PYETTE: Western Mustangs must put ultra-rare loss behind them, and fast

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This isn’t the season to fall short.

The Western football team realizes that and it’s why a greater sense of urgency is expected after looking ordinary in a 43-28 loss to Wilfrid Laurier Saturday in Waterloo.

When the Mustangs lost to Montreal in the national semifinal last fall, head coach Greg Marshall believed the 2023 edition surpassed almost all expectations. He felt this year’s roster was more experienced and better prepared for the rigours of a Vanier Cup drive.

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That path just got more difficult with defeat. Laurier quarterback Taylor Elgersma, the London native, and the rest of the Golden Hawks made sure of it on their brand-new home turf.

This is a prime time to win the conference. Based on the rotating nature of the national semifinals, the Yates Cup winner gets to play the Atlantic champion for the Uteck Bowl in November.

No one is saying the Maritime king will be a pushover but you have to like the Ontario survivor’s odds. The easterners haven’t made it through to the Vanier Cup game since Saint Mary’s got there 17 years ago.

Plus, Western pounded St. Francis Xavier 61-6 in the Mitchell Bowl in 2021 and obliterated Acadia 81-3 in the 2017 Uteck Bowl. Those easy wins set the stage for the Mustangs’ two most recent national titles.

When Western rolled through the OUA the past two years, it drew the Quebec champ in the semifinal – Laval in 2022 at home and Montreal last year – and lost both meetings.

This time, one of those Quebec powerhouses will be Canada West’s problem before the Vanier Cup at Kingston Nov. 23.

RETURN TO FORM: Western has a lot of work to do until its Homecoming game against Queen’s on Sept. 28.

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Marshall will look for improvements in every facet, but it’s clear everything starts with the collective mindset. In the dying minutes of the loss Saturday, the captains did important work to lift spirits and restore belief.

“I think a lot has got to change – specifically our mentality,” Western safety Jackson Findlay said. “We’re not that undefeated team we seem to be most years. There’s a lot of good competition in the OUA. We have the talent to compete with anybody. On defence, it starts with the secondary and front seven (making more plays). Clean up the turnovers, better start to the game and we’d be right in it.

“I have full faith in this team.”

Marshall liked Western’s second-half pushback but Laurier kept putting on the offensive pressure.

“They have a good offensive line and were getting a little banged up near the end,” he said. “I said to the guys, time to learn from it. This isn’t the end of the season. We have a chance to get better and we’ll usually play these guys again.

“So let’s keep getting better.”

HILLOCK’S START: The Western offence starts with snapping the ball cleanly and that needs to improve moving forward. The Mustangs feel it has enough depth on the line to overcome a couple of early injuries.

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But Western ball-thrower Evan Hillock’s first four games have clearly been uneven so far. He has thrown nine touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62 per cent of his passes with a career-low 168.9 quarterback efficiency rating to date.

The 2021 Vanier Cup MVP is normally up near or over 70 per cent completion percentage and racked up an efficiency rating of 194.0 two years ago without throwing a single regular-season pick.

He got a late start in the summer due to shoulder surgery and no longer has his high school teammate Savaughn Magnaye-Jones as a go-to target. It’s been an adjustment and his adaptability will dictate much of Western’s success in the second half of the schedule.

It’s a glorious opportunity to do something special again. This isn’t the year to waste it.

rpyette@postmedia.com

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