KINGSTON, Ont. (October 18, 2011) - The Queen's Gaels (5-2) will look to win their sixth game in a row this season as they host the No. 1 nationally ranked Western Mustangs (7-0) at Richardson Stadium in this week's belairdirect rivalry game.
Historically, the Gaels lead the all-time series between the two teams by a 43-40-2 margin. The Mustangs haven't made the trip to Richardson Stadium since the 2009 Yates Cup final when Queen's topped Western in a 43-39 thriller that is widely considered one of the best games in OUA history.
The Gaels come in to this game riding a five game win streak, having not lost since week two at Ottawa on September 10. During this streak the Gaels have averaged 43 points a game while holding their opponents to roughly 12 a contest. In their last game against the Waterloo Warriors, the Gaels overcame the elements and their opponents to come away with a 53-0 victory.
Ryan Granberg of Sherwood Park, Alta. stole the show as he rushed for 240 on 31 carries against the Warriors and contributed four touchdowns on the ground.
Billy McPhee of Burlington, Ont. threw for 77 yards and a touchdown on eight completions in the win, while
Ryan Mitchell of Toronto compeleted his one pass attempt for an 88 yard touchdown - the first of his career. Toronto natives
Chris Patrician and
Giovanni Aprile were on the receiving end of those touchdown passes with Patrician hauling in McPhee's pass, and Aprile receiving Mitchell's pass.
On defence the Gaels were led by veteran defensive lineman
Osie Ukwuoma of Mississauga, Ont. who recorded 4.5 tackles and a sack in the win. The Gaels added three interceptions on the afternoon as well. Ben D'Andrea of Calgary,
Ryan Farrell of Halifax and
Connor Moen of Oakville, Ont. all picked off Waterloo passes for the Gaels defence.
Aprile made the biggest splash on special teams for the Gaels as he returned a Waterloo kickoff 109 yards for a Gaels touchdown to open the second half.
The No. 1 Mustangs are coming off of a narrow 21-9 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues on the road last week. The Mustangs struggled early but ultimately overcame a 9-7 deficit to keep their undefeated record intact. Nathan Riva of LaSalle, Ont. was the top Mustang on offence with a 218 yard, one touchdown game on 34 carries. Tyler Varga of Kitchener, Ont. has led the Mustangs since the start of the season as he has 15 touchdowns on the ground through seven games.
Saturday's belair direct rivalry game between the Gaels and Mustangs is set to kickoff at 1:00 pm at Richardson Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on theScore.
