The Western Mustangs (5-1) are headed to the nation's capital this week, for a showdown between first place teams as they take on the Ottawa Gee-Gees (5-1). Saturday's matchup will have major playoff ramifcations, as the two squads are part of a five-way tie atop the OUA standings.
 
Western is coming off a bye over Thanksgiving weekend in which they picked up some well-earned rest. Prior to the break, the Mustangs took down the Laurier Golden Hawks by a 45-26 score to give the purple and white their fourth consecutive win.
 
The Mustangs offence is currently ranked first in the OUA in points per game (51) and second only to Ottawa in yards per game (578.3), meaning that Saturday's contest could turn into a high-scoring affair early on.
 
The Western offence is being led by Calgary native and quarterback Chris Merchant, who is settling nicely into his role as the starter in a new offence. In the win versus Laurier, Merchant set CIS career high with 360 yards passing while also tossing three touchdowns, giving him 12 passing majors on the year.
 
Ottawa's offence is defined by their quarterback Derek Wendel. Wendel leads the OUA in passing yards (2,371), passing touchdowns (18), completions (183) and completion percentage (69.3). The pivot is coming off of the third 500+ yard passing game of his career, throwing for 514 yards on 31-42 passing with three touchdowns against the York Lions last week.
 
The Mustangs secondary will have their hands full as they try and limit Wendel's success, as well as the success of his faviourite target Mitchell Baines. The fifth-year receiver leads the CIS with 49 receptions, 770 receiving yards, and an average of 128.3 yard per game. He's also third in the nation in touchdown receptions with seven so far this season.
 
With the majority of Ottawa's offence coming through the air, the Mustangs have the edge in the ground game, led by Alex Taylor. The Winnipeg native has garnered the majority of the touches this season, with 736 yards on 108 carries, and an average of 122.7 yards-per game. He's also tied for the OUA lead in rushing touchdowns with seven on the year. On the flip side, the Gee-Gees are led by Bryce Viera, who has 398 yards on 73 carries this season, with two touchdowns.
 
This season, the Mustangs defence has been led by second year player Philippe Dion, who tops the purple and white leaderboard with 41 tackles this season, along with one sack. Dion has been effective in helping to stifle the opposition run game, and never was this more evident as when the Mustangs held one of the CIS' leading rushers in Eric Guiltinan to only 36 yards back on October 1 against Laurier.
 
Also leading the way for the Mustangs have been linebackers Jean-Gabrel Poulin and Fraser Sopik with 30.5 and 24.5 tackles respectively, along with defensive back Malcom Brown who's recorded 24.5 tackles and two sacks, along with three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. John Biewald has caused problems for opposing quarterbacks, and is second in the OUA with seven sacks this season.
 
The Gee-Gees possess one of the league's top defences, allowing the second fewest yards-per-game in the league with 355.5 per contest. They're led by the trio of safety Ty Cranston and linebackers Jackson Bennett and Khadim Mbaye, who've totalled 34.5, 29.5, and 29.5 tackles respectively. The Mustangs offensive line will also need to keep an eye on senior defensive end Sam Randazzo, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
 
Kick-off is set for 1 p.m., on Saturday in Ottawa. Fans can tune in live on OUA.tv, Newstalk 1290 CJBK, and on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM.