The Canadian brand of football truly is quarterback-driven and nowhere is that clearer than in Ontario. Every year, the province’s top signal callers end up in a position to win the Yates Cup and cement their chance at a national title. Today, no matter who’s in a team’s backfield or how many deep threats it boasts, without a top quarterback in the offence-first OUA, you just don’t win.
Last year, Guelph’s Jazz Lindsey and McMaster’s Kyle Quinlan were among the CIS’s best pivots when it came to protecting the football. Lindsey threw just four interceptions, Quinlan an unfathomable two. Both also finished second on their teams in rushing. Quinlan won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the country’s most outstanding player and also the OUA championship.
In 2011, Western’s Donnie Marshall led the nation in QB rushing yards—averaging 8.1 every time he took off—despite missing the final three games with a badly sprained ankle. Quinlan, who was suspended three games after an incident at a bar ended in assault charges (he later pled to a lesser charge and was given a one-year conditional sentence), led the nation in passing yards per game and was second in completion percentage. Despite both missing time, their teams met for provincial supremacy, thanks in large part to hot starts they spurred and depth at QB behind them.
In 2010, Ottawa’s Brad Sinopoli led the nation in passing and won the Hec Crighton. He took his team to the Yates Cup, where he faced off against Marshall, who was fourth in the conference in passing and third in rushing.
Keep looking back, the trend remains the same: Elite Ontario teams boast elite quarterbacks, and don’t expect this year to be any different. There is a clear line of differentiation at the top of the OUA. The most complete teams are the Queen’s Gaels, McMaster Marauders, Western Mustangs and the Guelph Gryphons. But it starts with the signal callers.
Billy McPhee of Queen’s has the strongest arm in the country. Now in his fourth year and with his entire receiving corps back, the pieces are in place for a big season. The Gaels delivered in Week 1, putting up 52 points. In Hamilton, Marshall Ferguson gets the keys to the McMaster offence for the first time. As Quinlan’s replacement in 2011, he was 3-0 and kept the Marauders on pace for their first Vanier Cup. Ferguson orchestrated a 51-point day in the season opener.
While filling in for Marshall, Western’s Will Finch led the Mustangs to an average of 42 points a game to finish the 2012 regular season. He topped that by throwing for more than 300 yards in each of his two playoff starts. Last week he threw for two scores and ran another in. Guelph’s Lindsey got out to a slower start this year as the Gryphons scored 21 points against Laurier. But with a full year as a starter under his belt and the bulk of his receivers returning, he’ll look to push the ball down field more than ever. For the record, he averaged seven yards per attempt last year.
The wild card this season is the Windsor Lancers. Across the board they lack the depth the Big 4 enjoy, but are extremely well coached and led by a talented—you guessed it—quarterback named Austin Kennedy who can steal a game with his arm and his legs. Hobbled by a knee injury a year ago, his threat as a runner was nullified, yet he still managed to lead the nation in passing yards and throw 19 touchdowns. He threw for six TDs and ran in another in a 78-11 walkover of Waterloo last week.
Many of the swing teams in the conference who will battle for the last playoff spot have hopes that hinge on how rapidly their quarterbacks mature. Laurier’s Julien John is a first-time starter in a new offence guided by Michael Faulds, who just happens to hold the CIS records for single-season and career passing yards. There isn’t a much better resource for a young QB than a young head coach who has played the position arguably better than anyone else in CIS history.
There’s also Ottawa’s Aaron Colbon, who spent much of the 2013 season shackled in the wishbone offence. But now that he’s been liberated by incoming head coach Jamie Barresi—a long-time CFL and NCAA offensive coach—he could find himself among the conference’s top passers.
If you want to win in fantasy football this fall, start at the running back position. If you want to predict who will win the Yates Cup—the oldest football trophy in North America—look no further than these quarterbacks. One will finish the 2013 season on top, likely whomever proves himself the best of the bunch. It’s just that with all that talent, it’s too early to predict who.