STAR PLAYERS LOOKING TO LEAVE THEIR MARK ON 2007 SEASON

OTTAWA (CIS) – Now that a majority of CIS football teams have reached the midway point of the regular season, it appears that a number of CIS and conference records are in danger of falling.

At the top of the list is Windsor’s Daryl Stephenson’s well-publicized chase of the OUA and CIS career rushing marks. Going into Saturday’s Windsor-Western duel, the fourth-year Lancer running back needs only 60 yards on the ground to eclipse Jesse Lumsden’s OUA career record of 4,138.

Interestingly enough, tomorrow’s match-up will be the 29th conference outing of Stephenson’s career, the same number of games Lumsden played in his four seasons at McMaster.

Here is a look at some CIS football players to keep an eye on this weekend and until the end of the season.

SINGLE-SEASON SCORING

With 63 points in four games, Ottawa kicker Ara Tchobanian is on pace for 126 for the year, which would tie him for fourth place on the CIS single-season list. The CIS mark of 150 points set in 1967 by StFX’s Paul Brule seems safe for the moment.

The 120 Club

150 Paul Brule, StFX, 1967
148 Neil Lumsden, Ottawa, 1975
144 Mike Murphy, Ottawa, 1976
126 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2004
120 Paul Brule, StFX, 1966
120 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster, 2000
120 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2003

SINGLE-SEASON FIELD GOALS

Tchobanian is one of three players within range of CIS and conference single-season records for field goals made, along with Alberta’s Hugh O’Neill and Manitoba’s Scott Dixon. Tchobanian has split the uprights 14 times thus far this fall, while O’Neill and Dixon have done so 13 and 11 times, respectively. All have four more games to add to their totals.

Former Manitoba Bison Jamie Boreham set the CIS and Canada West marks of 23 field goals back in 2001. The OUA record of 22 was established in 2003 by McMaster’s Michael Ray.

The 20 FG Club

23 Jamie Boreham, Manitoba, 2001
22 Jamie Boreham, Manitoba, 2002
22 Michael Ray, McMaster, 2003
21 Jim Direnzo, Acadia, 1981
21 Arek Bigos, Waterloo, 1997
20 Jeff Crews, Western, 1985
20 Frank Jagas, Western, 1993
20 Derek Livingstone, McMaster, 1999
20 Warren Kean, Concordia, 2006

CAREER ALL-PURPOSE TOUCHDOWNS

Four running backs enter the weekend in the Top 20 on the CIS career all-purpose touchdown list (rushing, receiving, returns): Western’s Randy McAuley (34), Windsor’s Daryl Stephenson (32), UBC’s Chris Ciezki (32) and Laval’s Pierre-Luc Yao (31).

McAuley is currently tied for ninth on the CIS all-time list and sixth on the OUA list. His next target is former Mustang Tim Tindale (36). The CIS career record of 51 was set by Brule from 1964-67, while the OUA mark of 47 was set by Lumsden from 2001-04.

Yao is only one off the Quebec conference record of 32 set by Ottawa’s Phil Côté from 1996-00.

CIS career all-purpose TD leaders

51 Paul Brule, StFX, 1964-67
48 Dominic Zagari, Manitoba, 1991-95
47 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2001-04
41 Mike Bradley, Waterloo, 1997-01
41 Andy Fantuz, Western, 2002-05
40 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster, 1998-02
37 Luis Perez, Saint Mary’s, 1997-01
36 Tim Tindale, Western, 1990-93

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

McAuley (32), Stephenson (30), Ciezki (29) and Yao (27) are also among the CIS career leaders in rushing touchdowns. McAuley is currently tied for ninth on the CIS list, two rushing majors behind Tindale and another former Mustang, Sean Reade.

CIS career rushing TD leaders

49 Paul Brule, StFX, 1964-67
46 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2001-04
39 Dominic Zagari, Manitoba, 1991-95
38 Mike Bradley, Waterloo, 1997-01
36 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster, 1998-02
35 Luis Perez, Saint Mary’s, 1997-01
34 Tim Tindale, Western, 1990-93
34 Sean Reade, Western, 1992-96

SINGLE-SEASON ALL-PURPOSE TOUCHDOWNS

With a CIS-leading nine all-purpose touchdowns (7 rushing, 2 receiving) at the midway point of the campaign, Queen’s fullback Mike Giffin has an outside chance at joining only three players in CIS history who reached the end zone at least 20 times in a single season: Brule (25 in 1967, 20 in 1966) and Lumsden (21 in 2004, 20 in 2003) both did it twice, while McMaster’s Kojo Aidoo (20 in 2000) achieved the feat once.

Giffin is in a race for the CIS all-purpose touchdown crown with Laurier running back Ryan Lynch, who has eight majors going into the weekend, all on the ground.

The 20 TD Club

25 Paul Brule, StFX, 1967
21 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2004
20 Paul Brule, StFX, 1966
20 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster, 2000
20 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2003

CAREER RUSHING YARDS

Here is where Stephenson stands on the CIS career rushing yards list going into the weekend:

4738 Dominic Zagari, Manitoba, 1991-95 (37 GP)
4666 Éric Lapointe, Mount Allison, 1995-98 (28 GP)
4138 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2001-04 (29 GP)
4086 Doug Rozon, Saskatchewan, 1995-99
4080 Daryl Stephenson, Windsor, 2004-07 (28 GP)

SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING YARDS

Currently leading all CIS running backs with 698 yards on the ground in four games, Lynch is one of three players currently on pace to crack the CIS single-season Top 10. Lynch’s projected total of 1396 yards would be good for sixth on the all-time list. Lumsden set the CIS and OUA season marks of 1816 yards in 2004.

Not far behind Lynch, Calgary’s Anthony Woodson (551 yards in 3 games) is on pace for 1363 rushing yards and Bishop’s Jamall Lee (503 yards in 3 games) for 1342. Woodson could threaten the Canada West record of 1415 set by UBC’s Akbal Singh in 1999, while Lee is well on his way to shatter the Quebec record of 1050 set by former Gaiter Larry Smith back in 1969.

CIS Top 10 single-season rushing yards

1816 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2004
1619 Éric Lapointe, Mount Allison, 1996
1515 Éric Lapointe, Mount Allison, 1998
1497 Jesse Lumsden, McMaster, 2003
1415 Akbal Singh, UBC, 1999
1377 Akbal Singh, UBC, 1998
1367 Andre Durie, York, 2004
1329 Kojo Aidoo, McMaster, 2000
1306 Daryl Stephenson, Windsor, 2005
1275 Jarrett Smith, Waterloo, 1997

SINGLE-SEASON PASSING YARDS

A trio of quarterbacks are vying to join a select group of eight players who passed for 2,500 yards in a season in CIS history. McGill’s Matt Connell (314), Western’s Michael Faulds (310.25) and Acadia’s Keith Lockwood (307) all average over 300 passing yards per game since the start of the campaign.

With 942 yards in three outings, Connell is on pace for 2,512, which would surpass the Quebec single-season record of 2,422 set last year by Laval’s Benoit Groulx. Faulds, who currently leads the nation with 1241 passing yards in four contests is on pace for 2,482, while Lockwood (921 in 3 games) his on his way to a 2,456-yard tally, which would leave him 95 yards short of the AUFC mark established in 1995 by Acadia’s Larry Jusdanis (2,551).

The 2,500 Club

3001 Tommy Denison, Queen’s, 2002
2907 Tommy Denison, Queen’s, 2003
2823 Greg Vavra, Calgary, 1983
2806 Chris Hessel, Western, 2002
2656 Dan Feraday, Toronto, 1981
2619 Teale Orban, Regina, 2006
2551 Larry Jusdanis, Acadia, 1995
2549 Steve Bilan, Saskatchewan, 2004

SINGLE-SEASON RECEPTIONS

Regina’s Chad Goldie has already caught 27 passes in only three outings in 2007. At that pace of nine catches per game, he will end the campaign with 72 receptions, leaving in the dust the CIS single-season record of 63 set by Queen’s Craig Spear in 2003, and the Canada West mark of 59 set by Calgary’s Josh Borger in 1983.

Laval freshman Julian Feoli Gudino and McGill’s Charles-Antoine Sinotte, who both have 23 catches in three games, are on pace to haul in 61 balls apiece (61.33), which would be good for second place on the current CIS single-season list and would eclipse the Quebec conference record of 60 set in 1982 by Ottawa’ Don Burns.

CIS Top 5 single-season receptions

63 Craig Spear, Queen’s, 2003
60 Don Burns, Ottawa, 1982
60 Frank Marof, Guelph, 1991
59 Josh Borger, Calgary, 1983
58 Brian Fryer, Alberta, 1974
58 Jock Climie, Queen’s, 1988

(Source: Michel Belanger, Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Manager of Communications)