Football POWs: Tucker, Reid, Liegghio take home Week 5 honours on the gridiron
Burlington, Ont. – Rasheed Tucker, Michael Reid, and Marc Liegghio have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Football Players of the Week for the period ending September 22, 2019.
Offensive Player of the Week – Rasheed Tucker, Queen’s Gaels
Going up against one of the best offences in the country, it is important that the counter punch is firing on all cylinders, and for the Queen’s Gaels, they can thank Rasheed Tucker for offering up the much-needed firepower in the Tricolour’s win over Toronto on Saturday.
Tucker continued his hot start to the season with a gigantic performance against Toronto with 28 carries for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Tucker was the best player on the field in Toronto, helping the Gaels move the ball throughout the game and gaining first downs in crucial situations, not to mention some critical points on the scoreboard in the high-scoring victory.
The second-year running back opened the game with a 34-yard gain and scored the Gaels first major with a seven-yard run. Tucker’s 10-yard touchdown run with six minutes left in the game, meanwhile, gave the Gaels a 37-24 lead, providing the team with a large enough margin to seal the victory over the No. 10 Varsity Blues.
Defensive Player of the Week – Michael Reid, Waterloo Warriors
Michael Reid was a one-man wrecking crew for the black and gold’s defence this weekend, consistently stifling the Ravens en route to Waterloo’s 10-point victory over Carleton.
Everywhere you turned on Saturday, Reid was there, as he racked up the tackles any chance he could. His active approach led to a game-high 13 solo tackles, including one for a nine-yard loss. The 13 tackles weren’t just a game high, but a single-game high for the season across the OUA. Reid’s lofty totals from Week 5 now have him second in the conference in total tackles with 35.0 and atop the leaderboard with 8.8 tackles per contest.
To round out his defensively dominant performance, the fourth-year linebacker also tallied one pass breakup, putting the cherry on top of his persistently disruptive efforts.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Marc Liegghio, Western Mustangs
In a battle that saw two of the conference’s top offences go head-to-head, the difference in the game came down to Marc Liegghio’s foot, and as has been the norm throughout his Western Mustangs career, the veteran kicker delivered.
In what proved to be the season’s most defensive battle, Liegghio was the difference for the reigning champs. Guelph stymied the typically potent Western offence, who came in averaging nearly 37 points per game, leaving the sure-footed Liegghio to provide all of the team’s points in Week 5. The fourth-year kicker connected on all three field goals he was called on to make, including a 23-yarder to open the scoring in the first quarter, a 27-yarder late in the opening half, and a 16-yard make early in the final frame to give the ‘Stangs a 9-3 win.
The 3-for-3 effort keeps Liegghio perfect on the season – now 10-for-10 overall – and his trio of trifectas kept the Mustangs’ undefeated streak going for yet another week in the tightly-contested Yates Cup rematch.
