LONDON, Ont. - The Mustangs will be heading into homecoming weekend against the Laurier Golden Hawks following an impressive 33-0 shutout victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees this past weekend in Ottawa, Ontario. 

While Western struggled to find the end zone early in the game, the defence led the way for the purple and white in what was their most dominant defensive performance of the season.

The Mustangs held Ottawa to a mere 181 yards of total offence, compared to their own 471 yards on the day. Ottawa quarterback Sawyer Buettner, who had enjoyed a stellar season up until Saturday, gave up a pair of interceptions and got sacked four times in the loss. Chris Ellis and Andrew Thurston led Western's defence throughout the game, combining for seven tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. On the other side of the ball it was Alex Taylor who was the catalyst behind the Mustangs' offence. Taylor, who was sidelined with an upper-body injury against Windsor the week prior, ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns on route to the blowout victory.

The win secured Western's position atop the OUA standings, as they remain the only undefeated team in the division with a 7-0 record heading into their meeting with Laurier this Saturday in TD Stadium. The Golden Hawks, who currently sit in seventh in the OUA with a 4-3 record on the season, will be fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive as they look to overtake the Guelph Gryphons for the sixth and final playoff spot.

The Mustangs may have clinched the top seed in the province, but the rest of the OUA remains closely contested heading into the final week of action as Laurier, Guelph, McMaster, and Waterloo all hold identical 4-3 records with one game remaining on their schedules, making this weekend integral to the eventual OUA playoff picture.

Laurier will be heading into Wednesday's matchup with Western just two years removed from their reign as the Yates Cup champions, but this is a very different roster than that of a couple seasons ago. The Golden Hawks' offence will be spearheaded by quarterback Tristan Arndt who is in his second year with the team and has emerged as the starting quarterback this season. But despite decent passing numbers from Laurier this year, if Ottawa's Buettner had trouble taking care of the football against Western's defence, Arndt's OUA-leading eight interceptions do not bode well for the Golden Hawks this Saturday.

However, Laurier has largely been carried by their rushing game, thanks in large part to fourth-year running back Levondre Gordon. Gordon has proven to be dominant all season long, sitting third in the province in total yards and touchdowns, second in rushing attempts, and has given up just one fumble this season. Gordon's play has carried Laurier to ranking second in the OUA in points per game, third in yards per game, and fourth in total offence, giving Laurier one of the most consistent offensive weapons in the OUA.

So with a trip to the OUA playoffs on the line, Laurier is guaranteed to come into Saturday looking to upset the Mustangs and book their ticket to the postseason. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 P.M. EST in TD Stadium and fans can catch the action live on OUA.tv.