The University of Windsor Lancers football team held off a furious late comeback from the Ottawa Gee-Gees on the afternoon of Saturday, October 11 to earn a vital 30-24 road victory at Gee-Gees Field in Ottawa, Ont.
 

STATS 
Weagbe Mombo led the Lancer offense with 142 rushing yards on just nine carries, averaging 15.8 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown. Quarterback Nick Dimovski completed 11 of 16 passes for 134 yards while rushing for 21 yards and a touchdown. Braxton Johnson recorded three sacks, while Istvan Assibo-Dadzie, Dylan Simpson, and Kevin Rakowska each grabbed an interception to cap off a strong all-around team performance. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
On the Lancers very first offensive play, Weagbe Mombo broke loose for a 20-yard gain, setting the tone for a strong game by the fourth-year running back. Ottawa's defense prevented any further advancement, as Nicolas Dion picked off a Nick Dimovski pass. Capitalizing on the turnover, Gee-Gees quarterback Josh Janssen led a composed drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Noah Avery. Windsor responded quickly as Dimovski found Tyriq Quayson for a big gain deep into Ottawa territory. Kicker Brady Lidster put the Lancers on the board with a field goal to make it 7–3. After a defensive stand and a solid run from Mombo, Windsor drove into Ottawa territory and again settled for a field goal, with Lidster nailing the 48-yarder to cut the lead to 7–6.

The game changed in the Lancers favour on a tremendous defensive play with under a minute left in the quarter. Zach Talbot blocked a Gee-Gees punt and recovered it in the end zone for a momentum-shifting touchdown. With the convert, Windsor took a 13–7 lead heading into the second quarter. 

The Lancers carried this momentum into the second quarter, as Dimovski continued to showcase his dual-threat ability. After converting on third-and-short, Mombo exploded through the middle for a long touchdown run, extending the lead to 20–7. Ottawa attempted to claw back, but the drive ended in disaster when Windsor linebacker Dylan Simpson registered a key sack and forced a fumble, swinging possession back to Windsor. The Lancer defense continued to press, forcing another turnover shortly after, with Istvan Assibo-Dadzie picking off Janssen and returning it deep into Gee-Gees territory. The Lancers capitalized this time, with Dimovski running into the endzone himself on a roll-out play from the seven-yard line, giving the Lancers a commanding 27–7 lead heading into halftime. 

Ottawa began the second half with urgency, driving into the red zone. But a timely pass breakup from Curtis Kendel forced them to settle for a field goal attempt, which they missed—failing to cut into the deficit. A blocked punt gave the Gee-Gees excellent field position, but Windsor's defense held firm, forcing Ottawa to settle for a rouge to make it 27–8. On the next drive, Lidster delivered again with his third field goal of the game to stretch the lead to 30–8 at the end of the third quarter.

Despite the lopsided score, the Gee-Gees did not go quietly. Janssen marched his team downfield, connecting with Derrick Garraud-Boucard and Tristan Gilbert-Thibault on key plays. The Gee-Gees finally broke through on leaping touchdown by Riley Hilderbrant, narrowing the score to 30–17 with just four minutes remaining. After another Windsor punt, Janssen connected with Robin Collioud for a massive gain of over 30 yards and moved Ottawa into scoring range once again.

With under a minute to go, Janssen found Garraud-Boucard on the right side for another touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 30–24 after the extra point. The Gee-Gees onside kick was recovered by Ottawa, giving them a stunning chance to tie or win the game. With under 30 seconds left, Janssen hit Garraud-Boucard for a first down, putting the Gee-Gees close to the Lancer endzone. Windsor's defense came up big on the next play, tipping a pass that was intercepted by Kevin Rakowska, sealing the win for the Lancers in the final seconds.  

UP NEXT
With a nail-biting and tense finish, the Lancers will be thrilled to walk out of Ottawa with a huge 30–24 win as they improve to 4–3 on the season. Windsor closes out the regular season back in eastern Ontario as they will face the Queen's Gaels in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday, October 18, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. The game can be streamed live on oua.tv.