Linking the country: Rewind and fast-forward buttons take the Merc by storm

While you're recovering from the latest Fantuz Friday at Mosaic...

Football

• Shawn Olson has nice things to say about his running back, Dave Boyd, and Boyd's pass blocking. He's not just the reigning leading rusher in the conference! (Little Man on Campus)
  
  
• Guelph's home game against Queen's is the first meaningful game for the Gryphs this season, and they've been watching video to prepare. Is this a new invention, "video"? Clicking through will also teach you that Queen's has gained more yards passing than rushing. It's almost like passing plays involve throwing the ball downfield or something. (Guelph Mercury)
  
  
• Here's a much better preview from the Golden Gaels' point of view from AlwaysOUA's Chris Lund (that's MUBL Second-Last-Place-Finisher Chris Lund). And here's Justin Dunk's Guelph-centred take on the same game, which needs some proofreading but has the insight to make it readable.
  
  
• Ian Hamilton has an article about the Rams' Matt Yausie, their "spiritual leader" who has them all wear wristbands. Whatever works... (Regina Leader-Post)
  
  
• Despite having beaten the Lancers by at least seven touchdowns the last three times they've met, Greg Marshall is trying desperately to get his players to care about giving their all. Morris Dalla Costa suggests we look for trick plays from Windsor. (London Free Press)
  
  
• Sticking with Windsor, Greg Layson urges them to sit QB Sam Malian (post-concussion syndrome). Seconded. Lingering symptoms from concussions should raise thousands of red flags, and Malian has a post-football future to consider. (Big Man on Campus)
  
  
• Overlooked accomplishment from Alberta's win over Manitoba: the Bisons never got in the red zone. The Bears bring their 2-0 record into the 100th anniversary celebration game Saturday against Calgary. (Edmonton Sun)
  
  
• Despite the extra "not" in the lede, this is a good profile of Mounties defensive end Akwasi Antwi. (Try reading it without knowing that they got destroyed by Sherbrooke last night.) And Mount A might be 1-1 now, but they were undefeated and riding high a week ago, since it was their first 1-0 start in 11 years. The coach gave them last Sunday off after defeating St. F-X, and one does wonder what the team were up to, and how many bars they hit, that Saturday night after the big win. (Times & Transcript)
  
  
• Glen Constantin on Laval's place in CIS rankings: "I think it’s ridiculous that we’re No. 1 when we lose a fifth-year Hec Crighton quarterback and we dress 10 true freshmen. So for us this is a really tough road game against a talented, big, physical team." He also claims to know nothing about SMU QB Micah Brown. (The Chronicle-Herald)
  
  
• "Quarterback Erik Glavic will need a couple of weeks to rest his sprained knee, which has recently been fitted with a brace, and will then be re-evaluated." (Calgary Herald)
  
  
• Apparently, a "telling statistic" is McMaster's 92 points surrendered this year (highest in Ontario) along with Ottawa's offence second-highest (86). Putting aside the three-game sample size, perhaps this "bad defence, good offence" would be reversed had one school played Windsor and York instead of Queen's and Laurier. As for the rest of the article: numbers can tell a story, but only if you give them context. (Ottawa Citizen)

Hockey

• According to the OUA, the men's hockey season has already started, two weeks before it actually starts. Both of Brock's exhibition games now, apparently, count in the standings. Oops! (Big Man on Campus)
  
  
• Consider this a late addition to Five to Ponder: the McGill Martlets are in southwestern Ontario to play Laurier tonight, in what is likely a preview of one of the national championship games (McGill are sure to qualify and Laurier are hosting the March 2011 tournament). What else are you going to do in Waterloo on a Saturday night?, he asked, having spent approximately 200 Saturday nights there in the last five years. (The Record)
  
  
• UNB looked as good as they usually do against Alberta. The Bears had problems on the powerplay, going "1 for 10 with the man advantage [and] looking sloppy at times dealing with UNB's high pressure kill." (South Campus Sports)
  

Soccer

• From nearly being cut to a top-10 spot in the rankings (and 11th in the preliminary RPI I am not yet ready to publish). Not bad for the men's Dinos. (Calgary Herald)