GUELPH, Ont. – When discussing the best defences in Canadian university football in 2019, there is no doubt you have to mention the Guelph Gryphons.
 
Saturday afternoon in Guelph, the No. 6-ranked Guelph Gryphons used a dominant defensive performance to give the No. 1-ranked Western Mustangs all they could handle. In the end, the Mustangs would escape Guelph with a 9-3 victory in a hard-fought, low-scoring affair at Alumni Stadium where a combined four field goals accounted for all of the scoring on the day. It marks the first time in six years that the perennial power Western Mustang football program have been held without a touchdown, with the last time coming in the 2013 Mitchell Bowl when Western lost 44-3 at Calgary. Trailing by six points late in the 4th quarter, the Gryphons offence picked up three straight first downs on their final possession of the game to move into Western territory before a turnover on downs effectively ended their hopes of an upset after a Theo Landers pass for Abdraman Abdel-Rahim fell incomplete at the Western 40-yard line.

With the loss, the Gryphons fall to 3-2 on the season while Western improves to 5-0.
 
"I couldn't be prouder of our defence and our defensive staff," said Gryphons head coach Ryan Sheahan. "I thought there was an all-systems go prep week for them. I'm proud of our team effort, but I am a little disappointed in some of our errors that we made in the game because, and I hate to sound like a broken record, but against good teams when you make small errors, they come back and haunt you."
 
The biggest error for the Gryphons on the day came in the form of a penalty, when a block-in-the-back negated what would have been a 55-yard touchdown from Jordan Terrio. Gryphon quarterback Theo Landers finished the day 21-32 for 201 yards and an interception while also leading the team in rushing with 39 yards on the ground on 8 carries. The lone points on the day for the Gryphons came on a 47-yard field goal from second-year kicker Eric Stranz with 4:51 remaining in the 4th quarter. But the story on the day for the Gryphons was once again the play from their defence.
 
The Gryphon defence held Western star quarterback Chris Merchant to a season-low 213 yards passing while racking up 5 sacks and an interception. The nine points scored by the Mustangs marks their lowest output in six years (2013 Mitchell Bowl – 44-3 loss to Calgary).
 
The Western Mustangs entered Saturday's game leading the OUA in red zone efficiency (recording eight touchdowns in 11 trips inside opponents' 20-yard line for a league-leading 85% touchdown efficiency). But on Saturday, the Gryphon defence stood tall in their own end, with Western forced to settle for three short field goals, the third of which was a 16-yard make by Marc Liegghio early in the 4th quarter. Free safety Ben Lack (9 tackles, 1 forced fumble), middle linebacker Job Reinhart (8.5 tackles), A.J. Allen (7.5 tackles, 1 fumble recover, 2.5 tackles-for-loss) and Dotun Aketepe (1 INT, 6 tackles) all played key roles in a memorable performance by the Gryphon defence. Offensively, the Gryphons were led by veteran receiver Kade Belyk, who finished the game with a team-high 7 receptions for 68 yards.
 
The Gryphons (3-2) will play in their final regular season home game of 2019 next Saturday (Sept. 28) when they welcome the No. 9-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-1). Tickets for the Gryphons 2019 homecoming game are available online with kickoff set for 1pm and broadcast live online at OUA.tv.
 

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