In case you missed it over the weekend, the Carleton Ravens football team won this year’s revived Panda Game against the rival Ottawa Gee-Gees in stunning fashion. Trailing the University of Ottawa team by four point with just five seconds remaining, Ravens quarterback Jesse Mills connected with wide receiver Nate Behar for an improbable 55-yard touchdown pass. Behar entered the endzone after the clock had expired, which is a legal play in football, to give the Ravens a beyond-last-second 33-31 win.
Players, staff, and fans of the Carleton University Ravens stormed the field at the new TD Place Stadium in celebration. The win gives the Ravens a 2-1 record for the year so far, while the Gee-Gees drop to 2-2 on the young season.
The 2014 victory allowed the Ravens to steal “Pedro the Panda,” mascot of the game, away from the University of Ottawa for the first time since 1994, though it should be mentioned the annual game was on hiatus between 1998 and 2013 due to the cancellation of the Ravens football program. Even with this year’s Ravens win, the Gee-Gees still hold a 33-13 overall advantage in the series which dates back to 1955.
If the seesaw action of the Panda Game inspired you to follow either team more closely, there is lots of football to come. Next Saturday, the Ravens visit the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, while the Gee-Gees travel to Toronto to take on the Varsity Blues.
