Chris Merchant diving for a touchdown during a regular season game against the Waterloo Warriors.
Courtesy: Nav Mohan
The Western Mustangs will be hosting their fifth straight Yates Cup on Saturday afternoon against the McMaster Marauders. Western has won the past two editions. This year, however, may be a tougher test.
This will be a matchup of the top two regular-season teams in the OUA. Western completed its third consecutive 8-0 season to secure the top spot. McMaster went 6-2, which included a 5-1 start. The only loss in that stretch came against Western in Week 3, 34-17.
Quarterbacks
The Western Mustangs have been led all season by fifth-year quarterback, Chris Merchant. The Calgary, Alberta native was named a first-team OUA all-star and the league’s MVP, finishing with a career-best 2,378 passing yards along with 14 touchdowns in the regular season. He was also a force on the ground, tallying 438 yards and six touchdowns. The 2017 Vanier Cup MVP had the second-most rushing yards on the Mustangs and the second-most rushing touchdowns in the OUA.
In the semi-final game against the Waterloo Warriors, Merchant was held out of the endzone but ended up with 324 total yards. The Mustangs only had one offensive touchdown in the game.
For McMaster, Andreas Dueck had a solid third year at quarterback for the Marauders. With the starting job fully his, Dueck finished second in the OUA with 303.9 passing yards per game along with 15 touchdowns through the air – which was also second-most. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native finished with more passing yards than Merchant, throwing for 2,431 yards in McMaster’s pass-happy offence.
In the Marauder’s semi-final matchup against the Guelph Gryphons, Dueck was the story. He finished with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. His rushing TD was a 55-yard scamper in the third quarter that ended up being the difference in a 19-9 final.
As is the case with most quarterback duels, the difference will be who can take care of the football. Both QBs finished the regular season with 8 interceptions. Merchant is known for his athleticism and will likely run the football more. Despite having 77 rushing attempts, Merchant never fumbled the ball. Dueck finished the regular season with a quarter of the rushing yards that Merchant had but lost three fumbles.
Backfield
The Western Mustangs have OUA second-team all-star Trey Humes leading out of the backfield. Humes is in his fourth year of eligibility but his first as a starter. He had a solid regular season, picking up 705 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His longest run of the season, however, was only 23 yards. That came in the regular-season matchup against McMaster, where he also scored a touchdown. Humes can also be used as a passing option, gathering 11 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Trey Humes handling the ball in the semifinals against the Waterloo Warriors.
Courtesy: Nav Mohan
The Ajax, Ontario native was a force in the semi-finals though. He scored the Mustangs only offensive touchdown and picked up 121 yards on the ground off 16 carries.
The Marauders have more of a split backfield. Jordan Lyons is a fifth-year running back who battled through injuries. He was able to suit up in five games during the regular season collecting 321 yards and three touchdowns. Justice Allin enjoyed his first year as a starter, getting 346 yards and one touchdown while suiting up in all eight games for the first time in his career.
In the semis against Guelph, Allin had a majority of the backfield touches gaining 93 yards on 17 carries while Lyons was handed the ball just three times.
The Mustangs rely heavily on their rushing game, which means they will be relying on Trey Humes. Western had the most rushing first downs (99) and the second-most rushing touchdowns (13) during the regular season. While Merchant is just as big of a ground threat as any running back, the Mustangs look to pound the ground game in hopes of opening up the aerial attack. The Marauders are more prone to look for short passes, as they pick up just 12.5 yards per completion.
Receivers
The Mustangs have enjoyed a relatively unchanged receiving core for the past couple of seasons. Harry McMaster was the only omission from last year’s receivers. Brett Ellerman has stepped up in his place, garnering OUA first-team all-star honours after leading the Mustangs with 39 receptions for 621 yards and five touchdowns. He finished tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns and was in the top 10 in the province in receiving yards per game. Ellerman caught four balls for 86 yards in the semi-finals against Waterloo.
Malik Besseghieur shedding off a Waterloo Warrior tackler.
Courtesy: Nav Mohan
Malik Besseghieur has emerged as a deep threat for the Mustangs this season. The wide receiver had four touchdowns in the regular season after failing to find the endzone in 2018. Besseghieur had 30 receptions for 546 yards during the regular season, averaging just under 69 receiving yards per game.
Cole Majoros serves as the Mustangs safety valve on offence. The slot receiver had 35 catches for 400 yards but did not find the endzone in the regular season. Savaughn Magnaye-Jones has emerged as another wild card in the Mustangs offence. He occasionally lines up on the outside as a deep threat, hauling in an 82-yard touchdown once this season. Antonio Valvano has also established himself as a passing option as a fullback, grabbing a touchdown and averaging about one catch per game.
The Marauders have a wide range of receiving weapons for Dueck to capitalize on. Tommy Nield earned a spot on the OUA’s second all-star team after leading the Marauders with 38 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns. Xander Tachinski became a solid option in his second season with McMaster. He also nabbed three touchdowns off 34 receptions and 411 yards. Tyson Middlemost is a deep threat for the Marauders, leading his team with almost 18 yards per catch with a team-high four receiving touchdowns. His longest reception was a 72-yard catch. Five other receivers caught touchdowns for McMaster during the regular season in an offence that had the most passing first downs (117) and the second-most passing touchdowns (15).
The Marauders have an offence that relies on passing. They have a revolving door of competent receivers who have stepped up at various times throughout the season. In the semis against Guelph, fullback Blake Reason caught the only receiving touchdown of the game for the Marauders.
Defence
For as many offensive weapons that will be in the 112th Yates Cup, the game could be low-scoring because of both teams’ defence.
The Mustangs defence pouncing on a loose ball.
Courtesy: Nav Mohan
Western had the best rushing defence in the regular season giving up 106 yards per game on the ground. It’s a stark contrast to their pass defence that gave up the second-most passing yards per game (300). The Mustangs forced 11 turnovers and had three defensive touchdowns. Bleska Kambamba was the only member of the defence to earn all-star honours, landing a first-team spot for the second straight year. He had two interceptions and a forced fumble in the regular season.
The defence was the difference for the Mustangs against Waterloo. Kojo Odoom had two interceptions, one of which was returned for the eventual game-winning touchdown. Odoom was named OUA Rookie of the Year after suiting up in all eight games in the secondary for the Mustangs.
The Marauders defence had a stronger regular season, statistically. They gave up the fewest passing yards per game (209) in the OUA and the third-fewest rushing yards (116). The Marauders had an OUA-leading 14 interceptions and one forced fumble but only had one touchdown that resulted from it. Their 27 sacks were also third-most in the regular season.
Halfback Noah Hallett made the all-OUA first-team, while linebacker Eric Blake and cornerback Nolan Putt were named to the second-team. Hallett finished tied with the second-most interceptions in the OUA with four along with a sack in the regular season. Blake finished with 3.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Putt had 40.5 tackles, 33 of which were solo along with a sack and an interception.
Special Teams
Marc Liegghio stepping into a punt for the Western Mustangs.
Courtesy: Nav Mohan
Marc Liegghio became the U Sports all-time leading scorer this season for the Western Mustangs hitting his 92nd career field goal. The dual first-team all-star for kicking and punting led the OUA with 100 points scored in the regular season. Liegghio missed just two of his 24 field goals and never missed an extra point. In the semis, Liegghio accounted for 18 of his team’s 30 points against Waterloo. He went 5-6 in field goals, gathering a rouge on his only miss along with his two extra points.
While Liegghio led the OUA in every statistical category for kickers, McMaster’s Adam Preocanin wasn’t far behind him. The Marauders kicker and punter scored 75 points during the regular season – third-most in the OUA. He was 18-22 in field goals and didn’t miss any of his 21 extra points. His punting was more towards the middle of the pack, averaging 39 yards per punt but put a league-high 19 of them inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.
Neither team scored a return touchdown of any description. McMaster gave one up during the regular season; Western did not.
Recent history between the two foes has not been kind to the Marauders. They have not beat the Western Mustangs since 2014 where they scored a last-minute touchdown to win 32-29. In the five games the Marauders and Mustangs have played since then, Western has outscored McMaster 172-79. The last time the two have met in a playoff setting was in 2013, where the Mustangs won the OUA semi-finals 32-3.
This is the first time the Marauders have been in the Yates Cup since 2014 when they knocked off the Guelph Gryphons 20-15. McMaster has won seven Yates Cups since 2000, appearing in 10 games overall.
The Mustangs are playing in their 42nd Yates Cup, having won 32 of them. They will also be going for their third consecutive provincial championship – something they have done on three other occasions. The last time they won three in a row was from 1988-90.
Head-to-head, the Marauders and the Mustangs have played for the Yates Cup just once. In 2011, the Marauders topped the Mustangs 41-19 en route to a Vanier Cup victory.
Kick-off for the 112th Yates Cup will be at 1 pm on Saturday, November 9th from TD Stadium.
