Magnaye-Jones, Omonuwa, Kubongo named OUA football players of the week

Burlington, Ont. – Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, Brandon Omonuwa, and Daniel Kubongo have been named Canadian Football Perspective’s OUA Players of the Week for the semifinals.

Offensive Player of the Week – Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, Western

A security blanket in the receiving game for the Mustangs, Savaughn Magnaye-Jones was in fine form on Saturday once again as a popular target in the passing game.

The Magnaye-Jones connection with quarterback Evan Hillock has been front and centre this season once again, but perhaps no time was it more prominent than in the team’s 47-20 victory over Queen’s. Matching his season-best effort Week 2, the fifth-year senior hauled in 10 receptions on the day, picking up a personal best in 2023 with 128 yards. His 12.8 yards per catch not only helped Western consistently move the chains and apply pressure offensively, but he also added to the scoreboard himself. With a crucial 10-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter, the Hamilton, Ont. receiver put up the first points of the second half and extended Western’s lead to nine at the time.

Magnaye-Jones’ game-high production helped ensure his side would appear in their eighth straight Yates Cup championship, where the league’s third-leading receiver this year will hope to show off his sure-handed ways yet again.

Defensive Player of the Week – Brandon Omonuwa, Wilfrid Laurier

With the Laurier offence being held in check for much of their semifinal game with Windsor, the team’s defence needed to be at the top of their game, which Brandon Omonuwa sure was.

The daunting defensive lineman was putting in work on Saturday and factored into a number of plays throughout the game. He was part of eight tackles on the day – racking up three of his own, while assisting on five to bring his game total to 5.5. One of those takedowns also came for a loss, a pivotal play on Windsor’s attempted game-tying drive in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter. Faced with a Windsor team marching down the field and looking at a first down in the red zone, the criminology major from Toronto, Ont. stuffed quarterback Nick Dimovski’s rush attempt for a loss, and eventually, the turnover on downs.

The fifth-year senior will look for another standout effort for Laurier when they take on Western in Saturday’s Yates Cup.

Special Teams Player of the Week – Daniel Kubongo, Western

Much like he has on multiple other occasions this season, Daniel Kubongo made a big splash on special teams when his team needed a spark in their semifinal.

While he shone with a pair of punt return touchdowns during the regular season, the Calgary, Alta. product shone with a key kickoff play on Saturday. After Queen’s took the early lead off of a pick-six, Western was looking to respond in a big way, and Kubongo helped them do just that on the ensuing kickoff. The first-year King’s College student corralled the kick and took it back 97 yards for the major and the response.

That standout play on special teams helped keep the Mustangs and Gaels closely contested on the scoreboard through the first half before the hosts ultimately pulled away after the break. Kubongo, meanwhile, would wrap up his day with 117 yards on two kickoff returns – including his touchdown-scoring run – as well as three punt returns for 20 yards.