Varsity Blues host #1 Mustangs this Saturday

The Varsity Blues football team returns home and looks to hand the Western Mustangs their first loss of the season this Saturday, October 15. Varsity Centre will also play host to the football team’s annual Shriners game – all this and much more, starting at 1 p.m.!!!

The game will be streamed live on SSN Canada through varsityblues.ca. Advance tickets are on sale: click here or call 416-946-3811.

The Mustangs (6-0) are coming off a hard-fought 33-29 victory over the Guelph Gryphons, the same Gryphons squad that the Blues (2-4) topped 21-12 on Sept. 17.

“Western is a great team, there’s no arguing that,” said Varsity Blues head coach Greg Gary. “We may be the underdogs but that doesn’t mean they automatically get two points. We’ve proven that we are competitive and we’re excited to bring our A game to show our fans that we can compete with the top teams in the country.”

Fifth-year quarterback Andrew Gillis will be looking to lead the Blues to their third win of the season when they kick off on Saturday afternoon. The Toronto native is just 173 yards shy of becoming only the sixth Blues quarterback to reach over 4,000 career passing yards.

Sophomores Alex Pierzchalski and Aaron Milton are en route to break out seasons. A receiver from London, Ont., Pierzchalski leads the team with 345 receiving yards, while Milton, a running back from Whitby, Ont., sits among the OUA’s best with 328 rushing yards in six games.

Mississauga, Ont., native Wilkerson DeSouza leads the OUA with 38 solo tackles over six games. Fellow fourth-year veteran Dorian Munroe, a 2011 transfer from Florida State, has also posted impressive numbers with 25 tackles this season.

The Mustangs have the top offence in the province, averaging 549 yards, while the Blues defence are ranked second allowing only 348 yards per game.

That defensive unit will have to put a stop to Tyler Varga, the top running back in the CIS. Varga has rushed for 768 yards and an impressive 14 touchdowns. Nathan Riva has also had great success on the ground with eight TDs so far this season.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca.

Toronto Sports Info

STORYLINES
CIS Number 1: On Tuesday the CIS released the newest rankings and the Western Mustangs are the new top ranked team in CIS football. The Mustangs moved ahead of the Laval Route et Or following their loss on the weekend to Montreal. The last time Western was ranked No. 1 was in the next to last poll of the 1999 campaign (Nov. 1). It also marks the first time since 2001 that an OUA team finds itself atop the CIS football Top 10. That year, the Ottawa Gee-Gees spent the first six weeks in first place.

Timely Defense: The defense wasn’t always pretty on Saturday against Guelph, but it came up big when it was most needed. Guelph was in position to win the game in the final minute of play on the Western 16 yard line. On 3rd and 10, Guelph quarterback Jazz Lindsey threw the potential winning pass into the end zone, but it was Western’s Mike Spence who came up with the pass, ending the Guelph threat and sealing the victory for the Mustangs. The interception was Spence’s second on the day.

Rossong’s 2 TD’s: Ben Rossong, stepping into the quarterback position for injured pivot Donnie Marshall acquainted himself nicely, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns, without throwing an interception. Rossong’s two touchdown passes were of the spectacular kind, as he hooked up with Zach Bull at the end of the first half for an important score and connected with Brian Marshall on a 73 yard score in the fourth quarter to put the Mustangs up for good.

Varga Closing on Tindale: Rookie running back Tyler Varga continues to add touchdowns to his season total. Although his pace has dropped in the last two games he has still scored a rushing touchdown in each game this year to bring his total to 14 on the season. Varga is quickly catching up on former Mustang Tim Tindale’s team record of 16 in the 1991 season. Varga needs only 2 more touchdowns in the final two games of the season to tie Tindale, and 7 more to tie the OUA record of 21 held by McMaster’s Jesse Lumsden.

Not the same old Toronto: The Mustangs have defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues in 15 straight meetings going back to a 19-19 tie in 1995. However, this Varsity Blues team is having a more competitive season and should prove to be a stiffer challenge to the Mustangs. Toronto beat the Guelph Gryphons 21-12 in Week 3, following up on their win over York the previous weekend and sit at 2-4 on the season.

Files from Western Sports Info