Western advances to Yates Cup after 26-16 win over Laurier Golden Hawks

WATERLOO, Ont. - Nathan Riva ran for a record-high 42 times for yards as the Western Mustangs booked a ticket to their third consecutive Yates Cup game with a 26-16 win over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks at University Stadium in front of 3,474 fans on Nov. 7.

With the win, the Mustangs advance to the 102nd Yates Cup at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ont. on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. Queen's defeated McMaster 32-6 in the other semifinal.

Riva (LaSalle, Ont.) set the OUA single-game record for rushing attempts with 42 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter for Western.

He accomplished all this against a Laurier defence that, previous to this game, was ranked 2nd in the OUA in rush defence. The sophomore criminology major now has 18 touchdowns on the season, three coming in the two playoff games.

Western amassed 547 yards of total offence and held the Golden Hawks to 252 yards.

The Mustangs, which outscored Laurier 17-0 in the third quarter, controlled the time-of-possession battle, holding the pigskin for over 36 minutes in the game.

Western's defence also deserves much of the credit, as they held a Laurier backfield highlighted by running back Michael Montoya, the leading rusher in the OUA, to just 118 yards rushing. The victory was a continuation of Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall’s history of playoff success. He has won the Yates Cup in his last six non-consecutive years as an OUA head coach.

Western quarterback and CIS all-time passing yardage leader Michael Faulds had an uncharacteristically modest day passing, and the Eden Mills, Ont., native took his share of punishment, having to leave the game briefly after the first series. But he still put up 238 yards of passing, going 14/29 and leading Western to 25 first downs.

Darryl Wheeler (Hamilton, Ont.) added four field goals in the win and was effective punting the ball despite breezy conditions.

It's Western's fourth consecutive win over the Laurier Golden Hawks - and both times Western won OUA semifinal games at Alumni Stadium, they went on to play for Vanier Cups.

After beating the Golden Hawks in the semifinals in 1979, Western lost to Acadia 34-12 in the Vanier Cup. Then, in 1994, Western went on to beat Saskatchewan 50-40 in the Vanier Cup in overtime after winning the semifinal over Laurier in Waterloo, Ont.

The game started inauspiciously for Western when their first possession ended quickly. Two penalties backed the Mustangs up to their two-yard line, and they conceded a safety two plays later. Wilfrid Laurier led 2-0.

Both teams traded punts before Riva began to catch fire. Midway through the first quarter he already had 91 yards on 14 carries.

He led the Western offence to the Laurier nine-yard line where the drive stalled and kicker Darryl Wheeler scored the Mustangs their first points of the game.

After more Riva rushing, Wheeler would add another field goal with 1:59 left in the second quarter. Western led 6-2. Laurier’s two-minute offence proved incredibly effective and a screen pass to receiver Alex Anthony brought the Golden Hawks all the way to the Western 32-yard line.

Rookie Laurier quarterback Evan Pawliuk (Kingston, Ont.) then threw his first touchdown pass of the game to receiver Josh Bishop (Mississauga, Ont.) and gave Laurier the lead at the half, 9-6.

At that point, Western was almost doubling Laurier’s total yardage, 277 to 151, but was losing because of the Mustangs’ inability to score in the red-zone and struggle on third-down gambles.

But the third quarter, which has been the most productive for the Western offence all season, and this game proved to be no exception. On their first drive of the half, Riva ran untouched to the endzone on a 22-yard rush with 11:24 to play in the third quarter.

Wheeler’s extra point was good and Western went ahead 13-9.

Riva added another 55-yard touchdown run late in the third to put Laurier away for good. Pawliuk would pass for another touchdown, this time to Dillon Heap with 3:52 to play in the fourth quarter, but the onside kick was recovered by Western.

The Mustangs were forced to punt, but Pawliuk’s late comeback hopes were snuffed out by Mustang defensive lineman David Lee (London, Ont.), who sacked Pawliuk on a key third down attempt.

Western next travels to Richardson Stadium on November 14th the face the Queen’s Golden Gaels for the 2009 Yates Cup. To order tickets, call 519 533.2500.

Source:

Andy Watson
Media Relations and Sports Information Coordinator
Western Mustangs
The University of Western Ontario