OTTAWA, On. – In perhaps the most anticipated game of the OUA season, the Ottawa Gee Gees (9) are traveling to London, Ontario to take on the Western Ontario Mustangs (2) in the battle for first place in the OUA on Saturday at 1:00pm.
Where to begin? Well, firstly, the game represents the first meeting between the two since the classic 2010 Yates Cup, a game that saw Western travel on the nation’s capital and pull off a 26-25 win with a last second field goal from Lirim Hajrullahu (St.Catharines, Ont.). As illustrated by the Yates Cup final score, the two teams have been evenly matched for the last half-decade with Western taking a slight edge with a record of 6-4 in the last ten meetings. Looking ahead, and without discounting any teams from the present season, it is a distinct possibility that this game not only serves as a re-match, but also a preview of the upcoming Yates Cup. The teams currently sit tied atop the OUA standings. Both coaches Greg Marshall (Western) and J.P.Asselin (Ottawa) downplayed the idea of a Yates preview in a press conference on Thursday however, with both viewing the game as a tough challenge with possible playoff implications.
This weekend’s match-up will showcase the top offense in the country (Western) pitted against the stingiest defense in the nation (Ottawa). The Mustangs are averaging 67 points per game (including a school record 86 vs. Waterloo week one), 631 yards of offense per game, 414 yards rushing per game and 36 first downs per game (all of which rank first in the country). On the other side of the ball, in two games, the Gee Gees defense has allowed only one touchdown (3 yard pass from C.Rossetti to D.Honig vs. Guelph), and an average of 280.5 yards of offense per game. Perhaps most importantly, the Ottawa defense hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown, and have given up 61 rushing yards per game, while the Mustangs 3 pronged run attack has averaged 414 yards per game and 7 touchdowns per game (Tyler Varga 7, Nathan Riva 4, John Leckie 2, Garrett Sanvido 1). When asked how they were preparing for the dangerous Western rushing attack and who needed to step-up, Ottawa coach J.P.Asselin expressed his pride in his team’s defense as a whole; “We don’t have one defensive standout, but we’ve been able to do what we’ve done by playing solid team defense.”
The Gee Gees offense has the more balanced of the two this season, averaging 228 yards passing and 232 yards rushing per game. Standing out on the offensive side of the ball for the Ottawa squad is Brendan Gillanders who is leading the country in yards per carry (amongst rushers with 20+ touches) with 8.7, and averaging 173.5 yards per game. The Western defense has given up an average for 407.5 yards per game, however coach Marshal addressed his team’s defensive situation by expressing his confidence in his team’s ability to learn from their mistakes; “Our front seven has been strong. Our linebackers are inexperienced and our db’s have made some mistakes but they are learning. We’ve got some great athletes back there.”
The question, heading into Saturday’s match-up, is whether Western QB Donnie Marshall can sustain drives through the air. In the first two games, the Gee Gees defense has been lights-out against the run, and they will face their toughest test of the season this week, but their game plans seem to have been to give up underneath routes and wear down the oppositions’ offense. If Donnie Marshall can take advantage of the short routes to the flats, and the Mustangs O can present a slightly more balanced attack, there will be much more room created for the potent Western running backs. If Leckie, Varga, Sanvido, Marshall (ranked fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth respectively in the CIS in yards per game) and Riva are given space to run, it could be a long day for the Ottawa squad. Defensively, the Mustangs have been dependent on their offense putting up points (having allowed 43 points against, but outscoring opponents by 91 points). They will need to figure out a way to stop the country’s top rusher and to shutdown the one-two receiving punch of Bogdon Raic (10 catches, 193 yards, 3td) and Simon le Marquand (11 catches, 154 yards, 1 td).
The game will be broadcast on the Rogers TV cable 13 (London, Ont), CJBK 1290 and 94.9 CHRW radio in London while a live online stream will be available on the Streaming Sports Network ([url]http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2928/).
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