The Queen's Gaels (3-2) will welcome the No.1 Western Mustangs (4-0) to Richardson Stadium for the next chapter in their historic rivalry. Game time is set for Saturday, September 29 at 1pm and will feature a Queen's Football Alumni Celebration as well as the conclusion to the Blood Battle.

Before the game, the Bayridge Junior and Senior football teams will be holding the Canadian flag during the national anthem. Also, the proceeds from 50/50 tickets sold during the game will go towards the Kingston Gymnastic Club.

Admission for all students is FREE with your student card, otherwise tickets can be purchased at gogaelsgo.com/tickets. If you can't make it out to the stadium all the action can be seen live on OUA.tv or YourTV CABLE 13/HD CABLE 700.

BLOOD BATTLE
In an effort to promote blood donations to the Canadian Blood Services, Queen's and Western have been participating in the Blood Battle. Through our first two home games, the Canadian Blood Services booth has been taking appointments from fans that go towards the Queen's football count. The team with the most appointments will be crowned the 2018 Blood Battle champion on September 29.

Queen's Football alumnus and Chief Supply Chain Officer & VP, Donor Relations for Canadian Blood Services Rick Prizen will be on-site to announce the winner of the Blood Battle.

QUEEN'S FOOTBALL ALUMNI CELEBRATION
Members of the 1963 Yates Cup, 1968 Vanier Cup, 1978 Vanier Cup and 1983 Dunsmore Cup championship teams will be recognized on the field prior to the game.

Principal Daniel Wolfe and captains Rob Brooks, Bob Clime of the 1968 Vanier Cup team and Jim D'Andrea of the 1978 Vanier cup team will be participating in the coin toss.

WESTERN PREVIEW
After a pair of nail-biting matchups against Carleton and Guelph, the Gaels will look to pick up a huge win against the top-ranked team in the nation.

Other than a week one scare in an overtime win in Carleton, everything has been clicking for the Western Mustangs. They enter week six with the best offence and defence in Ontario and on top of the OUA standings. At 548 yards per game, the Mustangs provide a balanced run and passing game and in certain situations they aren't afraid to rely on either. What makes the Mustangs so dangerous offensively is the amount of playmakers who can perform at any moment. In just four games there have been five receivers who have over 100 yards this season and eight different players who have found the end zone.

So far this season, the Mustangs are averaging an astonishing 53.3 points per game which is over 18 points higher than second place Queen's (35 PPG).

Defensively, they keep teams from making any forward progress allowing just 274.5 yards per game. They also lead the OUA in turnovers including a league-high nine interceptions and to cap things off they are top-five with 11 sacks. Only allowing 9.8 points per game, the Mustangs make it their goal to stop you from scoring and immediately going the other way and putting points on the board.

However, the Gaels have one of the strongest offences in the league ranking within the top-four in both points per game and yards per game. The Gaels have proven to be a tough challenge coming up with big plays in the clutch against imposing defences such as Carleton and Guelph and will look to continue their offensive hot streak on Saturday.

"When they score, you better score and you have to have some big defensive stands against them and your special teams need to be very good," said head coach Pat Sheahan. "It can't be a day for we 'shoulda, coulda, woulda' you have got to deliver against good teams."

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Nate Hobbs (Mississauga, Ont.) – Queen's: Hobbs has been coming up clutch over the past couple of weeks leading the offence against two of the OUA's strongest defences. He ranks second in the OUA with 1,581 passing yards but some would say has stolen the show with his running ability. He currently is tied for the league lead with Western's Cedric Joseph with six rushing touchdowns.

DB Zackary Kealey (Almonte, Ont.) – Queen's: As long as Kealey continues to dominate on the field he will remain as a player to watch. Kealey has become a hard-hitting turnover machine forcing three fumbles over the last two weeks. You can find the third year free safety all over the field as his 31 tackles continues to lead the team.

QB Chris Merchant – Western: Merchant looks like he's on pace to have an MVP season. In just four games he's thrown for over 1100 yards at an untouchable 78.9%. After throwing 12 touchdowns last season, Merchant is already at 11 in half the games. The Gaels main priority will be stopping #12 otherwise they may find themselves in some trouble.

LB Mike Moore – Western: A former Gaels' captain and defensive leader, Mike Moore joined the Mustangs after spending four season at Queen's. Saturday's matchup will be Moore's first game against his former teammates. In all four seasons with the Gaels Moore had over 40 tackles including his rookie campaign where he had a career-high 48.5 tackles.

WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
In 2011, the unranked Gaels found themselves in a similar position against the No.1 Western Mustangs in the final game of the regular season. Not only did the Gaels pull off the upset on home turf, but they shutout the Mustangs 37-0 to finish the regular season 6-2 and secured the third seed in the conference. 

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
With three games remaining for the Gaels each matchup gets more important than the last. Eight teams are vying for six playoff spots meaning every game could make or break a team's season. As of now the Gaels hold onto the final playoff spot with a 3-2 record, but with Laurier (2-2) and Guelph (2-3) on their tails a win this weekend could go a long way in shaping the playoff race.