Ottawa, ON – The Mustangs special teams unit made an impact early on and second-half adjustments secured a 38-11 win over uOttawa on Sunday afternoon.
Kicker Brian Garrity kicking 4 of his 5 field goals on the day and Running Back Ben Cottrell returning a blocked punt were the highlights of the opening half for Western. After going to halftime up by 9, the Mustangs would score 19 unanswered second-half points to take the victory in the nation's capital.
GAME RECAP
Western would immediately impact the scoreboard as Garrity got the first points of the season for the Mustangs on an 11-yard field goal to put Western up 3-0 just over two and half minutes into the game.
Western would come up big on special teams later in the opening quarter when Ryan Barthleson blocked a Gee-Gees punt attempt and RB Ben Cottrell recovered the ball and took it back 31 yards to give Western their first touchdown of the season.
Both sides would then trade field goals, followed by Ottawa picking up a 75-yard TD rush that pulled the score to within 3 points (13-10) just over four minutes into the 2
nd quarter.
Western would respond again with a pair of Garrity field goals to extend their lead to 19-10 as both teams went to their locker rooms for halftime.
Garrity would convert his fifth field goal of the day to push the Mustang's lead to 12 points midway through the 3
rd quarter.
Later, Western's offence would get their first major of the season when Jérôme Rancourt stepped in as QB and connected with WR Seth Robertson for a 24-yard TD, giving Western a 29-10 lead.
The Mustangs would get the ball back with under two minutes remaining and drove the field 52 yards, finishing with an 11-yard TD run from Keanu Yazbeck to give Western a 38-11 lead and they would finish it out to secure the win.
KEY STATS
RB Keanu Yazbeck - 15 rushes for 103 yds & 1 TD
WR Seth Robertson - 5 receptions for 102 yards & 1 TD
K Brian Garrity - 5 for 6 FG & 18 pts
RB Ben Cottrell - 1 TD
QB Jérôme Rancourt - 2 for 2 for 50 yards with 1 TD
RB Keon Edwards – 14 rushes for 104 yards
QB Evan Hillock – 10 for 23 for 123 yards
NEXT GAME
The Mustangs return home to Western Alumni Stadium in a week as Western will host the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday, September 1 for a 7 pm kickoff in the home opener.
Tickets are available at
WesternMustangs.ca/tickets, and a reminder that Western students get FREE admission to this and ALL Mustangs on-campus home games for all of our ticketed sports with a valid Western ONECard.
