Box Score London, ON – The Mustangs returned to Western Alumni Stadium for the first time in two weeks Saturday afternoon for a Homecoming matchup against the Waterloo Warriors, ultimately claiming a 66-3 victory.
For the second straight game, the stands were spirited and packed in celebration of Western's Homecoming matchup, with the Student Fan Festival nearby offering a variety of contests, food trucks and games in support of the country's top football team.
"Homecoming is special. You get to see so many people back," said head coach Greg Marshall. "We've built a tradition of Western football in having everyone in the locker room after the game, and it makes it special."
The Mustangs got off to a firing start, which allowed them to utilize a lot of players off the bench in what was a 66-3 blowout win.
"We played well and got off to a good start," said Marshall. "We needed to be better in our first drive and be productive in the first quarter. We did that, we took the ball down and scored on our first possession which is something we haven't done."
Quarterback Evan Hillock, who played the first half, was 14 for 18 with 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Keon Edwards had 114 rushing yards while Edouard Wanadi followed behind with 109.
"It's hard [to get 100 yards every week]," said Edwards. "Me and [Wanadi] talked back in May about how the goal was to be the best. We try to aim for 100 yards each."
In a game with lots of player rotation with backups seeing minutes, the Mustangs showed their depth and dominated Waterloo, who came in looking for their first win against Western since 2001.
With the win, Western remains unbeaten and boasts a 4-0 record, while the Warriors drop to 1-3 on the season.
Sitting atop the OUA standings and coming off a bye week, the Mustangs came out strong on their first possession. A pass from quarterback Evan Hillock found Griffin Campbell who ran it for 49 yards, putting Western in a good position. Hillock gave it to Keon Edwards who then scored the touchdown to put the first 6 on the board for the 'Stangs.
After Waterloo conceded a safety and around halfway through the first quarter, Hillock completed a 30-yard pass to receiver Savaughn Magnaye-Jones who secured his sixth touchdown of the year with a beautiful catch, erupting the spirited crowd in Western themed attire into cheers.
Edouard Wanadi rushed for 18-yards to add to the offensive pile up, as Western closed out the quarter with a 23-0 dominant lead.
"That was our best start of the whole year. On the offensive side of the ball, we did what we had to do," said Edwards. "We set out a goal last week to make sure we are the best offense in this province and country, and that was one of our best starts this year."
"We plan for this every week, and some weeks it takes a bit to get going," said Robert Panabaker. "This week it came out right on the snap and that's what we planned to do."
A Robert Panabaker interception kicked off the second quarter, his third of the season. While the purple and white couldn't manage another touchdown, Garrity added three to the board with a 19-yard field goal with 12 minutes to go in the half.
"The deflection was awesome, we'll take those everyday," said Panabaker on the deflection that led to his interception. "I was in the right spot at the right time and it came right to me. It was perfect."
With six minutes on the clock, Hillock threw to Magnaye-Jones setting up the 'Stangs at the 7-yard line. Edwards would get his second rushing touchdown of the game thereafter, for a 33-0 score-line.
To end the half, Garrity secured his second field goal of the game, while the 'Stangs took no more than fifteen seconds after a Daniel Valente Jr. interception to add another touchdown, this time courtesy of Justin Nickson. The score read 43-0 in favour of the Homecoming hosts in purple.
In for Hillock, quarterback Jackson White added to the tally as he rushed 1-yard to open the half off of a 60-yard drive on the 'Stangs' first possession of the half.
"The more reps Evan gets the better, but at what risk of getting an injury," said Marshall on resting his quarterback. "There's going to come a time when we need our other quarterbacks to play so getting them some reps is good. We got most of our guys out and game reps, and it'll make a big difference down the road."
It wasn't just Hillock who spent the second half watching from the sidelines, as Western saw a frequent rotation of young guys getting game time for the first time this year.
"We create monsters here. Any guy can go out and play their best. That's the way the team is made. It's about being ready for your time to go on the field," said Edwards, who also rested. "It was nice to see those guys get their reps. We cheer for each other hard, it's a tight group."
Shortly after the visitors conceded another safety, Montreal native and Mustang Keanu Yazbeck got his first touchdown from 20-yards out halfway through the quarter, and Garrity soon added another field goal to close it out.
The Warriors finally got on the board to start the fourth quarter courtesy of a field goal, but that proved to be it for the visitors. The game finished 66-3.
"It's Western, it's 4-0, but we aren't even started. It's just the beginning, we have a long way to go," said Panabaker. "I'm thinking 'lets win and get better and better', and of course the wins are going to come but it's about getting us together and ready for the playoffs."
Next up for the Mustangs is an away game against the Marauders, who have a bye week this week.
"They're a good team, and they are better than their record shows. They have a bye week this week, so they have a whole week to prepare for us and I think that does provide an advantage, especially against our team where we do so many different things," said Marshall. "It'll be a really good challenge for us."
The Mustangs will hit the road next Saturday for an afternoon matchup against McMaster as they look to extend their unbeaten run. Game-time is set for 1pm, with the action being available to watch on OUA.tv
