Mustangs Cinderella season ends in Winnipeg

Road Warriors fall short in 52-20 loss to Manitoba

WINNIPEG - The Mustangs ran out of horse power, losing 52-20 to a big and confident Manitoba squad at Canada Inns Stadium on Nov. 17 in the Mitchell Bowl in front of an announced crowd of 4,000.

The Manitoba Bisons made huge plays, opening up with a 31-5 lead at the half with two touchdowns in just over two minutes on a 99-yard interception return from Jim Jeavons and 41-yard touchdown catch by Simon Blaszczak giving the host momentum.  The Bisons made timely plays and were firing on all cylinders, playing a complete game. They advance to play Saint Mary's at the Vanier Cup on Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Saint Mary's defeated Laval in the Uteck Bowl, 24-2.

After the final handshake, Mike Hegarty stood and watched the Manitoba celebration, almost in disbelief as one of the last Mustangs to leave the field. It was a microcosm of how the Mustangs must have felt - a look of disbelief for a Mustangs team that saw its seven game winning streak and season come to an abrupt end.  But they made their fans proud and had a remarkable season, regardless of the loss in the final game. They met a stronger team that had a great season and make some timely plays. Western, after all, turned their season around after starting 0-4 to win seven straight.

They finish the season with a 7-5 record, 3-1 in the post-season. Western was strong both statistically and with time of possession, but it was sudden shifts off interceptions and punt blocks that gave Manitoba the early lead and momentum for good. 

In the first quarter, the Bisons defence looked strong on pass rush and they stopped the run effectively. The teams exchanged two and outs with Western drawing first blood, scoring on a safety after pinning Manitoba deep. Bison defensive back and MVP Mike Howard blocked a punt by Derek Schiavone at midfield and then Brady Browne ran the ball in untouched for the touchdown to make it 7-2 Bisons midway through the opening quarter. Western had a number of opportunities in the quarter. John Surla recovered a fumble by Bison Karim Lowen and the Mustangs drove and gambled with success twice on third down. Faulds snuck in for one of the first downs on third and one and then on a fake punt Schiavone hooked up with rookie Eric Willson for the first down and Schiavone ended the drive booting a 28-yard field goal to make it 7-5 late in the first.

In the second Jesse Bellamy caught a 37-yard pass doing very well to get open and get the ball in the red-zone. But on the next play, Faulds tried to thread the ball to McAuley picked off on next play by Jim Jeavons 99 yard return. The ball was tipped at the line by Justin Shaw. Howard blocked another punt. Then on the next possession, Blaszczak caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Makie and the Bisons extended their lead to 16 points. After a Michael Faulds failed third and one gamble, Manitoba got the ball in good position. Matt Henry punched it in eventually on a one-yard scamper to make it 28-5. A Scott Dixon 41-yard field goal made it 31-5.  Western had 8 first downs to Manitoba's 6 and had 176 yards of total offence to the Bison's 105 along with a seven-minute advantage on time of possession. Turnovers and big Bisons special teams plays were the story in the opening half.

Mike Hegarty took a 37-pass from Faulds to set up a great run by Randy McAuley who shook off two tackles with a six-yard run to make it 31-14. But Makie found Windsor, Ont., native Terry Firr in the end zone to extend the lead to 38-14 and put the Mustangs in tough for the final 21:30 of the game. Western gambled on third and five but Faulds' pass was blocked by Justin Cooper and the Mustangs turned over the ball on downs. 

Another Faulds interception at the end of the third quarter made it even more trying for the Mustangs. Makie converted with Firr for 32 yards and Henry punched it in for another touchdown from one yard out for the 45-14 lead. Neil Fulgueras scored on a 38-yard screen pass from Makie to make it 52-14 early in the fourth before Faulds ran in a one-yard QB sneak to pull the score back with in 32 points. This was the fourth rushing touchdown the Bisons surrendered all season and their first surrendered in 245:28 of play stretching over four games.

Western accomplished a lot in this game and the score-line didn't reflect how much the Mustangs really were in the game. It was Western's third worst playoff loss. The two worst were a pair of 35-point decisions at Guelph in 1992 when Bob LaRose was filling in for Larry Haylor who was off on sabbatical and in 2002 at Queen's. 

DID YOU KNOW: The last time Western played Saint Mary's was a 1991 loss in the Churchill Bowl, 31-30. They beat them in 1990 and are 3-1 all time against them... The last time Saint Mary's and Manitoba played was in the 2001 Vanier Cup, a 42-16 decision in favour of the Huskies. The Bisson qualified for the Vanier that year after defeating the Marshall-coached Mustangs on Nov. 17, 2001... The last time the Mustangs played for the Vanier Cup was in 1995 when they lost to Calgary 54-24... The Mustangs last Vanier Cup win was against Saskatchewan, a 50-40 overtime thriller in 1994... Maury L. Van Vliet Tropy was won by Mike Howard.