KINGSTON, Ont. (October 1, 2010) The Queen's Gaels (1-3) are gearing up for their third consecutive matchup against a nationally ranked squad as they take on the No. 5 Western Mustangs (4-1) on the road this Saturday.
The game will be broadcast live on theScore television network beginning at 1:00 pm.
The last matchups between these two teams have gone down in Canadian football history as potentially two of the greatest games played in the country. The first of two matchups last season was billed as an instant classic and lived up to that title as the Gaels walked away winners of a 27-26 tilt.
Danny Brannagan of Burlington, Ont. hit
Blaise Morrison of Bedford, N.S. on a 30 yard catch and run to cap the Gaels' come from behind victory with 13 seconds left on the clock. The rematch came in the Yates Cup final with Brannagan once again starring as the Gaels won a 43-39 thriller. The Burlington native was named the MVP of the game with 515 yards passing and five touchdowns.
Queen's is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gaels fell behind early as Ottawa jumped out to a 14-0 lead. After being removed early from the game after a shaky start,
Justin Chapdelaine of Abbotsford, B.C. engineered a Gaels comeback on 18 completions for 335 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 54 yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Gaels took the 21-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Ottawa put the game into overtime at 24-24. The Gaels dropped the contest in overtime as Matt Falvo of Welland, Ont. hit a 30 yard field goal to best a single put up by
Dan Village (Abbotsford, B.C.) on a 35 yard field goal attempt. The Gaels'
Giovanni Aprile of Toronto was named the OUA Offensive Player of the Week in the loss as he had 7 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Western on the other hand will be looking to go into their bye week with a victory in their homecoming matchup. The Mustangs defeated the no. 10 Guelph Gryphons last week by a 15-8 score. Jeremy Hipperson led Western with 147 yards rushing on 20 attempts and two touchdowns. He was helped offensively by quarterback Donnie Marshall who added 116 yards passing on 9 completions and another 116 yards rushing on 13 carries in the victory.
The Gaels have won four of their last five games against the Mustangs including a 26-20 overtime victory over Western at their homecoming in 2007. Historically, Queen's is also marginally ahead in the all-time matchup as the Gaels are 41-39-2 against the Mustangs dating back to 1929.
