Yates Cup Rematch: Ottawa visits Western, attempt to avenge Yates loss, stop Varga (video)

Yates Cup Rematch: Last fall the Mustangs avenged a regular season defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Gee Gees on a dramatic last second field goal from Lirim Hajrullahu (St. Catharines, Ont.) to win the Yates Cup. Hajrullahu’s kick split the uprights with 1 second left on the clock, earning the Mustangs the 26-25 victory. Both teams come in to this game undefeated in 2011 and will be looking at staking their claim on top spot in the OUA.

Offense vs. Defense: This game features the top Offense in the OUA (Western) against the top Defense (Ottawa). Coming into this weekend’s matchup, the Western Mustangs have compiled 134 points and averaged 627 yards of total offense through two games, while the Ottawa defense has only given up 14 points and an average of 280.5 yards in their first two games.
Another Top 10 Opponent: For the second week in a row the Mustangs will be facing a team in FRC – CIS Top 10 Rankings as the Ottawa Gee Gees have moved into the #9 position following their wins against Guelph and Queen’s.

Mac Attacked: The Mustangs rode into Hamilton on a high after beating Waterloo at home on Labour Day, but knew they would face a much stiffer challenge against the Marauders who were ranked #3 in the CIS coming into the game. The Mustangs racked up an impressive 551 total yards of offense, with 321 yards on the ground and 235 in the air. Tyler Varga (Kitchener, Ont.) lead the way with four touchdowns, while quarterback Donnie Marshall (London, Ont.) finished 14 for 23 and 235 yards passing. The Marauders compiled 474 total yards of offense, but the Mustangs defense pulled together to keep the Marauders out of the end zone time and time again, including an impressive goal line stand late in the first half.

Varga = TD: Rookie Tyler Varga (Kitchener, Ont.) continues to turn heads around the OUA as he has amassed seven touchdowns in the first two games of his university career. Varga is on an incredible pace for 28 touchdowns, which would smash the OUA record of 21 touchdowns in a single season, held by McMaster’s Jesse Lumsden (2004). 21 is also the CIS record, shared by Lumsden and Paul Brule from St. FX in 1967.

Source: Western Sports Info

Football (2-0 OUA, 2-1 overall)

@ Western (2-0 OUA) Saturday, September 17 at 1:00 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium(SSN Canada, Rogers Cable 22)

The Gee-Gees have entered the CIS Top Tenafter a 19-6 victory over Queen’s in uOttawa’s home opener. This week, the nationally ninth-ranked Gee-Gees will travel to London, Ont., to take on the second-ranked Western Mustangs.

The game will be a rematch of the 2010 Yates Cup, in which the Gee-Gees fell just short 26-25, here in Ottawa. The Gee-Gees also beat the Mustangs earlier last year, with a 20-19 win in the regular season.

For the second straight week, the Gee-Gees allowed less than 10 points to its opposition, limiting Queen’s to 63 rushing yards, while constantly pressuring the Queen’s quarterback into making poor decisions.

“What we do on defence, it fits the personnel that we have now,” said Gee-Gees head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin. “They were playing with confidence and they made plays. What impressed me the most is how well the defence worked together.”

However, stopping Western’s offence will likely prove to be a tougher challenge, as the Mustangs are the highest scoring team in the OUA. Western won 48-21 against the nationally seventh-ranked McMaster Marauders last week. The Mustangs had 321 yards on the ground against McMaster, and Ottawa’s defence will need to step up to slow down Western’s running game.

“I think they’ve proven that they can run the ball over the last two years,” said Asselin. “They’re not hiding the fact that they’re trying to run the ball.”

Western and Ottawa are currently tied at the top of the OUA conference with a 2-0 record. Asselin was optimistic that the Gee-Gees could pull out a victory in this fight for first place in Ontario.Windsor is third undefeated team in the province.

“Right now there’s a three team tie at the top of the OUA, and because Western beat Waterloo 86-22, that [technically]makes them number one. In my mind, we’re at the top of the OUA and we’re going to battle to stay there on Saturday.”

Gee-Gees fans can watch the game live on SSN Canada, and on Rogers Cable 22.

Ottawa Sports Info

Ottawa Gee Gees (2011: 2-0 regular season) at Western Mustangs (2011: 2-0 regular season)
TV: Rogers TV, Cable 13 (London, Ont.)
Radio: CJBK 1290 (London, Ont. – http://www.cjbk.com)
Radio: 94.9 CHRW (London, Ont. – http://chrwradio.com)
Live Video: Streaming Sports Network – [URL]http://www.ssncanada.ca/game/2928/
Live Stats: [URL]http://www.sidearmstats.com/uwo/football/
TALE OF THE TAPE
All-Time Head-To-Head: Western vs. Ottawa
OVERALL Western leads 13-5
SERIES STREAK Western won the last game (2010 Yates Cup)
LAST MEETING Western 26, Ottawa 25 (2010 Yates Cup)
LAST 10 Western leads 6-4
LAST WEEK
Western 48 vs. McMaster 21@ Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.
Ottawa 19 vs. Queen’s 6@ Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ont.
UP NEXT
WESTERN @ Laurier (1-1), Sept. 24, 1 p.m.@ Knight-Newbrough Field, University Stadium in Waterloo, Ont.
OTTAWA vs. Toronto (1-1), Sept. 24, 1 p.m. @ Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ont.
ABOUT WESTERN
2011 Schedule:
Sept. 5 – Western 86 vs. Waterloo 22 (most points in school history)
Sept. 10 – Western 48 @ McMaster 21
Sept. 17 – Western vs. Ottawa, 1 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Western @ Laurier, 1 p.m.
Oct. 1 – Western vs. York, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 – Western vs. Guelph, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 – Western @ Toronto, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 – Western @ Queen’s 1 p.m.
Home/Away Record
On Road: 1-0 in 2011, 4-2 in 2010
At Home: 1-0 in 2011, 5-0 in 2010
Head Coach Greg Marshall (5th Season)
5: Number of seasons as head coach at Western
12: Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (includes seven at McMaster)
26-8: Career regular season record at Western
68-20-2: Career regular season as a head coach in CIS
38-12: Career overall record at Western (including playoffs)
91-30-12: Career overall record as a head coach in CIS (includes playoffs)