The Western Mustangs square off once again with their rivals just west of the 401. The game marks the first of a two game home stand for the ‘Stangs as they look to bounce back from a hard fought 18-11 defeat against Queen’s the weekend before. The Saturday September 22^nd clash features two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country in Donnie Marshall and Austin Kennedy and is also a rematch of the 2011 OUA semi-finals where Western eked out a 38-33 victory in beautiful sunny conditions surprising for early November. This year both teams are coming in with a record of 2-1 so this match up will have playoff implications.

The rivalry has heated up once again the past few years as Windsor has been able to keep some of the top talent to stay home including Austin Crumb who was an OVFL All Star with the Essex Ravens this past summer. With new Windsor coach Joe d’Amore getting the interim tag taken off his title, the stability in the program has translated into consistency in terms of wins.

There is some cross over between these two programs with players from both regions suiting up for both teams. Fifth-year Mustang centre Greg Willson left Windsor to become a Mustang as did one of his other brothers George before he donned the Windsor Blue and Gold.  Wide receiver Josh Woodman is another one of the Windsor region players that the Mustangs were able to get, and Woodman is from the Chatham area where Andy Fantuz hails from.  On the defensive side of the ball linebacker Pawel Kruba and defensive back Aaron Handsor both hail from the Rose City.

The Lancers feature three Londoners on the roster including former Western running back Kenny Eansor who hails from St. Thomas Aquinas. Windsor’s starting linebacker John Moynahan spent his first season as a Mustang before heading back home.

Western looks to get their offense back on track this week as they look to get in the end zone with the same frequency they started the season with. The defence is still one of the best in the nation and did most of the scoring against Queen’s as Kruba returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter. The ‘Stangs will look to stop one of the top offences in the country as the Lancers have put up fifty plus points in two of their three contests this season.  Western looks to limit quarterback Austin Kennedy who was a Second Team OUA All Star last year and receiver, and Hamilton Tiger-Cat camp invitee, Jordan Brescacin.
  
The Mustangs feature one of the top running attacks in the nation as second-year running back Garret Sanvido leads the CIS in rushing with 377 yards and freshman Yannick Harou isn’t far behind with 210 yards on the ground, and both are averaging just under seven yards a carry.

The aerial attack looks to get back on track this week versus a quick Windsor defense. Western has a variety of weapons such as fourth-year speedster Andrew Thibaudeau who made some bone crushing blocks in the late stages of the game in Kingston last weekend.  The Mustangs look to get Justin Sanvido, Matt Uren and veteran receiver Brian Marshall more involved as they head into game two of a key four game stretch.

Even though Windsor lost to Guelph they have the ability to put up points in bunches as they beat Ottawa 63-18 in their season opener and routed the University of Toronto by a count of 55-4 at varsity Stadium. This is the Lancers first regular season visit to Western since 2008 where the Mustangs in front of a homecoming sellout beat up the Lancers by a score of 65-3. The Mustangs will look to use home field as an advantage where they have only lost two contests both regular season and playoffs.

The game will provide fans with another opportunity to see a squad that features a mix of veteran leadership and talented recruits. Quarterback Donnie Marshall who is in his fifth and final season at the helm looks to bring the Mustangs back to the Vanier Cup for the first time since 2008. Freshman quarterback Will Finch has started to look more comfortable showing the arm strength and poise that made him the number one recruit in the nation. The offensive line is anchored by fifth-year centre Greg Willson and former defensive tackle Mike Van Praet who was in training camp with the Toronto Argos. With the comeback of big left tackle Shane Bergman who stands at 6’7 and 350lbs look for the play of the line to be one of the keys to victory.

 The Western defence is headed by new defensive coordinator Dennis McPhee and boasts one of the most talented front sevens in all the CIS.  Through three games this season the defence has been making it difficult for offences to do much of anything. Third-year starter Brent Wheeler, sophomore Daryl Waud and Boise State transfer Rory Connop have been hassling opposing quarterbacks, and the defence as a whole has racked up 15 sacks, the second most in Canada. Kruba, Hamilton native Sean Blake, and third-year All-Canadian Beau Landry have been all over the field making their presence felt as a linebacking corps. Look for some of these players to make a big impact this weekend as the battle of the bridge will have a playoff like atmosphere to the affair and will be one worth watching.