The Carleton Ravens football team improved their record to 2-1 on the season with a 62-16 thrashing of the host Windsor Lancers.
With leading receiver Nate Behar out due to injury, defensive tackle Emmanuel Adusei and other players stepped up their game.
Adusei had a crucial interception early in the first quarter after the Ravens’ offence stalled in a big drive in Lancers’ territory.
“The quarterback got hit and Emmanuel made a nice play and caught the ball,” said head coach Steve Sumarah. “Kinda funny to see a 330-pound man make a catch like that.”
The Ravens’ offence came right back on the field and quarterback Jesse Mills connected on a touchdown pass to receiver Malcolm Carter for his first career Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) touchdown reception.
“It was definitely a great experience for me having all my teammates around me to celebrate,” Carter said.
Carter was not the only receiver to step up in Behar’s absence. Wilson Birch and Tyler Callahan also scored their first career CIS touchdowns.
“Coach was telling us all week that we needed to step up and play well,” Carter said.
Jahvari Bennett led the way on Carleton’s rushing attack, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
“Always good to be able to put the heat on the defence and mix it up so they don’t know if you’re going to run or pass,” Sumarah said.
This balance was especially important as the wind was blowing heavily all game. This did not seem to affect Carleton’s offence as Jesse Mills had a strong performance, throwing for 224 yards, before giving way to backup Jesse St. John in the third quarter.
“Jesse [Mills] had another game in a row where he really managed the game well and didn’t turn the ball over,” Sumarah said.
With a 37-0 lead at halftime, the Ravens were able to make wholesale substitutions on both sides of the ball.
Sumarah talked about the importance of being able to bring in some of the backups and younger guys early on, specifically at the quarterback position where there has been a great deal of attrition from last year’s team.
“It’s hugely important to get Jesse [St. John] live game experience, we were happy to get him in early in the third quarter today,” Sumarah said.
This is the Ravens’ second year in a row beating Windsor. They upset the Lancers last season in their homecoming game 21-18.
The Ravens will return to MNP Park for the homecoming game. They take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
