Box Score
FOOTBALL - Mustangs make interception in end zone in final minute to edge Gryphons
 
LONDON, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons put up a valiant fight this afternoon in London, driving the ball deep into Mustangs territory in the final minute of play, but Western's Mike Spence intercepted Gryphon quarterback Jazz Lindsey in the end zone to end the scoring threat and seal the victory 33-29.
 
The Gryphons drop to 1-5 on the season while the Mustangs remain perfect with a 6-0 record.
 
The Gryphons, winless in their last three games, played outstanding and were led by their rookie QB, Jazz Lindsey who maintained his composure under fire and showed his potential toward becoming a top pivot in the league.  Lindsey threw for 330 yards making 24 of 38 completions and two touchdowns.  Jedd Gardner (Niagara Falls, Ont.) was the top receiver making five catches for 101 yards and one touchdown.
 
The Mustangs rushing game was the difference in the contest totaling 198 yards with several running backs making appearances, the Gryphons on the other hand totaled 75 yards in rushing.
 
Despite the loss Gryphon head coach Stu Lang was impressed with his young quarterback and the teams performance against the CIS ranked #2 team in the country.
 
"It was probably the best game we played this season," commented Lang. "We probably played closer to our potential or at least closer to what we thought our potential was at the beginning of the season.  We took the second best team in Canada and were just ten yards short of beating them and that is something we can build upon."
 
In the beginning of the contest the Gryphons held the Mustangs to only two field goals in the first quarter. Guelph receiver Saxon Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) scored the first touchdown of the game early in the second quarter on a 25-yard pass from brother Jazz Lindsey, putting Guelph ahead 7-6.
 
A Western turnover from their first year quarterback Ben Rossong, who was in the contest after veteran Donnie Marshall's recent injury, led to a 36-yard Guelph field goal by Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont.) giving Guelph a four-point advantage over Western.
 
On Western's sixth and final drive of the second quarter, they were finally able to march the ball down the length of the field when Rossong connected with Zach Bull on a spectacular 35-yard catch to cap the 82-yard scoring drive.
 
Western led 13-10 at halftime.
 
An early Hajrullahu 40-yard field goal in the third quarter put the Mustangs up by six and on the ensuing drive Gryphons running back Rob Farquharson (Markham, Ont.) fumbled the ball in Guelph territory and the ball was recovered by Western's Rob Hennessey (Lindsay, Ont.).
 
Seven plays and 36 yards later, Western's Tyler Varga punched in his 14th touchdown of the season, putting the Mustangs up 23-10 and things were looking good for Western.
 
The Gryphons responded with a scoring drive of their own when rookie quarterback Jazz Lindsey connected with Jedd Gardner on a 52-yard pass for the Gryphons second touchdown of the day to bring them within six, as the Western lead was cut to 23-17.
 
The fourth quarter started with the Mustangs leading by six points and a rouge on a missed field goal stretched the lead to seven points early in the quarter.
 
A Guelph 42 yard field goal less than three minutes later made the score 24-20 and a poorly executed Mustangs punt led to a safety and the lead was down to 2, Western 24 – Guelph 22.
 
On the very next drive the Gryphons drove the ball 70 yards down the length of the field and capped the drive off with a Farquharson touchdown to put the Gryphons in the lead 29-24.
 
The momentum was clearly in the Gryphons' favour, but the Mustangs were not about to give up and responded immediately when Rossong connected on a 73-yard bomb to a wide open Brian Marshall with 7:06 left in the game to put the Mustangs up for good, 30-29.
 
A Hajrullahu 25-yard field goal with two minutes left put the Mustangs up by four, meaning the Gryphons would have to put the ball in the end zone if they wanted to avoid the loss.
 
Guelph was able to move the ball from their own 35 all the way to the Mustangs 16 yard line and in the final minute of play the game was on the line on a 3rd and 10 when Lindsey's pass was picked off in the end zone by Spence, sealing the win for the Mustangs.
 
The Gryphons are back at home next week when they face the York Lions on October 15 at 1:00p.m at Alumni Stadium.