A strong second half would not be enough as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team fell 31-24 to the Concordia Stingers in exhibition action on Friday, August 24 at Concordia Stadium.

Down 14-0 at the half, the Blues exploded for 17 points in the third quarter, thanks in large part to rookie running back Ashton Nelson. The Brampton, Ont., native amassed 72 of his game-high 94 rushing yards to set up two one-yard Stephan Boroniec (Mississauga, Ont.) rushing touchdowns and a 25-yard field goal by veteran kicker and Toronto native Andrew Lomasney.

Toronto’s rookie quarterback Chris Jugovic of Burlington, Ont., had a solid showing in his first game in the Blue and White, going 8-of-16 for 160 yards and one touchdown on the day. Third-year veterans Paul de Pass (Ajax, Ont.) and Alex Pierzchalski (London, Ont.) led the team with 78 and 90 receiving yards, respectively.

Everton Williams led U of T’s defence with 4.5 tackles and a sack, while Larry Broni and Dylan Howes eached added 3.5 tackles in the loss.

With Toronto leading 17-14 heading into the final quarter, the home team mounted a rally as Stingers quarterback Troy McCusker connected on a 58-yard strike to Matthew Harrington for the major.

Jugovic put the Blues back on top, capping off a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to de Pass. Toronto led 24-21 with 2:36 remaining.

Concordia would regain the lead good when Stingers Mikael Charland forced a fumble and Taylor Cook ran it 11 yards into the end zone. The Stingers added a 31-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to round out the scoring.

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