After the McMaster Marauders provided the Mustangs with their first regular season defeat since 2012 last weekend, on their home turf nonetheless, the purple and white will have a short week to regroup as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks this Thursday, October 9 at TD Stadium.

Last Saturday's action saw the Marauders put a stop to the Mustangs four game winning streak with a 32-29 McMaster victory, and in doing so, improve their regular season record to 6-0, tops in the OUA. For the Mustangs the recent defeat now gives the team a 4-1 record, putting them into a four-way tie with Guelph, Windsor, and Laurier for second place.

Despite the loss the Mustangs put up some strong performances, including the play of new Mustangs receiver Shaquille Johnson, who led the team with seven catches and 137 yards receiving with one touchdown.

The 2012 CIS rookie of the year is becoming an important part of the Mustangs offence, averaging 67.2 receiving yards per game so far this season. He also plays a key role in the return game, with 313 total return yards in only four games played.

Third-year quarterback Will Finch put up solid numbers despite facing heavy pressure from the Marauders defence as the Burlington, Ont., native connected on 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 279 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. He also led the team in rushing, carrying the ball 13 times for 86 yards and one rushing touchdown. Five games into the season Finch is third in the OUA with 274.6 passing yards per game, and is also third in both passing and rushing touchdowns with 10 and five respectively.

The Golden Hawks will enter this Saturday's contest coming off of a 27-10 victory over the York Lions last weekend, a victory that extended the team's current winning streak to three games, with the other two wins coming against Waterloo and Carleton.

Fourth-year running back Dillion Campbell continued to impress in last weekend's action as he became the fifth player in Laurier history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, as he totalled 1,021 yards after Saturday's victory. Campbell has been an outstanding offensive force this season, and last Saturday's game was no different for the St. Mary's, Ont., native as he led the Golden Hawks offence, rushing for 171 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. Campbell sits in the top spot in the CIS for both rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns with 204.2 and ten respectively.

While Thursday's contest is key for playoff positioning, it also carries special significance for the man patrolling the Laurier sidelines as it will be the first time he returns to his former stomping grounds as a head coach. Legendary Mustangs quarterback Michael Faulds will once again be on the turf at TD Stadium, however he'll be wearing a different shade of purple as head coach of the Golden Hawks. Midway through his second season with Laurier Faulds has already compiled a 5-8 record as the team's bench boss, taking the team from a 1-7 record last season to a 4-1 mark midway through 2014. There's no question that Faulds will have his team ready to go as they look to steal a win from the Mustangs under the bright lights at TD Stadium.

Game time for Thursday's matchup is set for 7 p.m. at TD Stadium. Fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv, on Rogers Cable 13 in London, or throughout Ontario on Rogers Sports Plus. Fans can also listen live on CHRW Radio, or on Newstalk 1290 CJBK with Tom McConnell and legendary Mustangs coach Larry Haylor calling all the action.