LONDON, Ontario – The Mustangs fell 41-30 to rival Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon. In a battle between undefeated teams, the Mustangs struggled to find consistent scoring while giving up three interceptions and a lost fumble.
Head Coach Michael Faulds pointed to critical mistakes as an area Western needs to address, saying, "The turnovers are glaring," and that the team has to learn from the film and make better decisions in similar situations. He said, "We showed a lot of fight in that second half. We didn't bow down and you know we just didn't do enough." Looking ahead, Faulds framed the loss as a test for the group: "No one wants to lose, especially around here. Everyone is accustomed to winning, but at the end of the day, how you handle adversity, the type of character you show, that's what I'm excited to see."
Queen's generated 487 yards of offence, including 404 through the air on 27 completions. Western moved the ball well, in a balanced effort, throwing for 276 yards and rushing for 144, but three interceptions and one lost fumble were part of the full-game profile.
Jerome Rancourt completed 17 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, with Emmett Charles catching six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown and Nik Shewchuk adding a 38-yard touchdown reception. Ethan Dolby led Western's rushing production with 96 yards on 14 carries, while Dasani McIntosh had seven receptions for 74 yards and contributed to a return game that totaled 164 kickoff-return yards and 51 punt-return yards. The Mustangs also got two made field goals and three made PATs from Mateo Pasquini.
GAME RECAP
The Mustangs' biggest play of the second quarter came on the kickoff after Queen's opening touchdown, when McIntosh returned it 98 yards for a touchdown.
"Glided a bit to the field, took a couple of steps to get my blockers the leverage, and then we just hit it. Jack Kelly had a great block, a few other guys did too, and honestly, they did most of the work." said McIntosh of the big return.
"Our special teams have been close to several big returns this year, so it was nice to finally get one in the end zone." said Faulds of the 98 yard return. "Credit to our blocking up front and obviously Dasani is a special athlete. When he turned the corner, you know, we had confidence on the sideline. He was going house, and that was big for us because we were stalling a little bit offensively in that first half."
Western later drove 81 yards to the Queen's 7, aided by Dolby's 15-yard run and Rancourt's 29-yard completion to Jackson Taylor, but the possession ended with an interception at the Queen's 1. Queen's added two late touchdown passes to Russell Weir before Pasquini closed the quarter with a 35-yard field goal as time expired, leaving Western behind 24-13.
Western outscored Queen's 16-3 in the third quarter, pairing two Rancourt touchdown passes with a team safety while allowing only a field goal. Rancourt found Charles for a 20-yard touchdown to finish a five-play, 79-yard opening drive, and Rory Litt's sack preceded the safety later in the quarter. On the play after Western lost a fumble, Cyrus McGarrell intercepted a Queen's pass and returned it 20 yards, and the ensuing 74-yard drive ended with Rancourt's 38-yard touchdown pass to Shewchuk.
"I think we all have to realize, even though Jerome's a 5th year player, he's a 1st year starting quarterback. So we're going through some of those growing pains right now, and he and I are just having conversations about what he saw in that play and why he did what he did." said Faulds. "So we do that whether it's a successful play or it's a negative play, just seeing kind of the why so that we can make the corrections when we're in that situation again."
The Mustangs were held to one point in the fourth quarter while Queen's added a touchdown and two field goals to finish off a 41-30 result. Oliver Griffiths accounted for Western's scoring with a 53-yard punt rouge, but Western's late possessions ended with an interception and a turnover on downs before Queen's added its final field goal.
KEY STATS
QB Jerome Rancourt
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- 17-for-31 passing for 276 yards
- 2 passing touchdowns
- 3 interceptions
WR Dasani McIntosh
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- 7 receptions for 74 yards
- 1 kickoff return touchdown
- 1 punt return touchdown
RB Ethan Dolby
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- 96 rushing yards on 14 carries
WR Nik Shewcuk
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- 2 receptions for 84 yards
- 1 TD Reception.
WR Emmett Charles
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- 6 receptions for 71 yards
- 1 receiving touchdown
NEXT GAME
The Mustangs are on the road to the nation's capital for the next two weekends, starting at Carleton on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. against the Ravens. Fans can stream the action on OUA.tv.
