Box Score London, ON – The Mustangs playoff journey got off to a winning start Saturday afternoon against Laurier at Western Alumni Stadium, with a commanding second half leading the 'Stangs to a 45-9 victory.
The Mustangs finished the regular season atop of the standings with an undefeated 8-0 record, which earned them a bye week to start the post-season. Laurier finished the regular season 5-3 before beating Carleton 41-13 last week to earn a spot to challenge the nation's top team in Saturday's OUA Semi-Final.
The two team's last met in week two of the regular season, where the purple and white claimed a 34-19 victory in Waterloo. With their win over the Golden Hawks today, the Mustangs book their ticket to the 114
th Yates Cup, marking their seventh straight appearance in the competition.
On an afternoon characterized by strong winds and senior recognition, the Mustangs got off to a shaky start in the first half before a strong defensive performance in the third quarter propelled them to victory by a large margin. Western scored 31-points in the second half, holding Laurier to none.
Quarterback Evan Hillock was 12 for 19 with 139 yards and 1 interception, while running back Keon Edwards continued his 100-yard streak going 138 yards on 24 carries, with 2 touchdowns. On the receiving end, Savaughn Magnaye-Jones had 7 receptions for 93 yards.
The Mustangs chose to defer to start the game and thus began going into the wind to ensure they would have it in their favour for the fourth quarter.
"It was an interesting game," said head coach Greg Marshall. "The wind was pretty consistent. I thought it would pick up in the second half because of the weather reports, but we just felt [it was best] to defer and battle the wind in the first quarter, and for the most part we did a good job besides giving them the touchdown."
Laurier had more success on their first drive than the 'Stangs, but Western's defence stood strong forcing them to settle for a field goal which was ultimately missed and ended in a single.
Western's shaky start continued as Evan Hillock threw his first interception of the season. The ball was thrown a bit high and slipped out of receiver Savaughn Magnaye-Jones' hands and into those of a white jersey who ran 36-yards untouched into the end-zone.
"That was shocking, I'm not going to lie," said Keon Edwards on the interception. "But it happens and all you can do from there is try and make a nice play."
"It was tough for Evan to even throw that ball because it was against the wind," said Marshall. "It just flutters and it's a timing play. Not a great call, but our guys responded, and we got out of the first quarter in pretty good shape."
Looking to get their first points on the board, the 'Stangs were unable to make it to the end-zone but settled for a field goal after a 37-yard drive, as Brian Garrity converted on a 28-yard attempt into the wind.
The wind helped Laurier secure another single, as a good punt backed by the wind rolled 94-yards through the purple and white's end-zone, putting the score at 9-3 at the end of the quarter.
Magnaye-Jones put the 'Stangs in good position with a 33-yard catch, setting his team up at Laurier's 18-yard line to start the second.
With the Mustangs in the red-zone, Jackson White checked into the game for Hillock, who passed it off to Edouard Wanadi who got to the one-yard line. White then rushed for his third rushing touchdown of the season, followed by a single, giving Western their first lead of the game at 11-9.
A Seth Robertson catch and Edwards rush led to another Garrity field goal, once again from 28-yards.
The score read 14-9 for Western at the sound of the halftime whistle.
"What's disappointing is we didn't play great in the second quarter," said Marshall. "We had the wind and decent field position and didn't score when we needed to score or move the ball consistently. As coaches we felt that the second half is when we'd go back and run the ball. Because even with the wind, it wasn't easy to throw the ball."
The second half proved to be much different for the Mustangs, led in large part by the team's defense who shut out the visitors and forced turnovers.
"First half we knew was on us," said Edwards. "We had a slow start. But we came back out and were ready to go."
"Our intensity changed in the third," added Malcolm Hinds. "We told the defense we had to step it up in the second half. They're a good team, but in the second half we came out and got the job done."
The crowd rumbled to start the third sending shockwaves throughout the stands, as Malcolm Hinds stripped the ball, starting what turned out to be a big defensive quarter for the 'Stangs.
"Playing at home is one of the best things I love about this team," said Edwards on the crowd support. "The fans are there for us, and we always want to be at home. Playing the next games here is probably the best thing that ever happened here."
Magnaye-Jones danced for a gain of 9, with Edwards and Wanadi also helping inch the 'Stangs closer to the end-zone as they aimed for a better start to the half than the first.
From the handoff, Wanadi rushed for 2-yards for his first touchdown of the game.
Right after on the punt, John Pantazopoulos recovered the ball on Waterloo's 31-yard line, electrifying the team and stands from disbelief and excitement.
Edwards followed it up soon after with a 9-yard touchdown, as the lead was yet again extended to 28-9.
The turnovers kept rolling, as Hinds forced yet another fumble, while Brendan Murphy sacked the quarterback forcing a fumble recovered by Jordan Beland. Garrity also added another 3 points to the score from 11-yards out, closing out a 17-point third for the defending champions.
"I don't think we are feared enough [as a defense]," said Hinds. "A lot of people try to test us, and I don't think they respect us enough, so there is definitely more work we need to do."
"It was awesome. We had three turnovers," said Marshall on the sequence. "It started with the fumble, scored. The kick-off was hanging and coming back towards us, and it did and we recovered it. Then we came back with the strip-sack and turned the ball over again. It was really incredible and the fact we were able to move the ball, take time, go slow and try to milk as much time off the clock when we were against the wind was good."
Another big defensive play occurred at the start of the fourth, as Robert Panabaker registered an interception to the frustration of the visitors who took a 15-yard penalty on the play.
Sitting at the one-yard line, White checked in yet again, who handed it off to Edwards for another touchdown and a celebration fit for the movies.
"Popcorn was Brett [Ellerman]," said Edwards. "I remember I just scored and I heard, 'Keon', and then I saw him and he had popcorn in his hand and I had to do it for Brett."
Troy Thompson rushed 25-yards to secure his first home touchdown of the season, emphasizing Western's commanding second half performance, and closing out the game at 45-9.
"Our defense played the best today," said Edwards. "Offensively we just had to do what we had to do, and we got the job done."
"There were times today when I was worried," added Marshall. "But that's football and I said to our players after the game that that's a sign of a great team. A little bit of adversity and we didn't panic and focused on the next play. I thought our guys did a really good job of letting go and focusing and doing our thing."
With their first post-season win secured, the focus turns to the Yates Cup next weekend, where they will host long-heated rival Queen's in a rematch of last year's game which Western won 29-0.
"I feel like our defense is getting strong all year, and we've gotten better every single game, and I think it's going to be scary for the next few games, especially coming into Queen's," said Hinds. "It's a big matchup, we are looking forward to them, I hope they bring their best game because we are definitely going to bring ours."
"Queen's is the same team as us. We have the same plays, we do the same stuff, but we do it better than them," said Edwards. "Yates Cup is something we always dream of here at Western. We always dream of trophies. We are ready for the next game."
In terms of preparation, the team is sure not to approach the Yates Cup with too much confidence.
"[I told the team to] enjoy tonight, start preparing tomorrow, and prepare like it's our last game," said Marshall. "Our kids are focused and aren't looking down the road. They know we need to get better every day and it's all preparation. If you prepare you know what your assignments are, and you recognize things. Every kid that plays on any team wants to win. But you have to play smart and that means putting preparation in so you know what's coming."
And of course, the elusive Vanier is still on the minds of players as well, although not too much to cause them to shift focus away from the task at hand.
"The big thing for us is to get to the Vanier, we are a national championship type of team. We just have to keep focused one game at a time, and not get too ahead of ourselves," concluded Hinds. "[Next week] is going to be a good game. I'm excited, and I hope the fans come out and fill the stands up because it's going to be a good one."
The Mustangs will host the Yates Cup next weekend at 1pm, as they prepare to take on Queen's at Western Alumni Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at westernmustangs.ca
