Any time the Queen's Gaels and Western Mustangs square off it's always an exciting event, whether it's on the rugby pitch, volleyball court, or especially on the gridiron with matchups between the two Old Four rivals serving as an annual highlight of the OUA football schedule. 

This week's contest will prove to be no different, with the Mustangs set to host the Gaels this Saturday when TD Stadium goes dark for Blackout night. Fans are encouraged to wear black to cheer on the Mustangs, stick around for some post-game fireworks, and there may be a few other surprises in store as well.

Western heads into this week's game in first place in the OUA standings alongside the Waterloo Warriors, and hold a 4-0 record at the midway point of the season.

The Mustangs took down the Windsor Lancers in impressive fashion last week, limiting the Lancers to just 84 yards of total offence and refusing to allow even a single first down until the second half. 

Through four games this season the purple and white defence has emerged as one of the top units in the nation, allowing the fewest yards per game at 252.5 and third-fewest points per game at 14.5. Each and every game so far has seen the defence put up strong results, and perhaps more concerning to opposing offensive coordinators is that they appear to be getting even better as the weeks roll on.

Not to be outdone by their teammates on the other side of the ball, the offence put up 697 yards in the 59-7 win over the Lancers and lead the nation in a number of offensive categories including rushing yards, passing yards, yards per game, and total points. 

While the Mustangs enter Saturday's contest with an undefeated record, the Gaels are at the other end of the standings with an 0-3 record after a tough start to the season that included a pair of nail-biting losses to Carleton and Ottawa. 

So far this season the Gaels are averaging 15.7 points and 369.7 yards per game, putting them in the back half of the U SPORTS leaderboard in both categories. Defensively, the Gaels are in the middle of the pack in most categories, including giving up an average of 25.3 points and 428.3 yards per game, ranking them in 13th and 15th respectively. 

Veteran quarterback Nate Hobbs leads the Queen's attack, having completed 57.1 percent of his passes so far this season for 761 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He's also an important part of the Gaels ground game, ranking second on the team with 114 yards rushing on 23 carries. 

Running back Jonah Pataki leads the team with 203 rushing yards, but the Mustangs will also need to look for him coming out of the backfield as a receiver as he ranks third on the team with nine catches, and second with 113 receiving yards. Sitting above Pataki in the pass game are Matteo Del Brocco (17 catches, 263 yards) and Chris Osei-Kusi (11 catches, 113 yards) who serve as the two favourite targets of Hobbs. 
 
 Coach Marshall on the Gaels
 
"At the beginning of the year I really thought that Queen's would be in the top three or four teams in our conference. I think they thought they'd be better. They're a good team. They play as good a defence as we're going to see this year. Their defence is a veteran team, they're well coached, they're smart, and they make plays. If you score points against Queen's you're going to have to earn it.
 
"Offensively, they have a talented quarterback and he's got two or three outstanding receivers that he can spread the ball to. I think Queen's record could be a lot better, and I expect by the end of the season Queen's will be in the playoffs and they'll be a very difficult team to beat."
  
Last Meeting – Western 27 at Queen's 13 – Sept. 17, 2016
 
Three field goals from Marc Liegghio and 198 yards rushing from Alex Taylor helped the Mustangs spoil the grand opening of the new Richardson Stadium last September as the Mustangs topped the Gaels 27-13 in the most recent meeting between the two teams.
 
Liegghio topped the scoresheet for the purple and white in a game played in heavy wind and, at times, heavy rain as well. The Woodbridge, Ont., native, finished with 11 points coming off of three field goals, one extra point, and a single.
 
Western opened the scoring early in the contest, with Chris Merchant hitting Myles Rombough on a 17-yard pass to cap off the Mustangs first drive with a touchdown. The purple and white added another four points in the frame before Queen's responded in the second, outscoring the Mustangs 10-3 in the frame to cut Western's lead to 14-10 at the half.
 
Wind and rain continued to play a factor in the second half, causing both offences to stall, however the Mustangs added another five points thanks to a conceded safety from the Gaels and a 40-yard field goal from Liegghio.
 
A field goal from Nick Liberatore pulled the Gaels closer, and they threatened to take the lead midway through the fourth, however #Hakeem Johnson# recorded his first career CIS interception at the perfect time, picking off Nate Hobbs in the Mustangs end zone to preserve the purple and white lead. Johnson's pick was one of three from the Mustangs in the second half, with both Malcolm Brown and Mackenzie Ferguson also recording interceptions.
 
A 20-yard run touchdown run from Merchant and a two-point conversion with just under three minutes remaining gave the Mustangs the 27-13 win.