The opportunity to compete for the Yates Cup will be on the line as the Laurier Golden Hawks visit the Western Mustangs in an OUA Football Semi-Final on Saturday afternoon at TD Stadium.
 
The Mustangs have been building towards the playoffs the entire season and seem to be peaking at the right time, as head coach Greg Marshall has said that the last two games have been two of the team's best games, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
 
Western has strung together one of the finest regular seasons in the history of Canadian university football scoring a CIS record 494 points on their way to a perfect 8-0 record and the top spot in the OUA standings.
 
The purple and white have been led all season by their record breaking offence, scoring no less than 46 points in a single game. Fourth year quarterback Will Finch has been stellar all year, throwing for 2,616 yards with 17 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Breakout running back Alex Taylor has led a dynamic group that has been dominant all season. Taylor has rushed for 1,068 yards, the second highest single season total in Western history, and scored 12 touchdowns, while Yannick Harou has been leaned on in short yardage situations, and lead the CIS in rushing touchdowns with 13.
 
The receiving corps has been wide open all year. The offensive line, led by All-Canadians Eddie Meredith and Sean Jamieson, has given Finch ample time to find receivers down the field and his decision making has made life easy for his group of wide outs. Nineteen different Mustangs have recorded at least one reception this season, with Matt Uren leading the way with 35 catches and 553 yards, while adding four touchdowns.
 
While the offence may get most of the attention the Western defensive unit has been equally impressive. Western has given up an OUA low 110 points, the third fewest in the nation, and lead the country in sacks (29), interceptions (15), and defensive touchdowns (5).
 
Western will be looking to limit the penalty yards and play a complete 60 minutes against a determined Laurier team, and a team that's much different than the one Western defeated 59-9 back on September 12. Since that time the Golden Hawks went 3-2 to finish out the regular season, defeating Waterloo, Ottawa, and Queen's, while falling to Windsor and McMaster in close contests.
 
And while McMaster may have gotten the upper hand on Laurier in the regular season, the Golden Hawks are coming into the semi-finals off a program defining 29-15 upset win over the Marauders, last year's Yates Cup Champions and Vanier Cup finalists.
 
The Golden Hawks offence put up 538 yards en route to the upset, thanks in large part to OUA leading rusher Dillon Campbell who ran for 295 yards on 40 carries, setting a Laurier single game record for rushing yards.
 
While quarterback Eric Morelli has proven to be an effective starter since taking over the role this season, including throwing 12 touchdown passes compared to only three interceptions, Laurier's offence is largely based around Campbell and the ground game. If Western wants to advance to next week's Yates Cup final the purple and white will have to find a way to limit Campbell and prevent him from taking over the game.
 
Head coach Michael Faulds, former Mustangs pivot and two time Yates Cup MVP, will be calling the shots as he looks to take Laurier to their first Yates Cup since 2006.
 
Saturday's contest will be Faulds' third ever playoff game as a head coach, and the second time he'll be patrolling the Golden Hawks sideline at TD Stadium for a post-season contest after nearly knocking off the Mustangs in a 25-10 loss in last year's OUA Quarterfinals.
 
With the Golden Hawks coming in with momentum after last week's upset of McMaster and the Mustangs eager to get back on the field and continue the success they had in the regular season the atmosphere is bound to be electric at TD Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m., and all the action can be watched live on OUA.tv and Rogers Cable 13 in London. Fans can also listen live on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM and Newstalk 1290 CJBK.