The Waterloo Warriors might have dropped a heartbreaking decision to the Western Mustangs on the game's final play, but, in the process, the black and gold served notice to the rest of the OUA that they are a legitimate Yates Cup contender.
Mark Liegghio kicked a game-winning 27-yard field goal as the fourth quarter expired, as the Mustangs took advantage of a late Waterloo turnover to claim a 45-42 victory in a thriller at TD Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The win pushed top-ranked Western to 7-0 on the season, while the Warriors, ranked 10th in the nation, fall to 4-2. The back-and-forth slugfest included a total of 1,023 combined yards, 60 first downs, and just four punts, as the teams exchanged the lead eight times.
The Warriors offence was again paced by an outstanding ground game, as Dion Pellerin (Abbotsford/) rushed for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries. Quarterback Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) added 101 yards and two rushing scores, while completing 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards. Meanwhile, Western quarterback Chris Merchant found more success in the air, as the veteran pivot went 21-33 for 349 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Brett Ellerman caught 9 passes for 177 yards and a pair of scores, while Trey Humes added 109 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Kurtis Gray (Waterloo/) was a wrecking ball for Waterloo – he registered game highs in solo tackles (6) and total tackles (12), while adding a sack. Harjas Bal (Brampton/) and Daeshaun Jupiter-Deane (Pickering/) came up with interceptions, and Jupiter-Deane ran his back 91 yards for a major in the first half. The Western defence forced two fumbles – including one in the waning seconds to set up the game-winning field goal – and they also recovered a poor snap on a punt attempt in the second quarter.
The Warriors jumped out to the game's first lead, as a fake punt and a trick-play 22-yard rush from Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) set up a Pellerin 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter. After a Liegghio 31-yard field goal and a 3-yard run from Merchant put the Mustangs up by three, Jupiter-Deane jumped a route and turned a scoring opportunity for Western into a 91-yard pick-six late in the first half. But the Mustangs responded in a big way – first, with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Malik Besseghieur, then, after a Waterloo fumble, with a 37-yard hookup to Ellerman. Just like that, a Waterloo lead turned into a 24-14 halftime deficit.
But the Warriors refused to go away, and found success in the ground game – both with Pellerin, and with Ford when Western's downfield coverage forced him to scramble. Sandwiched around another Ellerman touchdown reception, Pellerin scored his second of the day from 5 yards out, and Ford scampered in from 8 to cut Western's lead to 31-28 after three quarters.
In a game that seemed to be a tradeoff of touchdowns, the host Mustangs blinked first when Liegghio missed a 25-yard field goal, settling for a rouge instead. The Warriors promptly marched down the field in five plays, and Pellerin's third touchdown of the day gave the lead back to the visitors. The Mustangs responded with a 9-play, 82-yard drive of their own to go up 39-35 with less than six minutes to play, but Waterloo's offense went back to work – set up by a huge 41-yard rush from Pellerin, Ford again plunged in from a yard out to put the Warriors in front 42-39 with just over two minutes to play.
But the experience of the two-time defending Yates Cup champions saw them put together a gritty drive – including a do-or-die conversion on 3rd-and-17 – that put them in a position for a 15-yard game-tying field goal from Liegghio. Then, with overtime looking all but assured, disaster struck for Waterloo: On the first play of the ensuing drive, Pellerin was stripped on his own 36-yard line with just 11 seconds remaining. The Mustangs popped on the loose ball, and two plays later, Liegghio had split the uprights to extend Western's OUA winning streak to 26 games.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to yet another huge game, as they will host the Laurier Golden Hawks for the annual Battle of Waterloo on Thursday, October 10. Kickoff from Warrior Field is slated for 7pm.
