Box Score London, ON – For the fourth game in a row, the Mustangs posted over fifty points in a 52-22 win over McMaster on Saturday afternoon.

Western showcased their multi-pronged offensive attack in front of a capacity Homecoming crowd of nearly 14,000 fans at Western Alumni Stadium.  The Mustangs posted 521 yards (329 yards on the ground and 192 yards in the air) of offence, while holding McMaster to 326 total yards.

"I thought offensively, we got to be a little bit more consistent and defensively, we showed some improvement. Special teams are not there yet," said Mustangs Head Coach Greg Marshall. "I thought we did a good job in the red zone. We made some big plays on defence, which was good, and I think that we got some young kids in there playing. It's just going to take a little more time for it to come together."

Receiver Brayden Misseri had his biggest game of the season with six receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The first came in the first quarter on a 24-yard completion from QB Evan Hillock, Misseri was in close coverage with the McMaster defender and leapt into the air in the end zone and came down with the ball to give Western a 10-3 lead.

"That's something we've been working on in practice for a while now. I mean, I've been here for 4.5 years, and we finally got the opportunity to show that we're able to hit that consistently". said Misseri  "I'm trying to use my frame, using my body, being able to put myself between the defender and the ball and just trusting Evan and where he put it, and I came down a little hard, but that's what I need to do to help this team however I'm needed."

A marquee moment in the game came when defensive lineman Angelo Longo picked up an interception and took the ball into the end zone for a score. With just over three and a half minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Max von Muehldorfer tackled the McMaster on a floating pass and the ball popped out, right into Longo's hands who sprinted to the end zone for a touchdown that was celebrated heavily by the Mustangs sideline.



"I just looked and said, I gotta get in the end zone. So, I turned my head and ran forward as fast as I could," said Longo. "It meant a whole lot more going against Mac, as a Hamilton native and growing up watching the Marauders, it just like felt really good, meant way more than it would against anyone else, that's for sure."

QB Jérôme Rancourt had another big day, showcasing his multi-talented skill set. He had a trio of rushing touchdowns with all three coming in different avenues. His first came on a goal line score through the middle of the field, his second came on the first play of the fourth quarter when he took the from the 15 yard line and took the ball wide and in and then rounded out his day with a 77 yard rushing TD to round out the Mustangs scoring on the day.



"I've been telling people like I'm fast, but people don't seem to believe me because I'm like 6'5, 260 pounds, but I think people finally saw it today," said Rancourt. "I use my versatility to help the team as much as possible. Wherever my name is called, it can be QB under center, it can be to throw the ball like we had against Queen's in overtime or like a tight end and whatever. I'm ready for it and I just help the team like as much as I can,"
 
GAME RECAP

Western opened the scoring on the day with a Brian Garrity field goal to give Western a 3-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

McMaster would respond with a field goal of their own to tie things up at 3-3.

The first of Misseri's two TDs came with just over two minutes remaining in the opening frame and pushed the Western lead to 10-3.

Rancourt added his first of the game with 11:25 remaining in the 2nd quarter, and the Mustangs lead extended to 20-3.

The Longo interception and score came with 3:33 remaining in the half and energized the crowd and the Mustangs sideline.

"That was huge, I mean that that kind of gave us a bit of breathing room. It was kind of a messy first quarter, and that play made a huge difference." said Marshall of the Longo TD. "Our kids do a good job this week in prep of recognizing their screen looks and feeling the offensive line and knowing when the time is right to make that pressure play. Max is good at it, great for Angelo to make that play,"
Western held a 30-12 lead at halftime.

The second half was highlighted by another Misseri touchdown, this time Hillock fired a quick throw off the snap and hit Misseri in stride on a short-yardage pass at the 28-yard line. The Mustangs receiver showcased his agility when he hit a stutter step that crossed up the McMaster defender, and it was clear sailing to the endzone and another touchdown.

"It was just me one on one, and I think you saw the rest of what happens when I get put in one on one. Yeah, it's great," said Misseri "It definitely took a big weight off my shoulders (getting in the end zone). Obviously, as a receiver, you want to get in the end zone as much as you possibly can, but at the end of the day, as long as I put my teammates and my team in the best scenarios possible to succeed, then that's really all I care about."

Rancourt finished off the Mustangs scoring on the day with his 77-yard rush. He faked the handoff and then sped through a wide-open gap, and no one was catching him on his third touchdown of the game.

"If you give him a crease, he's fast. We do have to get him more involved in the offence, but that might be more like an inside Receiver/Tight End/ Fullback spot. We're looking at trying to get him more reps there again but he's also still a backup quarterback." said Marshall " We don't want to risk him getting hurt playing fullback when we still have 3 games before we have the playoffs, but we need to ease him into it so that he's comfortable when we need to play him in that spot."

Rancourt finished the day with 94 yards rushing on 5 attempts.

KEY STATS
QB Evan Hillock – 13 for 22 for 192 yards and two TDs
QB Jérôme Rancourt – 5 rushed for 94 yards and 3 rushing TDs
WR Brayden Misseri – 6 receptions for 101 yards and 2 TDs
RB Ethan Dolby – 20 rushes for 199 yards
DL Angelo Longo – 1 INT, 1 TD, 3.5 tackles

NEXT GAME
The Mustangs are on the road for their next two games, starting with a trip south on the 401 to take on the Windsor Lancers next Saturday (Oct. 4). The game is set for a 1 pm kickoff. Fans can watch the action live on OUA.tv.