win if they hope to make a late push to qualify for the Yates Cup playoffs.
Here are some Ravens players who could make a big impact in the Panda Game and help Carleton edge one step closer.
Nathan Carter is the bread and butter of this Ravens offense. Despite a slow start for the senior running back by his standards, Carter’s 394 rushing yards through five games has allowed first-year starting quarterback Tanner DeJong to keep the Ravens in close games.
The fourth-year Ottawa native was finally able to burst into the scoring column after recording his first two rushing touchdowns of the season against the Varsity Blues.
Although Carter’s five-foot-seven stature may be small for a typical running back; his excellent vision, ability to break tackles after first contact, and workhorse mentality has made him a nightmare for opposing defenses to gameplan for this season.
Carter also proved he could rise to the occasion in previous meetings against the Gee-Gees after he finished last year’s Panda Game with 126 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Carleton could have a big game, with the Gee-Gees defense ranking third in passing yards allowed per game in Ontario University Athletics (OUA).
Carter could be the x-factor the Ravens need if they look to upset the eighth-ranked team in the country.
Keep an eye on his stat sheet too. Carter’s close to reaching another milestone, as he comes into the game only 210 rushing yards shy of breaking the all-time Ravens career rushing yards record held by Mark Brown.
As the unquestioned leader of the Ravens linebacker trio of Joshua Walsh and Trevor Hoyte, Jack Cassar is on pace for another tremendous year after earning OUA first-team all-defense honors last season. After five games, the Mississauga, Ont., native leads the team with 36 total tackles and is ranked third in the conference in tackles per game.
As much as he has gained a reputation for being a hard-hitting machine in the Ravens mid-field, Cassar also showed his ability against the U of T Varsity Blues on Sept. 28 to wreak havoc in the opponent’s backfield after recording two tackles for loss (TFL), and two sacks.
The Ravens will be missing their second-leading tackler on the team as Josh Walsh will not play in Panda game. As he continues to recover from an injury he sustained against the Waterloo Warriors on Sept. 21.
Cassar will be heavily relied on to help contain Gee-Gees starting running back Jordan Burgher, who has 247 yards and three touchdowns on the season, and limit a Gee-Gees offense which is averaging just under 29 points per game.
Only five games into the season – Quinton Soares is already on track to decimate last year’s receiving total of 519 yards.
The veteran slotback has 22 catches for a team-high 493 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns and is averaging 98.6 yards per game this season, which ranks third-best in the OUA.
Soares recently posted six catches for a season-high 151 receiving yards against the Varsity Blues on Sept. 28 for his third 100+ receiving yard game of the season.
The other two teams he recorded that milestone against were the Guelph Gryphons and the undefeated Western Mustangs, both of who are ranked in the U Sports Top 10.
Soares is a strong route runner who can surprise you with his deceptive speed whenever he catches the ball in the open field.
In last year’s Panda Game, the Ottawa native, finished with five catches, 77 yards, and two touchdowns – one of which was him throwing a 78-yard pass to another player on a trick play.
Soares, along with fellow wideouts Phil Iloki, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Toronto Argonauts in this year’s CFL Draft, and Chad Manchulenko will be tasked with taking on a Gee-Gees secondary who lost its first-team all-star cornerback Jamie Harry after he opted against returning to the team this season.
Feature image by Tim Austen.
