MEDIA NOTES

Western Mustangs Football

WEEK 4

Sept. 18 at Windsor, 7 p.m.

TD Waterhouse Stadium London, Ont. TODAY’S MATCHUP #5 (2010: 2-1 / 2009: 6-2 regular season, 2-1 playoffs, 8-3 overall) at Windsor Lancers (2010: 1-2 / 2009: 2-6 regular season, did not make playoffs)

Media TV: Rogers TV, Cable 13 (London) via Cogeco Windsor feed RADIO: AM 1290 CJBK, CHRW Radio, 94.9 FM ONLINE: Audio: www.cjbk.com and www.chrwradio.com/listen/ LIVE BLOG: http://westernmustangs.ca/news/2010/9/17/FB_0917105309.aspx

TALE OF THE TAPE All-Time Head-To-Head: Western vs. Windsor OVERALL 42-9-1 in favour of Western REGULAR SEASON 30-6-1 in favour of Western PLAYOFFS 6-2 in favour of Western EXHIBITION 6-1 in favour of Western Last Meeting: McMaster Western defeated Windsor 60-7 on Sept. 19, 2009 at Windsor. Top 10: Western has been nationally ranked all season and received its highest ranking this week at No. 5 in Canada. Western was nationally ranked all season in 2009 and has appeared in the past three championships Last 10 Meetings between Western and Windsor: 8-2 in favour of Western Streaks: Western has won the past six meetings between the teams.

The Skinny While many expect this game could be a one-sided affair, head coach Greg Marshall and the Mustangs coaching staff are wary of underestimating their opponent. In 2009’s meeting, Western actually trailed early before winning 60-9 at the University of Windsor Stadium on Sept. 19, 2009. Expect a steady rotation between running backs Jerimy Hipperson, Ben Roberts, Kenny Eansor and John Leckie to win the battle of time of possession.

ABOUT THE LANCERS 2009 Regular Season: 2-6, 8th OUA 2010 Regular Season: 1-2, beat Toronto, lost to Ottawa and Queen's

UP NEXT WINDSOR: at #3 McMaster (2-1, plays at Ottawa on Sept. 18), Sept. 25, 1 p.m., 1 pm WESTERN: at Guelph (0-2), Sept. 18, 7 p.m.

ABOUT No. 5 WESTERN Last Game: Beat then No. 6 McMaster 50-19 in Week 3. Recent Games: Lost on last-minute drive 20-19 to then No. 5 Ottawa in Week 2. Defeated then No. 6 Laurier 46-1 on Sept. 1 in regular season opener. Lost 40-12 to Saskatchewan in pre- season on Aug. 27, 2010. Lost to Queen’s 43-39 in 2009 Yates Cup after winning two playoff games (over Wilfrid Laurier 26-16 on Nov. 7, 2009, in OUA semifinal at Waterloo, Ont., and 37-18 over Guelph a week before in OUA quarter-final). Mustangs Regular Season Wins in 2010: Over Wilfrid Laurier, McMaster Mustangs Regular Season Losses in 2010: To Ottawa Mustangs Regular Season Wins in 2009: Over Wilfrid Laurier, Ottawa, Guelph, Windsor, Toronto and York Mustangs Playoff Wins in 2009: Over Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier Mustangs Regular Season Losses in 2009: To Queen’s (27-26) and McMaster (42-35) Mustangs Playoff Losses in 2009: To Queen’s (43-39 in Yates Cup) On Road: 0-1 in 2010 / 4-2 in 2009 (3-1 regular season, 1-1 in playoffs) At Home: 1-0 in 2010 / 4-1 in 2009 (3-1 regular season, 1-0 in playoffs)

Head Coach Greg Marshall (4th Season) - Number of seasons as head coach with team (including 2010): 4 - Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (including 2010): 11 (seven with McMaster) - Career regular season record with team: 19-8 - Career regular season record in CIS: 61-20-2 - Career overall record with team (reg. season & playoffs only): 27-11 - Career overall record in CIS (reg. season & playoffs only): 80-29-2

A Family Affair Quarterback Donnie Marshall, eldest son of head coach Greg Marshall, will start at pivot, while rookie slotback Brian Marshall, the middle son of Greg and Donnie’s brother, will add depth. Brothers Mike Norman and Matt Norman are another brother duo with the Mustangs, so are Brent Wheeler and Darryl Wheeler.

Marshall seeking win No. 20 as Mustangs head coach Western Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall is seeking his 20th win overall with the Mustangs as head coach in regular season play. He has built a 27-11 record in regular season and playoff play, 19-8 in the regular season alone. Last week in the win over McMaster, Marshall picked up coaching victory 80 in his CIS tenure.

Score-ing National TV Games The Western Mustangs will be featured on three of five games set for the 9th season of University Rush on The Score. The Mustangs 50-19 win over McMaster on Sept. 11 kicked off the national TV coverage at home and will continue with the game against Queen’s (Oct. 2, 1 p.m. – Homecoming). Next weekend’s contest at Guelph (Sept. 25, 1 p.m.) will also be on The Score.

Hailing Haylor on CJBK CIS winningest head coach Larry Haylor will return to the broadcast booth in 2010 to provide colour and analysis on Newstalk 1290 CJBK (AM 1290 or www.cjbk.com). Russ Courtney will call the action.

CHRW Continues Tradition CHRW Radio, 94.9 FM and online at www.chrwradio.com, is back. The voice of the Mustangs for almost 30 years will carry all regular season and playoff games on the FM dial. Dave Woodey and Steve Bibby.

2010 Western Football Practice Schedule Saturday Game Day Sunday Run Down and Game File Review (times vary) Monday OFF (Study Hall) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Practice 5:00-7:30 p.m., Meetings 8:15 p.m. Friday Walk-Through 5-6:15 p.m., Meetings 7:30 p.m.

2010 CIS TOP TEN –RANKINGS (as of Sept. 14, 2010) Pts (1st place) Previous Week 1. Laval (2-0) 500 (40) 1 2. Ottawa (3-0) 435 3 3. Montreal (2-0) 357 7 4. Calgary (1-1) 328 5 5. Western (2-1) 313 8 6. Saskatchewan (1-1) 253 2 7. Alberta (2-0) 168 NR 8. McMaster (2-1) 86 6 9. Regina (1-1) 68 9 10. Acadia (1-0) 57 NR Also receiving votes: UBC (33), Saint Mary’s (31), Queen’s (22), Guelph (17), Wilfrid Laurier (16), Concordia (14), Sherbrooke (10), Bishop’s (4). 2010 OUA REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS GP W L PF PA PTS Ottawa 3 3 0 88 36 6 Western 3 2 1 115 40 4 Guelph 2 2 0 41 15 4 McMaster 3 2 1 68 92 4 Queen's 2 1 1 58 30 2 Laurier 3 1 2 62 78 2 Windsor 3 1 2 47 80 2 Toronto 3 0 3 36 78 0 York 2 0 2 5 71 0

2009 FINAL OUA REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS GP W L PF PA PTS Queen's 8 7 1 272 149 14 Laurier 8 6 2 210 136 12 WESTERN 8 6 2 335 145 12 Ottawa 8 6 2 260 169 12 McMaster 8 6 2 232 148 12 Guelph 8 3 5 310 253 6 Waterloo 8 3 5 226 213 6 Windsor 8 2 5 110 244 4 Toronto 8 1 7 98 279 2 York 8 0 8 97 414 0

CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL) Note: Complete webcast and radio schedules at http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/schedule September 17 7:00 Concordia (1-1) at McGill (0-2) 7:00 Mount Allison (1-0) at Sherbrooke (0-2)

September 18 1:00 No. 10 Acadia (1-0) at Bishop’s (1-1) 1:00 No. 8 McMaster (2-1) at No. 2 Ottawa (3-0) (Ottawa: Rogers TV Cable 22 / Hamilton: Cable 14) 1:00 York (0-2) at Toronto (0-3) 1:00 Queen’s (1-1) at Guelph (2-0) (The Score) 1:00 No. 4 Calgary (1-1) at No. 7 Alberta (2-0) 1:00 Manitoba (0-2) at UBC (1-1) 2:00 No. 3 Montreal (2-0) at StFX (0-1) 2:00 No. 1 Laval (2-0) at Saint Mary’s (0-1) (EastLink & SRC) 7:00 No. 5 Western (2-1) at Windsor (1-2) (Windsor: TVCogeco 11 / London: Rogers TV Cable 13) 7:00 No. 6 Saskatchewan (1-1) at No. 9 Regina (1-1)

PREVIEW: No. 5 Mustangs wary of being overconfident, focused on victory Sept. 18: Western at Windsor, 7 p.m. By Andy Watson, with files from Andrew Simpson

LONDON, Ont. - The No. 5 Western Mustangs (2-1) football team aspires to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they travel to face the Windsor Lancers (1-2) at the University of Windsor Stadium at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The game can be seen live on Rogers TV, Cable 13, at 7 p.m. in the London market. Two radio stations - CHRW 94.9 FM (online http://www.chrwradio.com/listen/) and Newstalk 1290, CJBK on the AM dial (http://www.cjbk.com) - will also carry the action.

With a record 8-2 in the past 10 meetings - winning the past six meetings - and a 42-9-1 record overall against Windsor, the Mustangs are the historical favourite in the matchup.

Western won the last meeting on Sept. 19, 2009, with a 60-7 decision in Windsor. The Mustangs won the meeting before that 58-5, and the meeting before that 49-0. In all that's a 167-12 margin in three games.

Impressive stuff.

But the disparity between the clubs this season also adds to a projected one-sided affair. So far this season, Western has put up 50, 19 and 46 points against three nationally ranked opponents in two wins in three weeks - an average of 38 points per game and total of 115 points.

That in itself is impressive.

But when you also factor in that the Mustangs have only allowed 40 points in those games against three nationally ranked teams, averaging just 13 points against per game, Windsor could be in for a long night.

The Lancers' offence has scored 47 points and surrendered 80 - but over half of their 47 points scored were against winless Toronto in a 26-17 Week 2 win. Windsor fell 40-7 to Queen's last week and 23-14 to Ottawa in Week 1.

With the No. 3 rush defence in the OUA and a healthy defensive unit overall, Western, now ranked No. 5 in the CIS, will be tough to beat. They will only miss defensive lineman Scott Fournier who is out recovering from finger surgery.

The Mustangs, despite all the stats, are wary of going into the game overconfident and have addressed it in practice this week.

"It's a big game, we need to continue to improve and get better," said Western Mustangs football head coach Greg Marshall. "We are young and have potential, we just need to take care of business and continue to work on our fundamentals."

The teams have a deep history and could have the potential for a rivalry based on geography. But the scorelines lately have made this matchup more of a dud.

Lancers head coach Mike Morencie, in his 12th season, said he would like to make the Mustangs-Lancers matchup to carry more interest and passion but said his squad needs to help "by winning once in a while."

It won't help that their starting quarterback, junior Sam Malian of LaSalle, Ont., is likely out of the lineup. Morencie said Malian is day-to-day and will be a game time decision after suffering a concussion against Toronto in Week 2.

"He got the ok from the doctor, but he will be a game-time decision. Austin Kennedy will start if Sam can't go," Morencie said.

Kennedy, a rookie out of Windsor's Vincent Massey High School, will be facing a tough task. Fortunately, he has five fifth-year teammates - three on the offensive line - and four fourth-year teammates who know what to expect from Western.

Marshall is wary of the Lancers, noting the team has talent at skill positions.

"We need to avoid going into the game overconfident. We have to approach this game like every game," Marshall said. "Mike will have the Windsor guys playing hard, they will come strong out of the gate."

"If anyone's overconfident, they will get a wake-up call. Windsor will play hard."

Western is coming off a 50-19 win over then No. 6 McMaster. It was a game in which Western dominated but rode the momentum of a big play to get there. Marshall said punter Darryl Wheeler's assist on a Beau Landry punt recovery turned the tide.

"That might have been the play against McMaster that changed the game in favour of us," he said.

Western struggled early against Windsor in the last meeting but found its rhythm quickly, paced by a star performance from running back Nathan Riva of LaSalle, Ont. Playing near his hometown, Riva has been lethal, including 212 all-purpose performances for five touchdowns in 2009. Without Riva in the lineup, Western will have to look to others for support.

One of those players is Donnie Marshall, whose mobility at quarterback caused problems for McMaster and Laurier. He will get the start at quarterback for Western.

"The game plan is for Donnie to move around, and move him outside of the pocket," Marshall said. "In order for our offence to be effective, Donnie has to run the football."

Western will also look to support from Jerimy Hipperson of St. Catharines, Ont., and Londoners Ben Roberts and Kenny Eansor at running back in a move-the-ball-by-committee approach. Another Londoner, Dan Duff, is one of the CIS's top fullbacks and can catch the ball out of the backfield.

The last time Windsor defeated Western was on Oct. 25, 2003, in a 21-18 upset over Western at TD Waterhouse Stadium in the OUA quarter-final.

TALE OF THE TAPE Overall Record: 42-9-1 for Western Last 10 Meetings: Western has 8-2 advantage in past 10 meetings 2009 Western 60 Windsor 7 - in Windsor 2008 Western 58 Windsor 5 - in London 2007 Western 49 Windsor 0 - in London 2006 Western 20 Windsor 16 (OUA QF) - in Windsor Western 28 Windsor 18 - in London 2005 Did Not Play 2004 Western 46 Windsor 14 - in London 2003 Windsor 21 Western 18 (OUA QF) - in London Windsor 25 Western 16 - in London 2002 Western 65 Windsor 10 (OUA QF) - in London Western 52 Windsor 5 - in London 2010 CIS FOOTBALL TEAM PREVIEW: Western Mustangs

By Andy Watson, Sports Information Director, Western Mustangs

2009 regular season record: 6-2 2009 regular season standings: T-2nd OUA (placed fourth due to tiebreaking rule) 2009 playoff record: 2-1 2009 playoff finish: Lost 43-39 to Queen’s in Yates Cup (OUA Final)

General Write-Up: The Western Mustangs will once again be competitive, relying on a blend of depth at all positions and another strong recruiting class. Despite the loss of 2009 Hec Crighton nominee and CIS career and single-season passing yards leader Michael Faulds at quarterback, Western returns Donnie Marshall, last year’s backup, at the pivot spot and welcomes Wilfrid Laurier transfer Ian Noble. Recruit Ben Rossong is also expected to add depth along with returner Marco Isakov.

Western is deep at running back, led by 2009 CIS all-purpose touchdown leader Nathan Riva (15 TDs), who will have support from a talented offensive line headlined by guard Matthew Norman, tackle Josh Buttrill and centre Greg Willson. Kenny Eansor, John Leckie, Ben Roberts, Jerimy Hipperson and Dan Duff all provide depth in the backfield, while rookie lineman Joe Circelli and Mike Norman will also compete for playing time. Receivers Zach Bull, Mike Hegarty, Nick Pasic and Nick Trevail lead a talented receiving corps, while recruits Bryce Lawrence and Brian Marshall will add depth.

On defence, the strength will be at linebacker, led by the Fab Four of John Surla, the 2009 OUA President’s Trophy winner for top defensive player, Argos draft pick Conor Elliott, Adrian Kaiser and Jason Kosec, along with a number of talented sophomores and juniors. Tackle Mike Van Praet returns from injury to anchor a talented defensive line which includes David Lee, Scott Fournier and Zander Robinson. Craig Butler leads the secondary which adds another year of maturity and experience with Aaron Handsor, Mike Spence, Jamie Symianick. Harold Mutobola is also back from injury to add depth in the backfield.

On special teams, the kicker combo of Darryl Wheeler and Lirim Hajrullahu will provide a balance of strong punting and placekicking. Punt returner Butler averaged eight yards a return on 43 attempts in 2009, while kick returners Handsor, Eansor and Roberts will also return.

Western outscored its opponents 147-34 in third quarters in 2009 and will look to wear teams down again in 2010. The Mustangs arguably have the toughest opening six weeks, playing perennial powerhouses Wilfrid Laurier, Ottawa and McMaster in the first three weeks, while playing Guelph and Queen’s before the Thanksgiving bye week.

Quotes from head coach Greg Marshall: On the schedule: “It will be a very hard start to the season. We have a difficult schedule. If we’re 2-2 after the opening four weeks, I think I’ll be happy. The fortunate thing for us this year is that six of the nine teams make the playoffs. But we need to remember, a poor record will affect our ability to host a home playoff game. Ideally, we’d like to be playing the playoffs at home.” On speed of Nathan Riva and Donnie Marshall: “Nathan is the fastest player on our team and I think he is capable of having another very strong year. He will be our feature back and will open things up for us, but we also have a number of other strong backs... Donnie’s footspeed changes things up for us on how we’re going to run our offence. And Donnie is faster than last year. He’s our next fastest guy, probably, after Nathan. It creates opportunities and opens up the field by creating gaps on defence, widening defences. They are not able to close down or pinch everyone up against us.” On the defensive and offensive lines: “Our best overall competition in camp may be at defensive line... I thought our defensive line would be our Achilles heel last year. It’s a strong point this year. We’re deep at both offensive line and defensive line. We’re deep overall. It adds the ability to open up options to move some players around.” On linebackers: “We are strongest at linebacker. We have the best versatility there. And it’s not just John Surla, Conor Elliott, Jason Kosec and Adrian Kaiser. Look at those guys who were freshmen last year… They were all good last year, they all got decent playing time and now they’re another year experienced and have had another year in the gym. It shows the depth of our recruiting.”

Head Coach: Greg Marshall (4th season) - Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (including 2010): 11 (4 w/ Western) - Career regular season record with team: 17-7 - Career regular season record in CIS: 59-19-2 - Career overall record with team (reg. season & playoffs only): 25-10 - Career overall record in CIS (reg. season & playoffs only): 78-28-2

Offence Key returning players: Running back Nathan Riva, a junior from Lasalle, Ont., returns for his junior season after rushing 98 times for 622 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009. He also had 25 receptions for 401 yards and five touchdowns. His 15 all-purpose touchdowns led the CIS in 2009. Guard Matthew Norman anchors the offensive line, while Western’s top three receivers from 2009 return in Nick Trevail (49 for 920 yards), Nick Pasic (43 for 621 yards) and Zach Bull (41 for 631 yards). Donnie Marshall takes over at quarterback with Ben Rossong and Wilfrid Laurier transfer Ian Noble providing capable depth. Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers): Quarterback Ben Rossong of Sackville, N.S., is part of the long-term succession plan of the Mustangs at quarterback, while Ian Noble transfers from Wilfrid Laurier. Three top London, Ont., recruits are offensive lineman Joe Circelli (CCH Crusaders) and receivers Brian Marshall (Mother Teresa Spartans, son of Greg, brother to Donnie, nephew of Blake) and Bryce Lawrence (CCH Crusaders). Key losses: CIS single-season passing leader and career passing leader Michael Faulds graduates and is now the offensive coordinator with the . Receivers Jesse Bellamy and Josh Svec and offensive linemen Zach Pollari and Andy Rady all graduated. Bellamy is now a graduate assistant with the team along with former Mustang Ryan Clutterbuck.

Defence Key returning players: Linebackers John Surla, Conor Elliott (Toronto Argonauts draft pick), Jason Kosec (Edmonton Eskimos draft pick) and Adrian Kaiser will lead the defence, while safety Craig Butler will guide the secondary and return kicks. Mike Van Praet anchors the defensive line from the tackle spot. Surla and Elliott are both long snappers and special teams specialists. Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers): Linebacker John Moynahan of Windsor, Ont. (Holy Names Knights and Essex Ravens) is the top freshman recruit, while Nick Shuster of West Vancouver, B.C., transfers from the Simon Fraser Clan at defensive back. Key losses: Chris Greaves graduated and is now playing offensive line with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Cornerback Josh Foster also graduated.

2009 WESTERN MUSTANGS REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS PASSING GP COMP-ATT-INT YARDS TD LG 3 M. Faulds 8 201-309-9 3033 15 77 7 D. Marshall 7 12-32-0 199 1 47

RUSHING ATT NET YDS AVG/CARRY TD LG 16 N. Riva 98 606 6.2 10 72 2 D. Thomas 55 399 7.3 4 68 3 M. Faulds 36 201 5.6 4 25 18 K. Eansor 16 141 8.8 1 21 34 B. Roberts 16 91 5.7 2 23 7 D. Marshall 10 34 3.4 1 12

RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG/CATCH TD LG 17 N. Pasic 36 520 14.4 0 47 88 N. Trevail 33 568 17.2 1 50 86 Z. Bull 27 373 13.8 0 52 16 N. Riva 25 401 16.0 5 54 5 J. Svec 25 400 16.0 1 52 2 D Thomas 24 309 12.9 2 77 80 J. Bellamy 18 364 20.2 4 65 29 M. Hegarty 13 204 15.7 1 32

DEFENCE Tackles SACKS-Yds TFLs-Yds INT-Yds FF FR 33 J. Surla 52.0 2.0-12 4.5-15 3-35 1 1 24 C. Elliott 30.5 0-0 5.5-23 3-15 2 0 15 C. Butler 30.5 0-0 0-0 2-28 0 1 6 A. Handsor 26.5 0-0 1.0-2 2-88 0 1 36 M.Spence 24.0 0-0 1.0-4 0-0 0 1 35 D. Lee 21.5 2.0-6 5.0-12 0-0 0 0 95 S. Fournier 21.0 3.5-19 7.5-28 0-0 1 0