CFL.ca Staff
HAMILTON, Ont. — The OUA regular season is coming to a close, and there is no better way to roll in to playoffs than with two teams who football fans will be seeing a lot more of in the upcoming weeks! The Western Mustangs take the long road to Queen’s this weekend to faceoff with the Gaels, and The Score will be there to bring the action live on Saturday, October 22 at 1 p.m. ET.
The showdown with Western is the first University Rush appearance for the Gaels in 2011, and it appears it couldn’t have come at a better time. Though slow to start, the Gaels have won five in a row and will be looking to upset No. 1 Western for the sixth.
The Gaels are coming off a 53-0 trouncing over the Waterloo Warriors. Ryan Granberg (Sherwood Park, Alta.) led the Gaels with four touchdowns and 245 rushing yards.
In the first quarter the Warriors were forced back into their own end by the Gaels defence. A high snap went over punter Alex Cowle (Napanee, Ont.) and out of the end zone to give the Gaels a 2-0 lead off the safety. From there the Gaels never looked back, and the game evolved into an offensive pummeling. When the whistle finally blew on the wind and rain soaked field, the score sat at 53-0 for the Gaels, and the muddy Warriors were ready to go home.
Granberg now sits atop the league with 871 rushing yards in six games. Averaging 145 yards per game, he has surpassed rookie sensation Tyler Varga (Kitchener, Ont.) in total yards and average yards per game. Pat Sheahan, head coach of the Queen’s Gaels, is pleased with Granberg’s performance as of late.
“He’s coming into his own a bit. The offensive line has come together and when you can run the football well a lot of good things happen. Ryan is rising to the challenge when his team needs him.”
It’s safe to say that his team will need him this week, as Saturday’s game against 7-0 Western will be a far cry from playing 0-7 Waterloo.
Historically, the Gaels lead the all-time series between the two teams by a 43-40-2 margin. The Mustangs haven’t made the trip to Richardson Stadium since the 2009 Yates Cup final when Queen’s topped Western in a 43-39 thriller that is widely considered one of the best games in OUA history. More recently, the Gaels and Mustangs met on The Score in 2010. Western downed Queen’s 46-10 at TD Waterhouse Stadium in front of 10, 000-plus purple fans.
When asked about the locker room atmosphere heading into this game, Coach Pat wasn’t quick to forget last year’s loss. “The atmosphere in the dressing room is good. We got pushed around in London last year and you don’t forget things like that in the football culture. It’s important our guys come out aggressively and play some good football.”
The Western Mustangs have been playing good football all year, and despite a few quarter-long lapses here and there have managed to achieve perfection with their undefeated record. Last week in Toronto was no exception. Despite losing the first half 9-7, the Mustangs turned it around and managed to hold the Blues scoreless in the second, pulling off a 21-9 win.
Nathan Riva (LaSalle, Ont.) was unfazed by the less than ideal weather conditions, and ran for 218 yards and one touchdown. The fourth year running back has 552 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Varga went down deep in the Toronto end zone in the first quarter, and didn’t return to the field. When asked about Varga’s condition, Head Coach Greg Marshall stated, “He’s been practicing but we’re going to be cautious. We haven’t decided yet but we’re leaning towards him not playing. He will have input into the decision after tonight’s [Thursday] practice.”
The hurricane force winds eliminated much hope for a passing game, and Ben Rossong (Sackville, N.S.) and Ian Noble (Toronto) combined for only 106 yards in the air. Rossong has been the starting QB in Donnie Marshall’s (London, Ont.) injury absence, but Noble took a few snaps in the victory. Given that this weekend’s matchup is meaningless for Western in terms of postseason positioning, it’s possible that some of Western’s usual suspects will be taking it easy.
“We’re planning on getting some kids an opportunity to play. We’re going to rest players if they need it. It would be nice to pick up a win in Kingston, but we’re not going to do it at anyone’s expense.”
Queen’s has also solidified their place in the OUA postseason, but Saturday’s result, coupled with the outcome of McMaster and Ottawa, can have the Gael’s hosting fifth place Windsor, or the winner of Laurier and Guelph, who are still fighting it out for the remaining position.
