FRC - CIS football players of the week (#12): Thomas Erlington, Rush, van Gylswyk honoured

OTTAWA (CIS) – Montreal running back Sean Thomas Erlington, Guelph linebacker John Rush and UBC kicker Quinn van Gylswyk are the CIS football players of the week for the period ending Nov. 14, 2015.

Thomas Erlington, a third-year physical and health education student from Montreal, was honoured on offence thanks to his game-MVP performance in a thrilling 18-16 Dunsmore Cup win over Laval, last Saturday in Quebec City. The 5-foot-9, 210-pound veteran rushed for 199 yards on 19 carries for a stellar 10.5-yard average against the second-best run defence in the country, including a 38-yard run that led to a touchdown in the third quarter and a key 54-yarder in the fourth stanza. The reigning Vanier Cup champion Carabins (8-2) visit the Guelph Gryphons (9-1) Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Mitchell Bowl (Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports & CIS-SIC.tv).

St. Francis Xavier running back Ashton Dickson, Guelph running back Johnny Augustine and Calgary quarterback Andrew Buckley were also up for the award.

Rush, a fifth-year marketing management major from Niagara Falls, Ont., took home the award on defence after he helped shut down the highest-scoring offence in CIS football history in a 23-17 Yates Cup victory against Western, Saturday in London. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior, who took home the Dalt White Trophy as game MVP, racked up a remarkable 12 tackles and three quarterback sacks as Guelph held the previously undefeated Mustangs to a field goal in the last 36 minutes of the contest. The Mitchell Bowl will be the first national semifinal on campus since 1984 for the Gryphons, crowned OUA champions for the first time since 1996.

StFX lineman Kay Okafor, Montreal linebacker Maïko Zepeda and UBC safety Taylor Loffler were also nominated.

Van Gylswyk, a third-year arts student from Victoria, was the choice on special teams for the second straight week after he was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals and averaged 49.1 yards per punt in UBC's stunning 34-26 Hardy Cup triumph over the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Dinos, Saturday in Calgary. The 6-foot-4 veteran, who accounted for 16 of his team's points, split the uprights from 27, 21, 46 and 30 yards out, with his last kick giving the Thunderbirds an eight-point cushion with 55 seconds remaining in regulation. The T-Birds (8-2), Canada West champs for the first time since 1997, travel to Antigonish, N.S., this week to face the StFX X-Men (7-3) Saturday at 5 p.m. AST (4 p.m. EST) in the Uteck Bowl (Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports & CIS-SIC.tv).

StFX kicker Jonathan Heidebrecht, Montreal defensive lineman Junior Luke and Guelph kicker Gabriel Ferraro were the other nominees.

Offensive nominees:
AUS: Ashton Dickson, running back, StFX
RSEQ: Sean Thomas Erlington, running back, Montreal (recipient)
OUA: Johnny Augustine, running back, Guelph
CWUAA: Andrew Buckley, quarterback, Calgary

Defensive nominees:
AUS: Kay Okafor, lineman, StFX
RSEQ: Maïko Zepeda, linebacker, Montreal
OUA: John Rush, linebacker, Guelph (recipient)
CWUAA: Taylor Loffler, safety, UBC

Special team nominees:
AUS: Jonathan Heidebrecht, kicker, StFX
RSEQ: Junior Luke, defensive lineman, Montreal
OUA: Gabriel Ferraro, kicker, Guelph
CWUAA: Quinn van Gylswyk, kicker, UBC (recipient)

WEEK 13 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

November 21 (CIS semifinals: Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports & CIS-SIC.tv)
12:00 EST Pre-Game Show on Sportsnet 360
12:30 EST ArcelorMittal Dofasco Mitchell Bowl: No. 4 Montreal (8-2) at No. 5 Guelph (9-1)
17:00 AST Uteck Bowl: No. 6 UBC (8-2) at StFX (7-3)

About Football Reporters of Canada

Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958, Football Reporters of Canada has been an organization of media members who have covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the league's outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC) to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with amateur and college football. FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines and working conditions for the men and women who report on the game. Selected members of FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.