Preview: Laurier hopes to turn things around at home against Western

WATERLOO, Ont. – Coming off a tough loss on the road to the Queen’s Gaels, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team (1-2) will be hoping that the friendly confines of University Stadium will help them return to the win column this Saturday.

However, the task will be tough as the No. 2 Western Mustangs (3-0) are in town, a team that has won their three games by an average of nearly 40 points.

Despite the lopsided 58-35 scoreline against Queen’s last Saturday, the Hawks offence continues to click at one of the highest rates in the country this season. Laurier is currently averaging over 40 points per game, third best in the CIS, and its quarterback Shane Kelly of Basking Ridge, N.J., who is leading the way for the Golden Hawks. Kelly, who had six touchdown passes all of last season, has already thrown for 10 this year, two more than anyone else in the country. He is also averaging over 300 yards per game through the air, which is third best in Canada.

The Hawks receivers have benefited from his improved play from last season as four Hawks have eclipsed the 100 yard receiving mark for the season. Dillon Heap of Waterloo, Ont., leads the way amongst this group with 230 yards through the first three games while Mark Surya of Burlington, Ont., and Anton Bennett of Toronto, each have caught three touchdown passes.

What this means for Saturday’s game is that it could turn into an offensive display as Western currently has the top offence in Canada, averaging 58 points per game. They also lead the country in rushing yards per game, averaging over 350 yards on the ground through their first three contests.

Rookie running back Tyler Varga of Kitchener, Ont., has been the main catalyst for the Mustangs offence. Already a heavy favourite for Rookie of the Year honours, Varga has amassed 374 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Western quarterback Donnie Marshall of London, Ont., has also continued his strong play in 2011, throwing for 760 yards while rushing for 217.

In order for the Golden Hawks to come away with a victory, they will have to find a way to slow down this dynamic duo for the Mustangs. To do that, the Hawks will look to their front seven to shut down the Mustangs run game. One player key in that group is linebacker Mitchell Bosch of Langley, B.C. Bosch has done it all so far for the Hawks on defence, recording 11.5 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and an interception. He will need to have another big game for Laurier if they are to contain the Western offence.

Kick-off Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the first 300 fans receiving a free rivalry t-shirt.

Source: Laurier Sports Info (and picture)

STORYLINES

Rankings Busters: For the second week in a row the Mustangs helped shift a team down the CIS Rankings, this time moving Ottawa right out of the Top 10. Two weeks ago in Hamilton, the Mustangs defeated the No. 2 ranked McMaster Marauders 48-21 and the following week the Marauders had been bumped down to No. 7. This past weekend the Ottawa Gee Gees came into London ranked No. 9, but the 41-13 loss at the hands of the Mustangs has knocked them out of the CIS Top 10.

Defense Comes Up Big: A lot of attention has been focused on the Mustangs high-powered offense, but it was the defense that held the fort against Ottawa in the first half, providing the time for the offense to get in gear.
Fourth year Defensive End David Lee finished the game with 6 tackles, including two for a loss, and forced a key fumble late in the third quarter in Ottawa territory. Two plays later the Mustangs added another touchdown to make it 24-6 and the rout was on.

Matt Norman – CFL Prospect: Offensive Lineman Matt Norman has been listed as the number 11 prospect for the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft. Norman, a 6-foot3, 317-pound senior from Châteauguay, Que., anchors the powerful Mustangs offensive line, a major component of Western’s CIS-leading rushing game.

Varga Touchdown Update: After a slow start on Saturday against the Gee Gees, Rookie Tyler Varga (Kitchener, Ont.) scored two second half touchdowns to bring his season total to nine (9). Varga finished with 145 yards on the ground and added one catch for 9 yards.

Western Sports Info