Lancers' Cotton: 'The only team that I feel like can beat us is us'
This one has a little bit of everything: two of the best quarterbacks in the country, a three-game win streak, and an unbeaten team in the conference.
The Windsor Lancers (4-2) head to Kingston Saturday to take on the Queen's Golden Gaels (5-0). Queen's is coming off a 41-30 win over Western.
"It's going to be a great test because we're going against the champs," Lancers head coach
J-P Circelli said.
All eyes will be on the quarterbacks.
Windsor's Kareame Cotton leads U Sports with 23 touchdown passes. That's eight more than anyone else in the country. He threw five of them last Saturday against York and broke Austin Kennedy's school record of 20 touchdown passes in a season.
"Any time you mention anyone's name with Austin Kennedy, he's royalty around here, so you're doing something right." Circelli said as he explained how Cotton has piled up those numbers while sitting out a lot of the second half in recent weeks.
"The last couple games, he's really only played, really a half or a half in a little bit," Circelli said.
Cotton says the record isn't what he's chasing.
"I knew the record, what it was, but I don't really care to break it. I'm just trying to win ballgames," Cotton said. "I'm trying to go all the way, you know?"
Queen's went all the way last season winning the Yates Cup. They have a gunslinger of its own. Alex Vreeken leads the country with 1,880 passing yards and 376 yards per game.
Cotton is right behind him, second in yards with 1,829 and third in yards per game at 304.8.
The North Little Rock Arkansas native has the edge in pass efficiency, where he's first in U Sports at 189.0. Vreeken is second at 182.5.
Lancers quarterbacks coach Jon Dent sees plenty of Kennedy in Cotton.
"I think they both have similar skill set in that they're extremely athletic and very gifted. You know, high football IQ," Dent told PowerplayWindsor.com. "With Austin, he had that real leadership quality that you want from quarterback. Really got the guys in the huddle to believe in him and you can see that similar trait with Kareame."
While he pleads the fifth on who is the better quarterback, Dent says Cotton is the engine of the offence.
"He's making the offense go right now," Dent said. "It's kind of a luxury you take for granted sometimes with a guy like that but he's stepped up to the challenge so far this season."
During the past two weekends against Toronto and York, the Lancers leaned on their depth and were able to heal up a bit.
"I don't think you're ever 100% healed up," he said. "I don't think any team is 100% healthy right now. We're going to be as good as we can be."
Cotton isn't changing his routine for the Gaels and is ready.
"I don't treat any opponent different," he said. "At the end of the day, the only team that I feel like can beat us is us."