Upcoming race between Gee-Gees and Mustangs

The Gee-Gees football team travels to London, Ont. this week for a duel against the no. 3 ranked Western Mustangs on September 14. They are headed to TD Waterhouse Stadium with a skip in their step following the 34-10 win last week against Toronto, and their previous 44-32 victory in Waterloo.

Although it has been a couple of seasons since uOttawa has beaten out the Mustangs, with the last win coming in 2010, last year's 32-29 Western victory required a last minute field goal by Liam Hajrullahu to secure the win.

This year, the two teams are neck and neck in offensive statistics. For instance, Ottawa averages 449.7 passing yards per game, whereas Western is a mere yard ahead at 450.7. Additionally, Ottawa holds the best pass completion record of the current season with 100 completed, 143 attempted, and 3 intercepted passes. In comparison, Western trails slightly behind at 85-117-2.

Both quarterbacks put up impressive performances last week, though Ottawa's Aaron Colbon has a leg up on Western's Will Finch in passing yards average per game thus far. Colbon is leading the CIS with an outstanding average of 436.7 yards per game, and runner up Finch is coasting at 388.0.

However, head coach Jamie Barresi, though happy with his starting quarterback's performance, is depending on a tremendous team wide effort on Saturday. "We have to do better in terms of managing the game. And I say that because we had 21 penalties, we had 13 the week before, and that's way, way too many."

Defensively, Ottawa native Ettore Lattanzio is a brooding lineman whose sacking ability gives him a number two rank in the OUA. Preston Huggins is the Westerner who comes closest to Lattanzio and takes the twelfth spot on the list. In 2012, Lattanzio scored the eighth spot for sack totals, completing eight in the season.

There is no doubt this game will be a challenge considering the opponents are front runners in the league with a sparkling 3-0 record.

Barresi's advice for his Gee-Gees is to practice and to prepare. "Western presents a lot of challenges. They are a very good offensive group. They've got some really explosive weapons. They run the ball very well," he admits. "We have to be able to handle their formations. They are a formidable group, so we have to be ready for that."

Ottawa fans can watch the game live on Rogers 22 and listen live on CHRW radio from London when the game kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday.