Kingston,Ont. (September 27, 2008) – One team is ranked No. 2 in the nation. The other, No. 4.
Statistically, one team is No. 1 in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) offence, while the other is No. 3. Within their own conference, the Western Mustangs and Queen's Gaels boast two of the top three defences.
When both clubs clash on Saturday at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, it will be more than just an early autumn football game between old rivals. It has the makings of being an epic battle between Ontario University Athletics (OUA) heavyweights, and a teaser for what is to come on the road to the Yates Cup championship later this year.
The No. 2 Mustangs (4-0) put an 11-game OUA win streak on the line, with No. 4 Queen's (4-0) already being a victim during Western's run. That was last November in an OUA quarter-final playoff game, when the Mustangs upset the Gaels 27-19 in Kingston en route to the 2007 Yates Cup title.
Queen's highly-ranked offence was contained in that game, most notably running back Mike Giffin (Kingston, Ont.) who was limited to 49 rushing yards on 12 carries. The defending OUA rushing champion and current CIS leader has a regular-season streak of over 100 rushing yards in 14 games dating back to 2006. Western head coach Greg Marshall believes his defence got an assist by the playing conditions of Richardson Stadium back in late October.
“Oftentimes you think that when you get a muddy field that it benefits the run game, but that's not true,” said Marshall, a Hec Crighton Award-winning running back in his playing days. “If you get a sloppy field, it's difficult to get any kind of movement on the offensive line. I thought our defensive line did a good job.”
While Giffin is racking up the yards on the ground once again, it is the air attack that has gotten a lot of notice at Queen's. Three different receivers have eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark in games this year, including Scott Valberg (Kingston, Ont.), Christopher Ioannides (Toronto, Ont.) and Scott Stinson (North Bay, Ont.). Quarterback Dan Brannagan (Burlington, Ont.) has passed for an OUA-high 1,404 yards.
“If there's a part of our offence that has been a pleasant surprise, I guess it's the fact that we've been able to move the ball through the air,” admitted Queen's head coach Pat Shehan. “We've got some new receivers in new roles, and what they're finding is that the pressure now to make big plays in key situations is happening more often and they're getting accustomed to playing those roles.”
“Fortunately for us here, we don't have any superstars in our receiving corps. What we have is a bunch of hard working kids and they all bust their hump on every play to get it right. I would say that that unselfishness has contributed to our success in the passing game. And the fact that our quarterback is throwing with more confidence.”
Those receivers face a Western defence that has allowed just 209 passing yards per game to this point of the season.
The game can be seen nationally on The Score beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.
WESTERN AND QUEEN'S BY THE NUMBERS
4 – Number of wins both teams have this season. Both Queen's and Western have perfect seasons as they sit at 4-0 before this weekend's showdown.
2 – The CIS ranking given to the Western Mustangs. Queen's is ranked fourth.
10,258 – Number of seats in Richardson Stadium, home of the Queen's Gaels, and site of the Sept. 27 Homecoming game. The game is a sellout.
215 – Number of yards rushed by Mike Giffin (Kingston, Ont.) during the Sept. 20 Queen's win over Toronto. With it, he extends his consecutive game rushing streak of 100 yards or more to 14 games. This game marks only the second time Giffin has pushed over the 200-yard mark in his four-year career.
8 - Number of consecutive regular season wins by the Western Mustangs. The last game they lost was on Sept. 22, 2007, when the Guelph Gryphons outdid the Mustangs 31-17.
1,404 – Number of completed passing yards by Queen's Dan Brannagan (Burlington, Ont.) Brannagan sits at the top of OUA and CIS passing lists.
3 – Number of Queen's players that grace the top of OUA and CIS leaderboards. Brannagan leads the nation in passing; Giffin leads in rushing and scoring, and Scott Valberg (Kingston, Ont.) leads in receiving.
10-27-07 – The date of the last Queen's vs. Western match up. The two teams met in the OUA Quarter-Finals on a rainy, dismal day. The Mustangs ended the Gaels season with a 27-19 win, going on to capture their first Yates Cup since 1998.
54 – Number of points that opponent teams have scored this season on the Western Mustangs, which is the lowest number allowed by any OUA team this season. Queen's sits right behind them, only allowing 62 points in four games.
