November 10, 2007
WESTERN WINS 27TH YATES CUP TITLE
GUELPH, Ont. -- The Yates Cup returns to London for the first time since 1998 after the No.6 seeded Western Mustangs defeated the No. 5 seeded Guelph Gryphons 34-21. Before a boisterous, standing-room crowd of 8,500 at Guelph’s Alumni Stadium, the Mustangs captured the trophy emblematic of Ontario university football supremacy for a record 27th time.
Western’s victory completed one of the most dramatic single-season turnarounds in OUA history for a team that opened the regular season with four consecutive losses. Earning the sixth and final position in the OUA playoff draw, Western has now won three straight post-season games on the road.
Mustang running back Randy McAuley (London, ON) ran in three touchdowns in the winning effort for the Mustangs, while accumulating 162 yards on 26 carries.
Mike Faulds (Eden Mills, ON) marshaled the Mustang offence, completing 23 of 41 for 390 yards and tossing one touchdown to win the Dalt White Trophy as the game MVP. David Clayton (Amherstberg, ON) topped the UWO receiving corps with 145 yards and seven catches.
For the hometown Gryphons, quarterback Justin Dunk (Guelph, ON) completed 18 of 30 passes for 245 yards. His favourite target was David Harrison (Waterdown, ON), who amassed 130 yards on eight receptions, making one touchdown. On the ground, Nick Fitzgibbon (Puslinch, ON) carried the ball 19 times for 172 yards and a single major.
The host Gryphons missed opportunities to draw first blood, dropping a touchdown pass in the end zone and having an enshing 36-yard field goal attempt sail wide. A contacting the kicker penalty against Guelph kept alive a Mustang drive late in the first quarter, setting up Randy McAuley to run the ball into the end zone from six yards, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Guelph evened the score at the 9:59 mark of the second quarter with Dunk completing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Harrison. Western took just 72 seconds to respond, with McAuley punching in his second major of the day from five yards out to give the Mustangs a 14-7 lead going into the intermission.
Midway through the third frame, the Gryphons tied the game at 14 apiece when Dunk threaded the needle through tight coverage on a 25-yard pass to find Harrison again in the Western end zone. Derek Schiavone gave Western a lead they would not relinquish by splitting the uprights from 36 yards with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Western methodically built its lead throughout the fourth quarter, getting the better of a Guelph defence that had earlier held firm. Faulds connected with Harrison for an 11-yard major, Schiavone added another field goal from 30 yards out, and McAuley tallied his third major of the afternoon on a 21-yard run to give the ‘Stangs a comfortable 34-14 lead.
Guelph fought till the bitter end, with Dunk finding Adam Slomer for a 12-yard score with a minute left to play, but their valiant effort proved too little, too late.
The Mustangs advance to the CIS semi final Mitchell Bowl, to be hosted on Saturday, November 17 by the winner of today’s Canada West-championship Hardy Trophy game.
(Source: Ian Speers)
Western’s victory completed one of the most dramatic single-season turnarounds in OUA history for a team that opened the regular season with four consecutive losses. Earning the sixth and final position in the OUA playoff draw, Western has now won three straight post-season games on the road.
Mustang running back Randy McAuley (London, ON) ran in three touchdowns in the winning effort for the Mustangs, while accumulating 162 yards on 26 carries.
Mike Faulds (Eden Mills, ON) marshaled the Mustang offence, completing 23 of 41 for 390 yards and tossing one touchdown to win the Dalt White Trophy as the game MVP. David Clayton (Amherstberg, ON) topped the UWO receiving corps with 145 yards and seven catches.
For the hometown Gryphons, quarterback Justin Dunk (Guelph, ON) completed 18 of 30 passes for 245 yards. His favourite target was David Harrison (Waterdown, ON), who amassed 130 yards on eight receptions, making one touchdown. On the ground, Nick Fitzgibbon (Puslinch, ON) carried the ball 19 times for 172 yards and a single major.
The host Gryphons missed opportunities to draw first blood, dropping a touchdown pass in the end zone and having an enshing 36-yard field goal attempt sail wide. A contacting the kicker penalty against Guelph kept alive a Mustang drive late in the first quarter, setting up Randy McAuley to run the ball into the end zone from six yards, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Guelph evened the score at the 9:59 mark of the second quarter with Dunk completing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Harrison. Western took just 72 seconds to respond, with McAuley punching in his second major of the day from five yards out to give the Mustangs a 14-7 lead going into the intermission.
Midway through the third frame, the Gryphons tied the game at 14 apiece when Dunk threaded the needle through tight coverage on a 25-yard pass to find Harrison again in the Western end zone. Derek Schiavone gave Western a lead they would not relinquish by splitting the uprights from 36 yards with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Western methodically built its lead throughout the fourth quarter, getting the better of a Guelph defence that had earlier held firm. Faulds connected with Harrison for an 11-yard major, Schiavone added another field goal from 30 yards out, and McAuley tallied his third major of the afternoon on a 21-yard run to give the ‘Stangs a comfortable 34-14 lead.
Guelph fought till the bitter end, with Dunk finding Adam Slomer for a 12-yard score with a minute left to play, but their valiant effort proved too little, too late.
The Mustangs advance to the CIS semi final Mitchell Bowl, to be hosted on Saturday, November 17 by the winner of today’s Canada West-championship Hardy Trophy game.
(Source: Ian Speers)
