LONDON, Ont. - Fourth-year lineback Fraser Sopik totaled three solo tackles and five assisted tackles on homecoming weekend to help lead the Western football team to a 46-13 blowout over the Laurier Golden Hawks in TD Stadium.
With the win, the Mustangs finish the regular season with a perfect 8-0 record to remain atop the OUA standings as they head into the postseason with a first round bye. The Golden Hawks' loss officially removes them from playoff contention, ending their season with a 4-4 record and a seventh place finish in the OUA division standings.
"Of course, it feels good to be able to go undefeated in a season and it's something to be proud of, but obviously we're not done yet," said Mustangs quarterback Chris Merchant. "We know we have a long road ahead of us, but we're enjoying the win right now, especially against a great team like Laurier who came in here two years ago and ruined our season. A lot of the guys on this team know what it feels like to be champions, so we won't be happy with anything less."
"It feels good to get a win and end our season with the record we have, especially on homecoming, but that end goal is still looming over us," said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. "I think the key message is to just take it one game at a time. Our approach is always one week at a time, one practice at a time, so we can't get too far ahead of ourselves."
Sopik, who has led Western's defence all season long, proved dominant once again in shutting down the opposing offence throughout the day. On the other side of the ball, Merchant led the way for the purple and white offensively, throwing for 251 passing yards and leading the team with 97 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Harry McMaster also had a strong game for the Mustangs, receiving for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
"We made a lot of mistakes today offensively, but our defence and our special teams bailed us out throughout the entire game," said Marshall. "Fraser's the best defensive player in the country, hands down. He's special and he makes tons of plays for us every year. But I also have to give credit to coach Gleason and the rest of our defensive coaches who came up with a great game plan just as they did against Ottawa last week."
"We didn't play our brand of football in the first week of the season, but ever since then, we've been on a tear," said Sopik. "Our young guys are playing incredible football right now and the veterans have been as consistent as always, so I like where we are as a team heading into the playoffs."
After securing a first-place finish against Ottawa last weekend, Western entered their homecoming weekend with much lower stakes than Laurier as the Golden Hawks looked to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the defending Vanier Cup Champions.
However, Western quickly proved why they sit atop the OUA standings, as Merchant connected with Malik Besseghieur for a long completion to put the purple and white in the red zone, where running back Cedric Joseph would punch in the touchdown to give the Mustangs the early 7-0 lead. However, a strong defensive presence throughout the remainder of the quarter along with a pair of field goals from Laurier trimmed the lead down to 7-6 heading into the second.
Western's offence continued to struggle to begin the second quarter, as Merchant threw his fifth interception of the season in the Mustangs opening drive of the frame. Both teams failed to find the end zone midway through the quarter until a weather delay forced both teams to return to the locker room for the required 20 minute time period. However, the delay seemed to get Western's offence back on track, as Merchant connected with McMaster for the touchdown to make it a two-possession game.
The Golden Hawks countered quickly with 45-yard completion to put themselves in the red zone, but an incredible effort from the Mustang defence held Laurier at the one-yard line for three straight downs. However, Western would fumble the ball on the ensuing possession on their own one-yard line, leading to the Laurier touchdown and a slim 17-12 Mustang lead heading into halftime.
It was the Mustangs who found the end zone first to begin the second half, as Merchant once again connected with McMaster for a 61-yard touchdown to extend the Mustangs' lead to 25-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
Western put the game away early in the fourth, as the defence shut down Laurier's third-down drive on their own ten-yard line to give Merchant the opportunity to rush in for the touchdown on the ensuing possession. Merchant added yet another touchdown to his rushing total on the day later in the frame, running in a 74-yard touchdown to extend the lead for the purple and white. The defence continued to dominate for the remainder of the frame, leaving the Golden Hawks scoreless for the entire second half as the Mustangs cruised to the eventual 46-13 victory.
"The undefeated streak is nice in the regular season, but it's a whole lot better to have it in the playoffs," said Marshall. "Our goal is the Yates Cup and then the Vanier. We don't really think about winning streaks. They're nice, but we have higher goals."
"Getting into the record books with our winning streak is a cool thing to talk about, but it's not something we're concerned about," said Merchant. "We're always thinking about our weekly goal and that's just to win the next game so we're going to be focused on that. We're only concerned with winning each playoff game, one game at a time. Worrying about the winning streak isn't apart of that mindset."
Following a perfect 8-0 regular season, the Mustangs will enjoy a well-deserved break as they earn a bye through the first round of the Yates Cup Playoffs and await their opponent in the second round.
