STE. FOY – Que. – The Western Mustangs lost 27-0 to the Laval Rouge et Or in a preseason exhibition game at PEPS Stadium in Ste. Foy, Que., on Aug. 30, in front of just over 9,000 fans.
STATS
Western, ranked No. 2 in the CIS in the preseason rankings, trailed 10-0 at the half but only gave up three points with starters playing starters, a sign re-assuring for Mustangs fans, players and the coaching staff.
"Overall, I thought we did a pretty goo job, the young kids did well and our starting defence held Benoit Groulx and Laval's starters to three points," said Western head coach Greg Marshall. "We gave up the ball and did not capitalize in their end. We'd have the ball deep and have it picked off or commit a penalty."
Western committed 15 penalties for 157 yards and committed both of the game's turnovers on Faulds first-half interceptions.
Marshall said the offensive line, which was without starting guard Matthew Norman for most of the game, needs to improve with pass protection in the season.
"We didn't give enough time for Michael (Faulds) to throw the ball. We were just not consistent and we didn't protect well enough," Marshall said. "We had bad timing on key plays... Michael threw the ball well overall but just didn't have the time he needed."
Faulds (Eden Mills, Ont.) finished 16/25 for 254 yards, with Ryan Tremblay (London, Ont.) wleading the Mustangs with 102 all-purpose yards (59 yards on two receptions, 43 yards on kickoff returns).
Laval's Benoit Groulx was 12/15 for 119 yards, while second-string Rouge et Or quarterback Cesar Hernandez-Sanchez was 9/13 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Laliberte led the Laval defence with a pair of interceptions.
On defence, John Surla (Niagara Falls, Ont.) led the Mustangs with 7.5 tackles.
Marshall said he was pleased with the defensive performance in the opening half and with his receiving corps.
"Our defensive line did a really good job up front," Marshall said. "And you have to remember, their guys have been playing for two weeks where our guys have only been going at this for five days. It makes a difference, especially for the younger guys."
When the second-string players came into play, Marshall said that's when the game went from a defensive stalemate to tilt in Laval's favour.
"They scored their touchdowns and most of their points when it was their back-ups against our back-ups," Marshall said. "Their back-ups are way better."
After Jonathan Laliberte intercepted a Faulds pass, Laval kicker Christopher Milo opened the scoring with a 14-yard field goal in the first quarter, the only points in the first 29 minutes of the game.
With only 17 seconds left in the second quarter, Laval's Mathieu Bouvert caught a Hernandez-Sanchez pass for a touchdown to make it 10-0 Laval going into halftime.
Then, at the start of the fourth quarter, with many of starters on both teams on the sideline and those fighting for roster spots in the game, Laval running back Guillaume Senecal ran in a Sanchez 28-yard pass to make it 17-0.
Alexandre Edme added a fourth-quarter touchdown from 13 yards out to seal the victory, increasing the margin to 27 points after Milo added six points of his own on three rouges and a 25-yard field goal earlier in the quarter.
"The trip was good, the players enjoyed it," Marshall said. "We have to make sure we have a productive day (Monday) and break down the film and get better... it's just a long way home."
London, Ont., native and sophomore receiver Nick Pasic had four catches for 62 yards to lead the Mustangs, while Waterloo-transfer receiver Josh Svec (Blenheim, Ont.) had three catches for 71 yards.
Laval has now won the past three preseason games against Western (20-2 in 2007, 37-9 in 2008) and the first two times they went on to win the Vanier Cup. The Rouge et Or host the 2009 Vanier Cup on Saturday Nov. 28 at PEPS Stadium. They will have to win the Quebec conference and Mitchell Bowl in order to play in it.
The Mustangs open the 2009 OUA regular season on the road against the Ottawa Gee-Gees in a rematch of the 2008 Yates Cup won by Western. The game will be played at Frank Clair Stadium at 5 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 6. Western’s home opener is on Saturday Sept. 12 when the Mustangs host the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks at 1 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium. For tickets, visit westernmustangs.ca or call 519 661.4077.
BOX SCORE
Western Mustangs.... 0 0 0 0 - 0
Laval Rouge et Or... 3 7 0 17 - 27
NOTES: Mustangs rookie Da'shawn Thomas and sophomore Nathan Riva carried the bulk of Western's rushing attempts... Aaron Handsor was highly praised on the French radio broadcast by CHYZ (94.3 FM), while Mike Spence and Sean Blake were also getting lots of radio mentions.
