O’Donoghue, Springer, Garrity named OUA football players of the week
Burlington, Ont. – Kaleb O’Donoghue, Robert Springer, and Brian Garrity have been named the Canadian Football Perspective’s OUA Players of the Week for Week 1.
Offensive Player of the Week - Kaleb O’Donoghue, Toronto
In his OUA debut, O’ Donoghue, the Whitby, Ont. native, completed 19 of his 27 passes for 268 yards to capture the 31-29 Week 1 victory over the Waterloo Warriors.
After teammate Garrett Ellis scampered for a 58-yard run, the first-year quarterback notched his first career touchdown as a Blue, diving into the end zone for a six-yard rushing major. The kinesiology student then turned to the air for his first career passing touchdown, connecting with receiver Chris Joseph, who sprinted for the end zone. Late in the fourth quarter, O’Donoghue found Joseph again as the receiver out manoeuvred the Waterloo defence to score the major.
After his shining Week 1 performance, O’Donoghue has grabbed the early lead in passing across the OUA.
Defensive Player of the Week - Robert Springer, Windsor
Springer had a superb start to his 2024 season. The defensive back led the Windsor Lancers to a thrilling 25-21 victory over the Queen’s Gaels on the opening day of OUA football action thanks to his hat-trick of picks.
The Little Rock, AR product wowed the home crowd with three interceptions. Springer stood tallest in the fourth frame, catching two of Alex Vreeken’s passes early in the quarter to stop the Gaels momentum in Lancer territory. His final pick of the match came in the dying seconds of the game to solidify the win for Windsor in Week 1.
The fourth-year human kinetics student had 27-yards off his three interceptions and added three tackles, one solo and two assisted to his stat line.
Special Teams Player of the Week - Brian Garrity, Western
Much like he did in his MVP showing at the 115th Yates Cup, Garrity’s performance was a highlight for the Western Mustangs in their 38-11 win over Ottawa on Sunday afternoon.
The London, Ont. local secured the first points of the season for the Mustangs, knocking down an 11-yard field goal two minutes into the game. Garrity netted three additional kicks in the second quarter to give Western the 19-10 lead at the half. Two more makes in the second half helped cap off the kicker’s busy day, with his longest makes coming from 39 yards out.
The fifth-year education student finished five-for-six on field goals and a perfect three-for-three on extra points to total 18 points in the outing.
