London, ON – The Mustangs rode a well-balanced offence to a 53-33 win over the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday night.

Western's run game was on display in a big way with Ethan Dolby & Jack Kelly each breaking out with rushes of 84 and 62 yards each.

The pass game also saw some big connections from Brayden Misseri, Raeshawn Blake and Seth Robertson, all putting up some major yardage in the win.

"We had some big plays. We've got to be a little bit more consistent, but our coverage overall wasn't good and it put our defense in some bad spots," said Mustangs Head Coach Greg Marshall "I said this is the beginning of the year that they'd (Guelph) be one of the best in our conference and I thought there is some stuff to work on, good stuff to see on film, but it's a win."

Kelly finished with 121 yards on four carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter to extend the Mustangs lead.

"Just the whole line and the H backs, Sandro set the edge perfectly. The receivers were running all the way down the field, blocking, and I just went untouched to the house," said Kelly of his first OUA touchdown. "The boys are everything, and to have my first touchdown at home with the boys was just an amazing feeling."

Dolby finished the game with 100 yards on seven carries on the day, and the Mustangs had 296 yards total on the ground.

GAME RECAP
The opening quarter saw both teams converting on a field goal, including a 34-yard attempt from Brian Garrity that gave Western three minutes into the game.

After a late drive in the quarter, including a 43-yard completion from QB Evan Hillock to Robertson put Western on the Guelph side of the field, the drive finished with Dolby punching the ball into the end zone to start the 2nd quarter.



A major highlight of the second quarter and the game as a whole came when Brayden Misseri blocked a Guelph punt attempt, giving the Mustangs the ball on the Guelph side of the field.

"That was the game changer right there, that was a big one," said Marshall. "They schemed it up well, executed it well, it was a really close game at that time, and it kind of opened it up and then when we got the ball back again,"

After the punt block, the Mustangs would make quick work of the opportunity when Hillock and Robertson would connect again, this time for a 43-yard catch and run that resulted in a touchdown on a two-play drive. Giving Western a 17-3 lead.

With under two minutes remaining in the half, Hillock would go to the air again, this time connecting with Blake for a 46-yard TD completion, his first in the OUA.



The Mustangs would finish the half with an impact statement. After Hillock connected with Brayden Misseri for a 50-yard highlight reel catch, Western would run a bit of a trick play that saw QB Jérôme Rancourt take the snap after Evan Hillock motioned to the sideline to get the Guelph defence to open up space for the Mustangs to take a 31-10 lead at halftime.



"I love making the highlight plays and doing this and that, but at the end of the day, it honestly just comes down to just making this offence successful, whether it be a short play, whether it be a long play, whatever I can do to push this offence forward." said Misseri "I told all those guys that are taking their first home opener in tonight, you know, for myself it's my last one, but you know for those young guys, I told them take it in and enjoy every moment. There's nothing better than coming out in front of 10,000-plus people, making plays, and hearing the roar of the crowd. "

Western extended the lead to 38-10 on the Kelly 62-yard run midway through the quarter, the lone points for the Mustangs in the frame.

Western would add two more touchdowns in the 4th quarter, including the Dolby 84-yard run, and another Rancourt TD rush from the 1-yard line gave Western the 53-33 win.

KEY STATS
QB Evan Hillock – 13 for 20 for 242 yards and 2 TDs
RB Ethan Dolby – 7 rushes for 100 yards an 2 TDs
RB Jack Kelly – 4 rushes for 121 yards and 1 TD
WR Seth Robertson – 4 receptions for 96 yards and 1 TD
WR Raeshawn Blake – 1 reception for 46 yards and 1 TD

NEXT GAME
The Mustangs have a short week as they will host the Ottawa Gee-Gees on September 6 at Western Alumni Stadium. Fans can buy their tickets at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets.