It’s minor football night at Varsity Centre as the Varsity Blues football team looks for their first win of the 2009 regular season when they host the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, September 25.

Led by third-year quarterback Andrew Gillis (Markham, Ont.), Toronto has taken huge strides and made some significant offensive adjustments since their first game of the season, a 36-0 loss to the No. 8 Laurier Golden Hawks.

The Blues have bettered themselves in many areas and were rewarded with three touchdowns in last Friday’s 53-25 loss to the Guelph Gryphons (Sept. 18). Things are looking up for U of T football but head coach Greg DeLaval knows there’s still a lot of focus and discipline needed in order to be successful in the OUA.

“Our guys need to compete for four quarters,” said the second-year bench boss. “The keys for us Friday are to control the ball, stop their running game and play our game for 60 minutes.” Jokingly he added; “it wouldn’t hurt us if they got a little tired from their trip to Toronto.”

Named the Varsity Blues athlete of the week, Gillis was 13-of-26 for 155 yards in the air and had a team-high 93 yards on the ground as Toronto held the Guelph within their grasps for the first three quarters of play. The geography major also leads the Blues in overall rushing yards with 126 yards in 26 carries.

Third-year slotback Drew Meerveld (Guelph, Ont.) leads Toronto with 225 receiving yards including a career-high 141 yards in game three. Belleville, Ont. native Jonathan Wright has made six receptions for 153 yards, including a beautiful 64-yard touchdown reception in last week’s loss to Guelph.

Second-year linebacker Wilkerson DeSouza (Mississauga, Ont.) leads the Blues defence and is tied for fourth in the OUA with an impressive 19 solo tackles and one sack.

The Gee-Gees come into this game with a 1-2 record. Their lone victory came in week two - a 45-11 decision over the Waterloo Warriors (Sept. 12). Ottawa is led by third-year quarterback Bradley Sinopoli (Peterborough, Ont.) who is ranked third in the OUA with 732 yards and two touchdowns.

First-year running back Jordan Wilson-Ross (Allison, Ont.) has had an impressive start to his rookie season, leading the Gee-Gees with 426 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Receivers Stephen Hughes (Ottawa) and Cyril Adjeitey (Ghana) have also posted top numbers in the first three games on the season. Hughes has made 12 receptions for at total of 206 yards, while Adjeitey has 195 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

U of T will also be celebrating future football Blues as we host minor football night on Friday. We welcome halftime guests – the Atom-aged Mississauga Warriors and the Ajax/Pickering Dolphins.

For additional ticket information, please visit http://www.varsityblues.ca or http://www.ticketbreak.com

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca