OUA football is back and the Western Mustangs will be aiming to pick up their second consecutive win when they take on the Guelph Gryphons on Monday, September 4, at TD Stadium.
 
Western kicked off the season in impressive fashion last week, putting up 590 yards of offence and limiting their opponents to 223 yards in their 66-3 victory over the York Lions.
 
While the offence would typically get the majority of the headlines in such a high-scoring win, it was the defence and special teams that stole the show with one interception returned for a touchdown, one punt returned for a touchdown, and two punt blocks by the purple and white.
 
The offence may not have gotten top billing, but they certainly weren't lacking in explosiveness. While coach Marshall acknowledged after the game that the team didn't have its normal offensive rhythm, however the Mustangs got the job done with big plays instead. Offensive touchdowns came from as far as 29, 54, and 75 yards out, showing that Western won't have a problem when trying to stretch the field this season.
 
Western's season may have started off with a big win but the opposite was true for the Gryphons who lost a nail-biting 24-21 double overtime contest to Ottawa in week one.
 
It was a defensive battle between the two sides last week, with the Gee-Gees recording only 271 yards on offence compared to 257 for the Gryphons, leading to 30 of the game's 45 total points coming off of field goals.
 
James Roberts led the Gryphons attack in the loss, throwing for 189 yards and one touchdown on 9-25 passing, while running back Patrick Pierre added 100 yards on the ground on 26 carries. Jacob Scarfone was Roberts' preferred target on the day, catching three passes for 123 yards receiving, including a 74-yard touchdown reception.
 
The Guelph defence was led by rookie defensive end Alain Cimankinda who earned OUA Defensive Player of the Week honours after racking up 3.5 sacks, nine tackles, and one pass breakup. Overall the Gryphons registered eight sacks against the Gee-Gees, making the battle between the Guelph pass rush and the Western offensive line one to watch this week.
 
Not only will the Mustangs need to keep an eye on Cimankinda and friends on Monday, they'll also need to be aware of linebacker Luke Korol. Last year the Burlington, Ont., native led the OUA in tackles and looks to be on a similar pace so far recording 14 tackles, 12 solo, in last week's contest.
 
Coach Marshall on the Gryphons
 
"Guelph's got a more veteran team this year. They've got pretty much everyone back, quarterback [James Roberts] is back, they've got Jacob Scarfone back, and Johnny Augustine, they moved him to a receiver position. They're strong. They lost a couple big bodies on the defensive line, but overall they have most of their team back. I really think that Guelph will be a really good test for us.
 
"I expect that they'll be a playoff team this year and they're coming off a really tough loss in double overtime to Ottawa, so they don't want to start 0-2 and repeat what happened last year. I expect a very motivated Guelph team, and a very good football team that will come in here and give us a good game.
 
By the Numbers
 
2 punts blocked by the Mustangs in their season opener. It's the second year in a row that the Mustangs have blocked multiple punts in their first game, blocking three against Windsor in 2016.
 
6 catches by Malik Besseghieur against York, a career high. The Nanaimo, B.C., native led all players with 179 yards receiving.
 
90 yards that Cole Majoros returned a punt last week for his first career OUA touchdown
 
125 yards rushing by Alex Taylor to move him into sixth all-time on the Mustangs rushing yards leaderboard
 
596 yards of offence put up by Western in their 66-3 win over York last week
 
Last Meeting – Western 50 at Guelph 16 – September 25, 2016
 
After falling to the Gryphons in the 108th Yates Cup in 2015, the Mustangs earned a measure of revenge last season by spoiling the Guelph homecoming party with a dominant 50-16 win.
 
The Gryphons found the end zone on their opening drive but the Mustangs took control of the scoreboard after that, with Western taking the lead midway through the first quarter and stayed in front right through the final whistle. Chris Merchant led the Mustangs offence with 322 yards and two touchdowns on 19-33 passing, while Alex Taylor ran for 120 yards and one score on 21 carries.
 
It was also a strong outing for the Mustangs special teams unit, with Marc Liegghio going a perfect 5-5 on field goals along with another five extra points. Jordan Beaulieu stole the show with the highlight of the day – ripping the ball from the arms of a Gryphons player and running it back 70 yards to add an exclamation point on Western's victory.