Western as ready as they’ve ever been for the Vanier Cup

The head coach of the Western Mustangs has seen a whole lot of things in the game of football.

As he reflected on where Western sits heading into the 53^rd Vanier Cup against the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday, one thing, in particular, stood out to him.

“This is the first time we have had a healthy quarterback at the end of the season in some time. We’ve had some great football teams, but it always seemed like we were a little snakebitten.”

Greg Marshall, the Mustangs and their fans can remember Will Finch being carted or helped off the field more than once, taking his strong arm and scrambling ability with him.

Before that, visions of Michael Faulds on basically one leg, heaving balls down the field at Richardson Stadium in Kingston can come to mind. No matter how valiant the effort, the health of the QB has ended up being a hindrance.

In 2017, Western hasn’t exactly been injury-free at quarterback. All you have to do is look at the cast that has adorned Stevenson Bone’s arm to see that. He broke his wrist in a game against Ottawa earlier this year.

But, the man who has taken the majority of the snaps for the Mustangs, Chris Merchant, is set to step behind centre at Tim Horton’s Field and try to lead the purple and white to their first national championship since 1994 when the magic of the Frank Jagas’ foot and a 77-yard punt return in overtime led Western past the Saskatchewan Huskies 50-40.

Merchant will be in behind an offensive line that has led a powerful rushing game all season. Games that gained over 300 yards on the ground weren’t just common. They seemed expected.

Marshall admits the success of the running game is a huge key for the Mustangs if they hope to have success against Laval.

“We’ve played against some good defences this year, but at times, it can’t be all smoke and mirrors. Sometimes, you are going to have to knock somebody off the football to create a running lane. Laval is the best in the country at stopping you from running the ball, so we’ve got our work cut out for us. We need to be able to run the ball or at least be a threat to run the ball for our offence to be successful and that will be the biggest challenge for us.”

Another challenge for Western could come in the form of adversity. The Mustangs are 11-0 this season. Most of those victories have come by 35 points or more. The national semi saw Western beat Acadia 81-3.

Marshall knows that becomes a factor for his team. He also knows, it can also be seen as an advantage.

Laval has won six of the last 12 Vanier Cups. One of those wins came against Western in 2008.

The hope for anyone feeling purple and proud on Saturday is that the rhythm of the Rouge et Or can be broken.

As Marshall admits, “Sometimes the stars have to align a little bit.”

On Saturday, some of the brightest stars in Canadian university football will step on the field in Hamilton, hoping that things line up in their direction and allow them to leave that field as champions.

You can hear coverage of the Vanier Cup on Global News Radio – 980 CFPL, at www.980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app, beginning at 1 p.m.