Football | 9/5/2025 12:00:00 PM
The whole city will be watching.
All eyes will be on York Lions Stadium on Saturday as the York University Lions football team returns home to take on its oldest, fiercest rivals, the Toronto Varsity Blues, looking to maintain possession of the prized Argo Cup.
First donated in 1992 by the team that bears its name, the Argo Cup is presented to the winner of the annual Red & Blue Bowl between the Lions and Varsity Blues, with the Lions owning a 17-15 record in games with the Argo Cup on the line, including owning it for 12 straight seasons from 1996-2008.
Last year in this game, the Lions earned their stripes – literally – and the Argo Cup along with them. This year, however, has more than just bragging rights and a trophy on the line, and with both Toronto-based teams off to 1-1 starts for the first time since 2013, a game that always has plenty of storylines sees yet another layer added.
It's a matchup between a pair of teams that have been difficult to figure out through two weeks. All Toronto did in Week 1 is score 42 points and see Scott Barnett, in his first game taking over for veteran Clay Sequeira, throw for an OUA record 614 yards and toss four touchdowns. Getting overshadowed by Barnett's record-setting performance, Chris Joseph made 19 receptions for a whopping 310 yards – including a 107-yard touchdown – in what was a 42-23 win over Carleton.
They then dropped a heartbreaker to the Waterloo Warriors last week, when they were on the other side of an OUA record. After Jake Oseen scored a go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds left, rookie Warrior kicker Evan Astolfo nailed a record-breaking 57-yard game-tying field goal with no time left to send the game to overtime, where the Warriors eventually won.
On the other side, York also comes in at 1-1 after hanging on to beat the McMaster Marauders 31-24 in their opener thanks to Keagan Hall's 332-yard passing performance with four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). Then, in Week 2, the Lions dropped a 33-17 decision to the Ottawa Gee-Gees, albeit having lost without two key receivers in Avontae McKoy and Nicholas Adair, as well as two of the top three tacklers in the country last season, Peyton Ryder and Brody Clark.
All that to say, we have a pair of 1-1 teams that are difficult to place in the grand scheme of the OUA picture. It is possible these two teams are in the playoffs at the end of the season, while it's also possible that it's far too early to tell where these teams stack up in an uncharacteristically loaded OUA.
Whatever these two teams are, we should be in for a treat in the 55th annual Red & Blue Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm. You can get your tickets here, or watch the game live on OUA.tv.
