With two schools that have vast athletic histories, it is surprising that Western and Carleton have never once gone head to head on the gridiron. Monday’s game will be the first time in school history that the Mustangs compete against the Carleton Ravens, who have been revived after a 15-year absence from football. Monday night’s game will also be Western’s home opener, and the Mustangs will have home field advantage under the bright lights at TD Stadium.
The Mustangs are coming off of their first victory of the season, after defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues 50-14 on August 25. Second-year quarterback Will Finch was both quick on his feet and strong with his arm against the Varsity Blues as he completed 23 of 32 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 68 yards. Fourth-year receiver Brian Marshall also started the season strong catching two touchdown passes and racking up 160 yards receiving on seven receptions.
Defensively the Mustangs were led by Beau Landry and Rory Connop who each tallied five tackles and combined for three of the Mustangs six sacks. With the majority of the Mustangs front seven back in purple and white for another season, the Ravens will be faced with one of the nation’s toughest pass rushes in their debut contest.
The Ravens roster consists primarily of first-year players, but the team has experience behind the bench as they are led by former St. Mary’s Huskies coach, and 2009 CIS Coach of the Year, Steve Sumarah. Despite the Ravens lack of experience they have managed to put together an impressive recruiting class, with London native Nate Behar as one of the team’s key prospects. Behar, one of the nation’s top recruits, is expected to be a primary target for quarterback Jesse Mills who transferred from St. Mary’s to join the Ravens. On the defensive side of the ball Elliot Nelson is expected to contribute at linebacker while top recruit Zach Annen will provide speed at defensive end.
Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at TD Stadium in London. Fans can watch all of the action on Rogers Cable 13 or streamed live via Mustang TV. Fans can also listen live on NewsTalk 1290 CJBK and 94.9 CHRW FM.
Photo credit: Corey Stanford
Source: Serena Quinn, Western Mustangs Sports Information
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