It's a rematch a year in the making with the Western Mustangs set to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks this Saturday in the 110th Yates Cup at TD Stadium.
The purple and white will be looking to redeem themselves following two consecutive losses in the Yates Cup, including last season's loss to Laurier where the Golden Hawks came back from a 24-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs were dominant in their semifinal game against the Guelph Gryphons. Guelph was held to 77 yards of total offence while their offensive unit failed to score a touchdown as they fell 66-12 to the Mustangs. The game was a stark contrast to the game these two teams played earlier this season at TD Stadium in which each team produced over 400 yards of offence and the margin of victory was seven, Western's small such margin of the season.
The game was tightly contested on the scoreboard in the first quarter; after Western opened the scoring on a Cedric Joseph one-yard touchdown run, the Gryphons defence stood tall on their next red zone sequence, stripping the ball from quarterback Chris Merchant near the goal line and returning the fumble 102 yards for the score. The Mustangs, however, would proceed to outscore the Gryphons 28-3 in the second quarter to pull away and advance to the Yates Cup for the third straight year.
Among the standouts for the Mustangs was Joseph: the regular season leader in rushing touchdowns in the OUA found pay dirt a season-high four times, his fourth consecutive game with multiple scores.
The second semifinal between the Golden Hawks and the McMaster Marauders featured less scoring but an equally impressive performance from the defending Yates Cup champions as they broke through a stingy McMaster defence to come away with a 19-6 victory.
Playing without OUA passing yards per game leader Michael Knevel for the second straight game, Laurier and quarterback Tristan Arndt did well in not turning the ball over against the regular season leaders in turnovers. Running back Levondre Gordon punched the ball in from four yards out early in the first quarter to give the Hawks the lead, which would turn out to be the only touchdown of the day for either team. From there, the Hawks would hold their ground, allowing only two field goals while adding four of their own including three in the fourth quarter which ensured their lead would hold.
Like last season, the Mustangs defeated the Hawks in their regular season matchup, a game in which Laurier had its lowest scoring output of the season. Despite over 300 yards passing from Knevel and a season high 18 catches from receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr., the high-powered Laurier offence only scored one touchdown in a 29-13 defeat.
Merchant, Joseph, and Alex Taylor each logged over 10 carries and at least 80 yards with Merchant leading the team with 142 yards and Joseph finding the end zone twice. While the teams were evenly matched in terms of net yards, the Mustangs defence left their mark by forcing three turnovers.
The Yates Cup rematch from last season will feature the OUA's two top offences and two of the top three defences from the regular season. Despite being in the middle of the pack in terms of time of possession, the Golden Hawks scored 38.5 points per game – good for second in the OUA – thanks to their second-ranked passing offence. Laurier quarterbacks threw fewer interceptions than only two teams in the OUA despite attempting the fourth-most passes. Gittens Jr. has played a big part in the passing game all season; the standout receiver ranked first or second this season in four major offensive categories including catches, yards, and touchdowns. It was Gittens Jr. who scored the game-tying touchdown against the Mustangs in the Yates Cup last year, and he will certainly be a player to watch in the rematch.
On the other side, Western boasts the OUA's top offensive and defensive units. Their running game, which tallied over 200 yards and three scores in the Yates Cup last season, outgained the second-best unit in the OUA by over 700 yards. Merchant ranked in the top five among OUA quarterbacks in passing yards per game and touchdowns while the defence allowed the fewest points and yards. With both teams firing on all cylinders, it remains to be seen who will lift the trophy in the much-anticipated rematch from last season between Ontario's top two teams.
Game time for the 110th Yates Cup is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, at TD Stadium. Tickets are available online here, at the WSRC Front Desk, or at The Purple Store in the UCC. Fans can also tune in to all the action live on CHCH, OUA.tv, Radio Western 94.9 FM, and Newstalk 1290 CJBK.
