Mustangs cruise through schedule and earn bye in opening round of playoffs
Head coach Greg Marshall earned his 100th OUA win in victory versus his former team
By Mark
Schadenberg
Updated
Updated
Sometimes
in sports the word 'annihilation' is used too often, but when Western
Mustangs football is the topic of conservation the term is
appropriate (apropos).
The
Mustangs galloped through their schedule in the OUA at 8-0 and even
though there were two somewhat respectable scores, even those results
were misleading. In the final regular schedule game for Western, they
downed McMaster in Hamilton by a count of 46-24, but the 22-point
margin is distorted by the fact Western led 39-3 before playing
mostly its second string.
The
week-by-week scores were astounding, including 76-7 in Windsor. I'm
sure the Lancers had difficulty keeping the paid patrons in the
stadium after the Stangs led 33-0 at the half and soon extended that
advantage to 62-0 after the third quarter.
Head
coach Greg Marshall has obviously continued his remarkable record of
recruiting, and then teaching a play book which baffles the
opposition. The Week 8 victory over the Marauders was also Marshall's
100th regular season win, which is important to note as he earned many of those victories with McMaster from 1997 - 2003.
Perhaps
you might think I'm writing without much experience on the topic, but
two years ago I submitted quite an extensive story about London's
university football club for The Canadian Press.
My
Rogers TV broadcasting background includes four or five years of
play-by-play from the Western campus. On two or three occasions I was
the only one in the booth, so it was me alone with a headset,
well-prepared yet scribbled pre-game notes, my ability to scour
through the school's media guide, and of course director Kris
Bergholz talking to me in my headset to quickly point out (for
example) which jersey number was guilty of an infraction since there
are so many numerals to concentrate on.
I
did not attend any of the 2015 contests at TD Stadium (I still
consider it TD Waterhouse Stadium – as it was called when it opened
in 2001 for the Canada Summer Games. I can't say opened it's doors in
2001 as the only doors in the facility would be in the bathrooms, the
inadequate press box, and to the Michael Kirkley Training Centre).
Playoff
Picture
The
Guelph Gryphons at 7-1 and the Mustangs receive a bye this weekend in
quarterfinal playoffs, and it's interesting to note that Guelph was
not on Western's schedule this year. I could begin an entire diatribe
on OUA schedules, but will limit it to just two quick thoughts. I'm
curious how Western had its home games against opponents which were
very geographically far away which would also make it nearly
impossible for any fans to travel to London to watch their team play.
It's obvious in an 8-week schedule it's not possible to play each of
the other 10 conference post-secondary institutions. The Mustangs, by
the way, entertained (in order) York, Queen's, Carleton and Ottawa,
which means no home games versus perhaps Windsor, Laurier, Waterloo
or McMaster.
In
an effort to create more competition, but still realizing all schools
must have a level playing field for recruiting (Absolutely NO
Division Two idea as no top athlete would ply their skills for a
second-tier team), I think it's time that the top level schools
(perennial contenders) play one road and one home game against a
contender from outside the conference, so the Mustangs could (for
example) play at Laval or Montreal and host maybe Calgary or
Manitoba. I realize it's not easy to know exactly which squads will
be Top 10 when the schedule is drawn up, but there has to be some
type of solution to the current system of bombarding weaker foes.
If
you look at the individual stats, you can quickly see Western's
defence was dominant and the offence was extremely effective with a
new CIS record for touchdowns. Look closely though as Mustang QB Will
Finch threw for 17 touchdowns, but McMaster's Asher Hastings had an
CIS-record 31 tossed majors (Chris Flynn had 29 for St. Mary's
Huskies in 1989). The Western total offence was second in passing
yards at 2889 (Ottawa led with 3216) and third in completions at 192
(Ottawa and McMaster both had 225)
On
the ground, short-run specialist Yannick Harou had 13 touchdowns, but
his total yardage was 10th in the Ontario loop at 493. The team
numbers paint the picture though as Western had a school-record 2947
rushing yards, while Laurier was next with 1,719. In majors, Western
had 40 TDs in its running game arsenal, while second best was Guelph
with just 18. The OUA leader in rushing yards was not a Mustang as
Alex Taylor was second (1068) and Harou was 10th. Taylor
was also second in majors with 12 – one less than Harou.
You
win with defence, and Western led in interceptions (15), touchdowns
by the defence (5) and sacks (29), but was third in yards against
with 382 per contest as compared to 345 for McMaster.
I
realize there's lots of numbers, but since the game is played on a
field, the final scores are the true tale of the (replay) tape.
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From
Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press
The
Mustangs also set a CIS record for points with 494 breaking Saint
Mary’s record of 480 and touchdowns in a season with 64. The record
of 62 was shared by Saint Mary’s and Laval.
Looking
further down the road, the first-place finish means the Mustangs
avoid both Guelph and McMaster in the semifinal if McMaster advances.
Those two teams are considered the second and third strongest teams
in the OUA.
The
Mustangs will play Queen’s, Carleton or Laurier in the semifinal at
home and if they win, the Mustangs will host the Yates Cup at TD
Stadium.
Importance
on a first-round playoff bye: Since 2004, when the OUA moved from an
eight-team playoff to a six-team playoff with the first two teams
getting byes, only one team without a bye went on to win the Yates
Cup. That was the 2007 Mustangs, who began the year 0-4 and finished
4-4.
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If
Western is the No.2 team in the CIS, how good is 7-0 Calgary Dinos
with 24 first-place votes as the nation's best?
The
schedule will answer that question as the OUA semis are Nov. 7, the
OUA finals (Yates Cup) is Nov. 14, and the CIS semifinals are Nov. 21
with the OUA champ hosting the top Quebec team in the Mitchell Bowl,
while the Atlantic champion hosts the Canada West rep in the Uteck
Bowl. It all leads up to the Vanier Cup (CIS Final) is Nov. 28 at
Laval Stadium in Quebec City.
PLAYOFFS
Oct
31 OUA Quaterfinals
Carleton
(5-3) at Queen's (5-3). Carleton wins 39-8
Laurier
(4-4) at McMaster (6-2). Laurier wins 29-15.
Nov 7 Semifinals
Laurier at Western
Carleton at Guelph.
Nov 7 Semifinals
Laurier at Western
Carleton at Guelph.
LINKS:
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
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