LONDON, Ont. - The No. 5 Western Mustangs (2-1) football team aspires to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they travel to face the Windsor Lancers (1-2) at the University of Windsor Stadium at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The game can be seen live on Rogers TV, Cable 13, at 7 p.m. in the London market. Two radio stations - CHRW 94.9 FM (online http://www.chrwradio.com/listen/) and Newstalk 1290, CJBK on the AM dial (http://www.cjbk.com) - will also carry the action. A live blog is available here.
GAME NOTES
With a record 8-2 in the past 10 meetings - winning the past six meetings - and a 42-9-1 record overall against Windsor, the Mustangs are the historical favourite in the matchup.
Western won the last meeting on Sept. 19, 2009, with a 60-7 decision in Windsor. The Mustangs won the meeting before that 58-5, and the meeting before that 49-0. In all that's a 167-12 margin in three games.
Impressive stuff.
But the disparity between the clubs this season also adds to a projected one-sided affair. So far this season, Western has put up 50, 19 and 46 points against three nationally ranked opponents in two wins in three weeks - an average of 38 points per game and total of 115 points .
That in itself is impressive.
But when you also factor in that the Mustangs have only allowed 40 points in those games against three nationally ranked teams, averaging just 13 points against per game, Windsor could be in for a long night.
The Lancers' offence has scored 47 points and surrendered 80 - but over half of their 47 points scored were against winless Toronto in a 26-17 Week 2 win. Windsor fell 40-7 to Queen's last week and 23-14 to Ottawa in Week 1.
With the No. 3 rush defence in the OUA and a healthy defensive unit overall, Western, now ranked No. 5 in the CIS, will be tough to beat. They will only miss defensive lineman Scott Fournier who is out recovering from finger surgery.
The Mustangs, despite all the stats, are wary of going into the game overconfident and have addressed it in practice this week.
"It's a big game, we need to continue to improve and get better," said Western Mustangs football head coach Greg Marshall. "We are young and have potential, we just need to take care of business and continue to work on our fundamentals."
The teams have a deep history and could have the potential for a rivalry based on geography. But the scorelines lately have made this matchup more of a dud.
Lancers head coach Mike Morencie, in his 12th season, said he would like to make the Mustangs-Lancers matchup to carry more interest and passion but said his squad needs to help "by winning once in a while."
It won't help that their starting quarterback, junior Sam Malian of LaSalle, Ont., is likely out of the lineup.
Morencie said Malian is day-to-day and will be a game time decision after suffering a concussion against Toronto in Week 2.
"He got the ok from the doctor, but he will be a game-time decision. Austin Kennedy will start if Sam can't go," Morencie said.
Kennedy, a rookie out of Windsor's Vincent Massey High School, will be facing a tough task. Fortunately, he has five fifth-year teammates - three on the offensive line - and four fourth-year teammates who know what to expect from Western.
Marshall is wary of the Lancers, noting the team has talent at skill positions.
"We need to avoid going into the game overconfident. We have to approach this game like every game," Marshall said. "Mike will have the Windsor guys playing hard, they will come strong out of the gate."
"If anyone's overconfident, they will get a wake up call. Windsor will play hard."
Western is coming off a 50-19 win over then No. 6 McMaster. It was a game in which Western dominated but rode the momentum of a big play to get there. Marshall said punter Darryl Wheeler's assist on a Beau Landry punt recovery turned the tide.
"That might have been the play against McMaster that changed the game in favour of us," he said.
Western struggled early against Windsor in the last meeting but found its rhythm quickly, paced by a star performance from running back Nathan Riva of LaSalle, Ont. Playing near his hometown, Riva has been lethal, including 212 all-purpose performance for five touchdowns in 2009. Without Riva in the lineup, Western will have to look to others for support.
One of those players is Donnie Marshall, whose mobility at quarterback caused problems for McMaster and Laurier. He will get the start at quarterback for Western.
"The game plan is for Donnie to move around, and move him outside of the pocket," Marshall said. "In order for our offence to be effective, Donnie has to run the football."
Western will also look to support from Jerimy Hipperson of St. Catharines, Ont., and Londoners Ben Roberts and Kenny Eansor at running back in a move-the-ball-by-committee approach. Another Londoner, Dan Duff, is one of the CIS's top fullbacks and can catch the ball out of the backfield.
The last time Windsor defeated Western was on Oct. 25, 2003, in a 21-18 upset over Western at TD Waterhouse Stadium in the OUA quarter-final.
NOTES: Three London area players on the Windsor 55 man roster - Matt Pham, #20, a junior running back from Wilfrid Laurier, Jordan Haugh, #42, a freshman defensive lineman from Oakridge, and senior offensive lineman Brandon Yohinicki from CCH.
Tale of the Tape
Overall Record: 42-9-1 for Western
Last 10 Meetings: Western has 8-2 advantage in past 10 meetings
2009 - Western 60 Windsor 7 - in Windsor
2008 - Western 58 Windsor 5 - in London
2007 - Western 49 Windsor 0 - in London
2006 - Western 20 Windsor 16 (OUA QF) - in Windsor / Western 28 Windsor 18 - in London
2005 - Did Not Play
2004 - Western 46 Windsor 14 - in London
2003 - Windsor 21 Western 18 (OUA QF) - in London / Windsor 25 Western 16 - in London
2002 - Western 65 Windsor 10 (OUA QF) - in London / Western 52 Windsor 5 - in London
