OUA PREVIEWS: Western & Queen’s set to renew rivalry; Yates Cup rematch in Guelph; Gee-Gees host Windsor

The Western Mustangs will look to improve to 4-0 this weekend when they battle their long-time rivals from Queen’s on Saturday afternoon at TD Stadium.

The Mustangs are undefeated to open the season following three impressive victories over Windsor, York, and Laurier. The Mustangs have impressed on both sides of the ball, out scoring their opponents 209-26 to average 69.7 points a game while only allowing 8.7, both tops in the OUA.

One reason that the Mustangs stand atop the OUA and CIS leaderboard as the nation’s highest scoring team is that opposing defences have been finding it extremely difficult to defend against the balanced Mustang offence.

The accuracy of quarterback Will Finch calls for a heavy defensive presence in the secondary as Finch is averaging 305 yards with 8 touchdowns despite only playing two or three quarters a game. Meanwhile, the Mustangs are equally capable of unleashing a lethal ground attack. Alex Taylor rushed 15 times for 159 yards and a touchdown against Laurier and leads the Mustangs with four touchdowns on the season. Overall, the Mustangs four main running backs have accumulated 1,020 yards and nine touchdowns on only 83 carries.

Defensively, Western has been physical, smart, and quick on the ball, limiting the opposition to 312 yards per game and forcing eight turnovers, including taking two of those turnovers back for touchdowns last week against the Golden Hawks.

The return of OUA first team defensive lineman Ricky Osei-Kusi to the line-up against Laurier adds another dimension to the unit. In his season debut, Osei-Kusi had seven tackles and overtook the lead for sacks in the OUA with three.

Osei-Kusi will line up against a Queens offensive line that has given up 11 sacks in three games. He’ll also see a familiar face in the Gaels receiving corps as his brother Chris is in his first season with the Gaels.

While one familiar face may be suiting up for Queen’s another has left as Nate Hobbs has been tasked with replacing long-time quarterback Billy McPhee.

Hobbs has led the Gaels to a 2-1 record splitting their tour of the nation’s capital, beating Carleton, and losing to Ottawa to open their season. Last week, they jumped all over Waterloo and rolled to a 47-24 victory. Hobbs is averaging 239 yards a game and has 6 touchdowns.

Despite the early success in Hobbs’ career, look for Queens to employ a very balanced offense and work running back Jesse Andrews in often. They do not lean too heavily on either the run or pass and so far this season they are averaging 228 yards passing and 212 yards rushing. While the Gaels attack is a balanced one, Andrews is undoubtedly the key to the running game, averaging 160 yards per game with four touchdowns.

The Mustangs are sure to face a motivated Queens’s team this weekend as they look to knock off the nationally ranked number three Mustangs. Kick-off is set for 1:00 pm at TD Stadium. Fans can watch all the action live on OUA.tv, Rogers Cable 13 in London, or on Rogers Sports Plus around Ontario. Fans can also listen live on CHRW Radio 94.9 FM or on Newstalk 1290 CJBK with Tom McConnell and legendary Mustangs coach Larry Haylor calling all the action.

Source: Tony von Richter, Western Mustangs Sports Information

2015 Homecoming Features Yates Cup Rematch

Source: Guelph Gryphons Sports Information

Queen’s University Gaels and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees during OUA football action at Gee-Gees Field in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 6 September, 2015. Photo by Richard A. Whittaker. (http://richardawhittaker.ca) [5C7A2146.CR2]

Members of the 2000 national championship-winning Gee-Gees football team will be recognized while the current Gee-Gees seek win number two of the season when they take on the Windsor Lancers on Saturday afternoon.

Coming off a high-scoring loss to McMaster, the Gee-Gees (1-1) have a chance to recover ground in the standings against the reeling Lancers, who have opened the season a surprising 0-3.

For a second straight game, Ottawa’s offence managed to put up points on the board but there are still a few things that must improve.  Head coach Jami Barresi admits his team must learn to play consistently for four quarters. “I noticed that we had a bit of a lull in the third quarter again. We had a lull against Queen’s when we came out in the second half. We have to put our foot on the gas; that’s all there is to it,” shared Barresi.  It’s the message he shared with his players following the loss at the hands of the Marauders. “I think mainly he wants us to execute for a whole game. We haven’t been able to do that all year. Especially that third quarter against McMaster, same thing against Queen’s,” said quarterback Derek Wendel.

According to Wendel, the Gee-Gees must also stop settling for field goals. “We can kick field goals when we’re further away, but when we’re in the red zone we need to put the ball in the end zone.” Ottawa has converted six of nine red zone chances over its opening two games.

In three games the Lancers have been outscored 146-30 while allowing opposing starting quarterbacks to throw for an average 229 yards.  Wendel is averaging 342.5 yards passing on the season.  However, Barresi doesn’t think the scoring differential properly reflects Windsor. “They could have had a lot more points, they were down in the score zone a lot.” Indeed, the Lancers have had red zone issues of their own, going 1-4 which ranks last in the OUA.

Running back Bryce Vieira who was limited to 49 total yards against McMaster will look to have renewed success at Gee-Gees Field where he had 110 rushing yards and 93 receiving on Sept. 6.  The running back might have another difficult test ahead of him however; the Lancers have not allowed a runner to gain 100 yards since opening weekend.

The game is at 1 p.m. at Gee-Gees Field and will be broadcast on OUA.tv. Tickets are available on tickets.geegees.ca and single game tickets are $2 cheaper when purchased online at least two hours before the game.

Ottawa Gee-Gees Sports Information