Mustangs open with dominant win over Varsity Blues

TORONTO – Fourth-year receiver Brian Marshall caught two touchdown passes and racked up 160 yards receiving on seven receptions to help lead the Western Mustangs to a 50-14 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Stadium.

BOXSCORE

“Brian’s had a great training camp,” said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. “We expect that he’s going to make those big catches for us, he’s got very, very strong hands. [He made those plays] in a time we needed those big plays from him.”

Quarterback Will Finch led the Mustangs offence, completing 23 of 32 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Chris Jugovic threw for one touchdown and 274 yards on 24 for 39 passing with two interceptions in the loss.

Alongside Marshall’s 160 performance, second-year receiver George Johnson pulled down nine passes for 98 yards and one touchdown for the Mustangs, while Paul de Pass posted 86 yards on five catches and Alex Pierzchalski caught nine passes for 66 yards to lead the Toronto receiving corps.

Defensively Toronto’s Trevor Harvey led all defenders with 8.5 tackles while also earning one sack and one interception. Kalvin Johnson topped the score sheet for the Mustangs defence posting 4.5 on the day.

The Mustangs opened the scoring at 10:05 of the first quarter when defensive end Daryl Waud forced Jugovic to fumble, allowing Malcolm Brown to pick up the ball and return it 16 yards to put the Mustangs in front.

Western added to their lead a short time later as quarterback Will Finch avoided an aggressive Toronto rush to score on a 24-yard run.

The score remained the same until midway through the second quarter when Finch threw deep connecting with receiver Brian Marshall on a 71-yard touchdown pass to put the Mustangs up by 21.

After a missed field goal resulted in a single point for Western the Varsity Blues immediately fired back on the next drive as Jugovic marched the offence down the field, eventually finding a wide open Michael Kanopoulos in the end zone to make it 22-7 Western.

The Mustangs didn’t take long to respond, scoring on the next drive when Brian Marshall recorded his second touchdown of the day, this time catching a 32-yard pass from Blake Huggins. A single on the ensuing kickoff gave Western a 30-7 lead heading into halftime.

Following a 24-yard field goal from Hajrullahu midway through the third quarter, Toronto recorded the game’s next major as Harrison Beeforth broke through the Western line, forcing a fumble by Finch that Chris Johnson returned 60-yards to cut Western’s lead to 33-14.

Continuing one of the themes of the day the next scoring play came quickly as Johnson hauled in a 35-yard pass from Finch to extend the Mustangs lead to 40-14 which increased to 47-14 just after the start of the fourth quarter thanks to a one-yard run from Garret Sanvido.

Hajrullahu rounded out the game’s scoring with a 15-yard field goal, giving Western a 50-14 victory.

The Mustangs are back in action on Labour Day for the team’s home opener against the Carleton Ravens who make their return to OUA football this season. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at TD Stadium and fans can watch the action live on Rogers Cable 13, listen on NewsTalk 1290 AM CJBK Radio, or watch the webcast on SSN Canada.

(Source:  Western Mustangs Sports information)

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team dropped their 2013 home opener, 50-14, to the Western Mustangs on Sunday, August 25 at Varsity Centre.

Third-year defensive back Trevor Harvey of Scarborough, Ont., was named the Varsity Blues player of the game after notching a game-high 8.5 tackles, one sack and one interception. Linebacker Dylan Gordon (Cambridge) added 7.5 tackles and one sack, while Chris Johnson (Toronto) had three tackles, one sack, one break up, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a TD.

Second-year quarterback Chris Jugovic of Hamilton, Ont., was 24-of-39 for 274 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for the Blues. Fifth-year receiver Paul de Pass (Ajax) recorded a team-high 86 yards on five catches, while Alex Pierzchalski had nine receptions for 66 yards.

The loss extends Western’s undefeated streak over Toronto to 21 games (20-0-1). The Blues last defeated the Mustangs, 24-16, in the 1993 Yates Cup final.

The Blues struggled on the ground, with only 52 rushing yards compared to Western’s 205. Rookie running back and Toronto native Alex Malone accounted for 44 of those yards on seven carries. The Mustangs amassed 604 total offensive yards, with Toronto netting 265.

Western opened the scoring early in the first quarter when sophomore defensive back Malcolm Brown (London, Ont.) recovered a Ricky Osei-Kusi (Brampton, Ont.) forced fumble and ran it 16 yards into the end zone. Mustangs quarterback Will Finch of Burlington extended the lead with a 24-yard rushing touchdown and the visitors held a 14-0 advantage after the first quarter.

Finch connected on a 71-yard strike to veteran receiver Brian Marshall (London) for the Mustangs third TD midway through the second frame. The Blues got on the board in the dying minutes of the first half when Jugovic found second-year receiver Michael Kanopoulos (Toronto) in the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown.

Marshall added his second major of the game on a 32-yard reception with 22 seconds to go in the second to give Western a 30-7 halftime lead.

After a Western field goal to open the second half, the Blues defence rallied the troops as Harrison Beeforth (Richmond Hill) sacked Finch and forced a fumble. Chris Johnson promptly picked it up and ran 60 yards for the major. On the ensuing drive, the Mustangs responded with a 35-yard receiving touchdown from Brampton native George Johnson to maintain their 26-point lead (40-14) heading into the final quarter.

Western would extend their lead early in the fourth on a one-yard rushing TD from Garrett Sandivo (Vancouver). Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu (St. Catharines) rounded out the scoring with a 15-yard field goal to secure the 50-14 win.

Finch was 23-for-32 for 306 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Huggins went 7-for-12 for 130 yards and one major. Marshall led all players with 160 receiving yards on seven catches and two touchdowns, with Sandivo tallying a game-high 88 rushing yards and one TD on 12 carries.

The Varsity Blues (0-1) will look to bounce back against the Laurier Golden Hawks (0-1) on Labour Day Monday, September 2, at University Stadium in Waterloo, Ont. After Week 3 in Ottawa, the Blues return home on Sept. 14 to host the Guelph Gryphons at 1 p.m. at Varsity Centre.

Photo credit:  Lindsay Nemeth

Source: University of Toronto Varsity Blues Sports Information