The York University Lions football team will travel to Ottawa this weekend to visit the 2-1 Ottawa Gee-Gees in Week 5 of the 2018 season.
 
Kick-off is set for 1pm at Gee-Gees Field and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
 
The Lions will be looking to bounce back from a lopsided loss last weekend against the number one ranked team in U SPORTS the Western Mustangs. York was behind the eight ball from the kick-off as they were playing without a number of key veterans, including wide receiver Colton Hunchak and fullback/tight end Nikola Kalinic who both missed the game with injuries. The loss was a set-back for the Lions, who went into the game riding high off a big win in Week 3 against the Windsor Lancers. They come into this week's game with a 1-3 record on the 2018 season and in need of a victory against the Gee-Gee's make move up the OUA standings and put themselves in a position to challenge for a playoff spot.
 
The Gee-Gee's will be well-rested after a Week 4 bye and will have had a full two weeks off since their last game came on Saturday Sept. 8. After opening the season with a 39-21 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks, the Gee-Gees bounced back with two straight wins over the McMaster Marauders and the Guelph Gryphons by scores of 18-11 and 12-10 respectively. The Lions high-powered offence will be challenged by the Ottawa defence, which is tied for third in the OUA in points per game allowed on the 2018 campaign. While their defence has been stout so far this season, the Gee-Gee's offence has struggled, averaging 17 points per game which ranks tenth in the OUA going into Week 5.
 
The two team's last met in Week 3 of the 2017 season in a close game that saw the Gee-Gee's win by a final score of 26-17. The Lions led 17-16 going into the final quarter before the Gee-Gee's picked up a late field goal and touchdown to clinch the victory. York had a successful day running the ball, as they picked up a season-high 204 rushing yards against the Ottawa defence, while wide receiver Kadeem Hemmings also had the best game of his York career during the matchup, catching a career-high eight passes for 83 yards.  
 
After beginning the season with second-year quarterback Alex Lavric as the starter, the Gee-Gee's went to rookie Sawyer Buettner when they were trailing McMaster in their Week 2 matchup. Buettner sparked the Ottawa offence and he went on to throw two fourth quarter touchdowns for the comeback win. The rookie held his own against the number ten ranked Gryphons the following week, completing 22 of 32 passes for 228 yards in leading the team to a close victory. With two wins in a row against tough competition the Gee-Gees were an honourable mention in this week's national rankings.
 
Despite the loss the Mustang's last week, the Lions played well in their first three games and appear to match up well against the Gee-Gee's. Lions quarterback Brett Hunchak should have all his offensive weapons back in the lineup this week and will be looking to build off his first three games of the year, that saw him throw for an average of 315 yards and five touchdown passes.  
 
After battling the Gee-Gee's the Lions will return home for their annual homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 29 when they will play host to the visiting Waterloo Warriors. Kick-off will take place at 5pm.