INSTANT CLASSIC ON UNIVERSITY RUSH

HAMILTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is back on The Score Television Network this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET as the No. 4 nationally-ranked Queen's Gaels (6-0) play host to the No. 5 Western Mustangs (5-1) in a battle of firsts.

First place. First loss. First to 10,000.

This Saturday, there's more than just a game on the line for the Gaels and Mustangs. The two nationally-ranked teams are fighting for first place in OUA and overall dominance in Ontario university football.

Last year in the lone match-up of these teams, Queen's came away with the 43-16 win. The Gaels also defeated the Mustangs in 2007 regular season action (26-20, overtime) and 2006 (28-9).

There's some things we need to learn from that game," Western head coach Greg Marshall said. "You may play well but it's not reflected in the score... we weren't in the game in the fourth quarter."

"In order for us to be competitive, we've got to stay with them. We got to make sure that when it comes to the fourth, it's a close football game and we have a chance to win."

In the last 10 meetings between Queen's and Western, the Gaels have pulled down seven wins, five of which were at home at Richardson Stadium. Western, however, knocked Queen's out of the first round of OUA playoffs in 2007, and competed against No.1 Laval Rouge et Or in the 2008 Desjardins Vanier Cup.

"You're talking about playing a team that's the two-time conference defending champions," said Queen's head coach Pat Sheahan. "Regardless of what the win-loss record is in the regular season, [Western] is the team that's come out of the OUA the last two years. There's still lots here that needs to be proved and our guys know it."

So despite the strong regular season effort from the Gaels, if Western brings with it the same intensity they do in the playoffs, they could give the Gaels' undefeated record a swift kick to the curb, sending both teams to a tie for first in the OUA, with the Mustangs holding the tiebreaker.

But even deeper in this key match-up lies a personal battle between two stellar quarterbacks. Queen's Danny Brannagan (Burlington, Ont.) has already broken the OUA career passing yards record with a total of 9,989, but not far behind him is Western's Michael Faulds (Eden Mills, Ont.) at 9,877. With a difference of just 112 yards, it's anyone's game on Saturday as far as the 10,000-yard mark is concerned.

"[Branangan has] developed into the kind of threat we envisioned when we recruited him all those years ago," praised Sheahan. "Great passer makes the receivers better; it makes your offence more functional. He's having that kind of season that he's making everybody around him better, which is what a great player is supposed to do."

During the last encounter between Brannagan and Faulds on Sept. 27, 2008, Faulds dominated Brannagan in every aspect of the game except the scoreboard. Brannagan completed 16-of-36 passes for 148 yards, while Faulds threw 30 completions on 57 attempts for 386 yards, nearly tripling what Brannagan threw.

"We all know that there are records on the line and it means a lot but we talked about this," said Marshall. "I said, ‘Mike, if you're going to do it, you're going to do it in Kingston against the best.' There's 100 yards that separates Danny from Michael and this game will tell a lot."

Needless to say, the Western defence will be out for Brannagan this time around. After holding him to such low numbers last year and with the potential to overtake the first place slot in Ontario, defensive captain and linebacker John Surla (Niagara Falls, Ont.) will be gunning for the golden QB.

Surla's three sacks this season is among the top in the OUA, making Brannagan a prime target. He completed a total of 10 tackles against the York Lions on Oct. 8 (eight solo, two assisted), bringing his six-game total to 43 (31 solos, 24 assisted), one fumble return and two interceptions.

Queen's defence can take solace in the fact that they have David Rooney (Kingston, Ont.) on their side. He was named the OUA's defensive player of the week on Tuesday for the second time this season, after completing nine solo tackles and a touchdown on a 31-yard interception return against Waterloo on Oct. 8, giving him three interceptions on the season.

Scott Valberg (Kingston, Ont.) could be the offensive support that Brannagan will be looking to connect with on Saturday. Valberg leads the OUA in receptions with 33 for 600 yards and three touchdowns. Between him and running back Jimmy Therrien (Montreal), who sits fourth in OUA rushing with 508 yards, Queen's has a solid offensive attack. 

But Western has a not-so-secret offensive weapon of their own by the name of Nathan Riva (LaSalle, Ont.). This stick of Western dynamite leads the country and OUA in scoring with 78 points and 13 touchdowns. Holding the top spot in the league as a running back is quite a feat, as the second, third and fourth place scorers are all kickers.

So, could these teams be any more alike? They both have the 2008 OUA football all-star quarterbacks (Brannagan on first team, Faulds on second), they both have solid men on defence and a well-built offensive unit.

""Keeping [the Western] offence off the field is number one. They can come at you from a lot of different directions so we'd like Faulds to watch a lot of this football game, rather than be playing in it," Sheahan said.

While the past could be a strong indicator of what's to come, with home-field playoff advantage on the line, Faulds and his Mustangs have the determination to prove history wrong.

WESTERN LEADERS

Passing

Michael Faulds (Eden Mills, Ont.)

138 completions, 218 attempts, 2,099 yards, 12 touchdowns, 6 interceptions

Rushing

Nathan Riva (LaSalle, Ont.)

79 attempts, 499 yards, 9 touchdowns

Receiving

Nick Trevail

24 receptions, 426 yards, 1 touchdown

Defence

John Surla (Niagara Falls, Ont.)

28 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery

Craig Butler

22 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 break-ups

Aaron Handsor

22 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 break-up, 1 fumble recovery

QUEEN'S LEADERS

Passing

Danny Brannagan (Burlington, Ont.)

114 completions, 182 attempts, 1,855 yards, 13 touchdowns, 3 interceptions

Rushing

Jimmy Therrien (Montreal, Que.)

99 attempts, 508 yards, 1 touchdown

Receiving

Scott Valberg

33 receptions, 600 yards, 3 touchdowns

Defence

David Rooney (Kingston, Ont.)

27 solo tackles, 3 interceptions

T.J. Leeper

20 solo tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack

Jimmy Allin

16 solo tackles, 3 interceptions, 4 break-ups

– OUA –

ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.