Saturday, November 4
1pm
TD Stadium, Western University
Guelph Gryphons vs Western Mustangs
TV:  Live on Rogers Cable 20 (for viewers in Waterloo Region, Guelph, Brantford & Stratford), Rogers Cable 13 in London
Online:  www.oua.tv
Tickets:  available online

GUELPH – There's an immediacy to playoff competition in sports. All of the endless hours put into a season, the effort and pain that began with workouts, the grueling practices, and highs and lows of games – it can all end in an instant. You either advance or pack up your gear. It doesn't need to be explained to the coaching staff and players of the Guelph Gryphons football program. When the Gryphons, ranked No. 8 in the country, travel to TD Stadium to take on the undefeated No. 2 Western Mustangs in an OUA Semi-final, they're well aware of what's at stake.

"It's win or go home," Guelph head coach Kevin MacNeill says.
 
High stakes, for sure, but for the streaking Gryphons, there is plenty of incentive to manufacture a playoff upset on the very field where they lifted the 2015 Yates Cup. The team has won six of the past seven games, including last week's one-sided 30-8 Quarter-final road win against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gryphons have shown they can play with anyone. But one of the many things that's driving Guelph to keep its impressive run going is to survive another day so that this hard-working group can stay together for at least one more weeek.

MacNeill isn't a big picture guy. He preaches being detail-oriented. Focus on the small things every single day, develop the habits, and use what you know for the 60 minutes of game time. His players have responded.
 
"That's been the focus all season long," he says. "I have to give the players a lot of credit for being tight and playing as a team. They come to work every day and play their butts off in practice. That is what I'm most proud of. And it's led to the success on the field."
 
The work ethic, emphasis on details, and unity will be essential for Saturday's matchup with Western. The Mustangs have been on another level than their OUA competition this season. They are a spotless 8-0 but have accumulated those wins in dominating fashion with the best offence (608.5 yards per game), the best defence (288 yards allowed per game), and the most points scored (386 for 48.3 points per game). Many of their players are near the top of the OUA statistical leaders, like quarterback Chris Merchant, who is fourth in passing yards per game with 249.4, or running back Alex Taylor whose 118.7 rushing yards per game ranks him second in the OUA. Taylor's backfield partner Cedric Joseph leads the OUA in rushing touchdowns with 10 (just one ahead of fifth-year Gryphon Johnny Augustine). And if Guelph kicker Gabriel Ferraro hadn't put up such a historic season with a U SPORTS record 33 field goals, Marc Liegghio's 29 made, which also surpassed Daniel Ferraro's old mark of 26, would have got more attention.
 
"They're an incredible team," MacNeill says of the well-coached and hard-working Mustangs. "They have very few weaknesses, if any. They're a formidable opponent and definitely deserving of their record."
 
Among those eight Western wins, probably the toughest was the 41-34 overtime victory over the Gryphons on Labour Day. That game didn't start until 9:30 pm on Sept. 4 because of lightning in the London area. The Gryphons, coming off a double overtime loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in week one, gave the Mustangs their biggest scare of the season. Fourth-year quarterback James Roberts, who made his return to the lineup last week against Ottawa and threw two touchdowns, was sharp in executing Guelph's big-play offence. He found receiver Zeph Fraser for two scores and Augustine exploded for an 81-yard touchdown that was the longest run of his career. Western needed a short touchdown run from backup quarterback Stevenson Bone in the extra session to escape with the win.

 
MacNeill will be looking for that same level of execution Saturday, though the Labour Day game itself is the farthest thing from the Gryphon players' minds. In addition to those weekly details, the focus is also on each other. It takes a whole roster of contributors to succeed, not just the prominent star players. MacNeill gave praise to many of his guys, including some of his workhorses like third-year defensive linemen Charlie Taggart and Greg Corfield, and second-year fullback Lukas Brennan, who have embodied the program's philosophy.
 
"They never take a play off and always give maximum effort," MacNeill says of the trio. "They watch a ton of game film and are extremely prepared. Those guys are so critical to your roster."
 
One star that MacNeill is happy to highlight is Augustine. The veteran from Welland, ON, who came off an injury-plagued 2016, has been heroic for the Gryphons. The coach has enjoyed seeing him work daily in practice, with an attitude that is infectious. In the last three games of the regular season, Augustine ran for 404 yards and four touchdowns, pushing his way up to second on the all-time Guelph rushing yardage list, while also securing the school's career rushing touchdown record this season (28). He churned out another 151 yards against Ottawa last week and is closing his time at Guelph in style, reminding many of another recent U of G legend.
 
"Johnny has put us on his back," says MacNeill. "He's taking every rep like it could be his last. He's playing his best football. It's reminiscent of John Rush in 2015. It's the same kind of mentality. He's really put an exclamation mark on his career.
 
"He's just on fire and we'll need that same energy from Johnny."
 
Win or go home.