Western Mustangs lost a huge football game.
They lost at least two key players to injury, including their starting quarterback.
And while the final score was close, the Mustangs also realized they have a fair amount of work to do if they want to topple the No. 1 team in the country.
The McMaster Marauders showed why they are the No. 1 team in the country. They built a 28-12 halftime lead and then hung on to defeat the No. 6-ranked Mustangs 33-27 Saturday in Ontario university football play at Homecoming at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
The game virtually guarantees the Mustangs can finish no better than third place in the OUA, meaning they?ll play one home playoff game but get no bye.
But the game might have brought about the Will Finch era at Western a few games earlier than anticipated.
Mustang starting quarterback Donnie Marshall reinjured the ankle, an injury that last season required surgery. He was taken off the field on a cart.
?It?s the same ankle as before,? said Mustang coach Greg Marshall. ?It has a wire in it. Not sure whether the wire stayed intact or what happened. I talked to the Doc . . . when it happens once, it doesn?t usually happen again. Having a second traumatic injury on that ankle is pretty serious.?
The Mustangs will await results of tests to determine what the future holds. But the injury occurred in the last three minutes of the game when Donnie Marshall was trying to escape a rush and was tackled. It looked relatively harmless compared to the beating he?d taken all day by the Marauders.
Marshall was sacked seven times by the Marauders and many other times had to run for his life. He took a dreadful pounding and it's something no quarterback, no matter what size or shape, can take.
The Mustangs also lost defensive back Aaron Hansor to a knee injury.
Hansor is a key member of the secondary and once he went out in the second quarter, Marauder?s quarterback Kyle Quinlan attacked his replacement, Kalvin Johnson.
Johnson then got hurt on a big play in the third quarter and had to leave the game.
But it was that second quarter that changed the game. The Marauders dominated the Mustangs offensively, and defensively, putting up almost 200 yards in one quarter alone.
Meanwhile, the Mustang offence couldn?t run or pass in that quarter.
It all changed in the second half for the Mustang defence. They were determined to keep their offence in the game.
?I was proud of them,? Greg Marshall said. ?They could have quit but they didn?t. We?re going to be OK. We?ll be playing them again.?
While the final was 33-27, the Mustangs made the game appear closer with a touchdown in the final minute.
That touchdown was orchestrated by a drive directed by Finch.
There has been some debate about how ready Finch is to play. That debate has now gone out the window.
The strong-armed Burlington native now looks like he?s going to have to direct the Mustangs for a substantial amount of time.
?I?m ready to play,? Finch said. ?I started off really rough but each week I?m getting better. Coming along with the game, every practice, I?m getting better I think.?
The Mustangs, now 3-2, head to Guelph to play the Gryphons on Saturday.
| 0% 0 votes | They're in trouble  |
| 0% 0 votes | Will Finch will step up to carry the team |
| 0% 0 votes | Only time will tell |
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